Mayor slams door on red-light right turns

Citing a 40-per-cent spike in pedestrian deaths contained in Quebec’s highway statistics for 2016, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre has closed the door — once again — on any plan to allow right turns on red lights in Montreal.

“There was a report this morning concerning the (traffic) accident rate,” Coderre told a weekly meeting of the city’s executive committee on Wednesday.

“We see there’s been a drop in accidents involving cars. But there are still worries concerning pedestrians, and ... in the context of our Vision Zero program, it’s clear there will be no right-hand turns (on red lights) in Montreal.

“Forty-three per cent of the fatal pedestrian accidents occurred in Montreal ... I think (the figures) put a lid, once and for all (on the issue).

“As far as we’re concerned, Montreal will remain firm on this question.”

Coderre’s comments follow the publication on Tuesday of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec’s annual report on traffic deaths. While figures for 2016 show the year was the second-least deadly on roads and highways in 70 years, 63 pedestrian deaths were recorded last year, an increase of 40 per cent compared with 2015.

The Vision Zero program cited by Coderre was first announced by the city last September and is based on the objective of reducing the number of fatal or serious accidents on a specific territory to zero. While righthand turns on red lights did not figure in the original announcement, the issue came to the fore after a group of suburban mayors called for changes to the Highway Code that would allow the manoeuvre on the island of Montreal. Coderre has repeatedly opposed the option.