The Ministry of Transport announced Monday that the Louis Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel repair site in Montreal will now be monitored in both directions by a mobile photo radar. According to the Justice Department, this sector is already the most lucrative for photo radars.
Posted at 5:22 p.m.
According to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTQ), some drivers do not adhere to the maximum speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour set in the construction zone at any time during off-peak hours.
“This initiative aims to ensure the safety of road users and workers,” the MTQ said in a press release on Monday.
The new mobile photo radar is indicated by a sign upstream. The same pictogram used elsewhere on the road network is used, on an orange background.
An offense related to photo radar does not result in penalty points, recalls the MTQ. However, the amount of the fine doubles if the crime is committed on a construction site.
Fines worth millions
The Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel site is already the most lucrative sector for photo radars. Since a mobile device was installed on Highway 25, as many as 22,631 drivers have received a ticket, for a total of 9.8 million, according to Justice Department data.
The amount collected by Quebec is particularly high because motorists are caught driving well above the limit, which was lowered to 50 km/h during work in the tunnel. The average construction site fine is actually $433, three times as much as other equipment.
By comparison, the new radar installed in Quebec on the Dufferin-Montmorency highway issued no fewer than 68,000 traffic tickets in one year, generating $9.6 million in revenue.
Quebec announced last year that it would increase its use of photo radars to calm traffic. For the time being, the devices make it possible to generate significant income. These actually raised almost $75 million in 2023, significantly more than the $63 million raised in 2022.