Number of drivers caught by Pincourt radar cameras on rise
Off-island site that was part of pilot project will remain in operation: Transport Quebec
Even though it has been a fixture in the off-island for almost three years, the photo radar on Highway 20 in Pincourt is catching more motorists exceeding the 70-kilometre-an-hour speed limit than ever.
According to provincial government statistics, the Highway 20 photo radar in Pincourt was responsible for issuing 10,950 tickets from Jan. 18, 2011, until Feb. 29 of this year, almost as many tickets as were issued since it was put in place in August 2009 up until January of last year.
A total of 24,851 tickets have been issued over the photo radar site’s entire 31-month life span, said Guillaume Beaurivage, a Transport Quebec spokesperson in a telephone interview from Quebec City.
Up until January 2011, a total of 13,901 tickets were mailed out, accounting for revenue pegged at $1,663,073.
As to why the number of tickets issued appears to have risen, Beaurivage declined to comment.
He noted, however, that West Island motorists looking forward to the removal of Pincourt’s photo radar can stop holding their breath.
Instead of ending the pi- lot project as scheduled last month, the Quebec government recently announced it will introduce another 25 photo-radar sites across the province, as well as four mobile photo radars in the Quebec City area in 2013.
The Pincourt photo radar, which was one of six photo radars installed as part of provincial government pilot project, is slated to remain in place, Beaurivage said.
As for the location of the 25 new photo-radar sites, those have yet to be determined.
Beaurivage said a committee of experts will advise Transport Quebec on locations where photo radar would have the greatest impact.
“Public safety is the objective,” said Beaurivage.