An age-old traffic pattern in Dollard-des-Ormeaux (DDO) is gaining a new group of opponents as West Island commuters continue to seek alternatives to the southbound lane of Saint-Jean Boulevard.
The pattern occurs at the Jacques-Bizard corridor as it runs into DDO from Pierrefonds.
Jacques-Bizard Boulevard becomes Sommerset as it runs through DDO. At the corner of Shakespeare Street, commuters during morning rush hour are required to turn left on Shakespeare.
But some say the sign is all but illegible, and that police are using it as a trap for tickets.
“It’s either a tax grab or another incredible example of the idiocy of our politicians,” said Gerald Parker, a cyclist in the area.
Due to construction on St-Jean Boulevard this summer, more commuters seem to notice the pattern — often after getting a ticket — as they try to find a way south in the West Island by avoiding Saint-Jean Boulevard.
That lands them in the crosshairs of traffic police who, residents say, wait on Sommerset south of Shakespeare.
DDO officials say the pattern has existed for more than 30 years and it was originally designed to prevent traffic from high-density areas like Pierrefonds from flooding the street — which is suburban and residential in Dollard.