Councillor joins criticism of higher fines for cyclists
The city of Montreal councillor responsible for cycling issues has joined Vélo Québec in blasting the province’s plan to significantly increase fines against scofflaws.
Under Bill 165, which would modify Quebec’s Highway Safety Code, fines for cyclists caught without reflectors or running through red lights would start at $80, up from the current $15 minimum.
Vélo Québec president Suzanne Lareau called the proposed fines “discriminatory and disproportionate.”
The cycling lobby group had recommended the government increase the fines to $50, saying that would be enough of a deterrent.
The group says fines should be based on the level of danger of the infraction. Its recommendations jibe with ones made by the city of Montreal and Montreal police.
It makes little sense to fine a cyclist $80 for a missing reflector when motorists are fined $60 for a missing headlight, Lareau told the Montreal Gazette.
Vélo Québec first urged the government to reconsider during public hearings after Bill 165 was tabled in December.
Lareau said her group is disappointed that the fines remain unchanged in the revised version of the bill that is to be voted on in the National Assembly in the coming weeks.
“There were no increases in fines for pedestrians, and very few for drivers, so we don’t understand what justifies such an increase,” she said.
Lareau said the government should be encouraging more people to cycle rather than imposing punitive fines, and noted many people ride bikes because they can’t afford a car.
In a tweet on Thursday, Marianne Giguère, the city’s point person on cycling issues, called the proposed fines “exaggerated.”