At a press conference on Wednesday, the City of Montreal announced that for the first time ever, it has deployed a mobility squad responsible for roaming three downtown boroughs in an effort to help commuters get around town successfully.
Consisting of six inspectors for now, the squad patrols the Ville-Marie, Plateau-Mont-Royal and South West boroughs from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. at night, checking for permit violations and operational issues on sidewalks, roadways and bike paths. The squad operates Monday through Friday.
Traffic expert Rick Leckner was on hand and told Global News he’s been waiting for something like this for a long time.
“I think it’s an excellent initiative, better late than never,” said Leckner. “Some may say they [are] only six [officers], but I think it’s an education and a prevention [initiative].”
The squad works in conjunction with police and the Centre de gestion de la mobilité urbaine (CGMU) and has a dedicated technical support team. They’ll also use an app enabling them to stay on top of developing or reoccurring issues.
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Officials went on to say they believe the squad will help prevent further congestion on city streets, because, for example, their inspectors will be able to intervene and halt construction sites while rush hour traffic is ongoing — even towing vehicles, if necessary.
Valerie Plante, mayor of Montreal, said it’s an important tool she believes will stop problem areas in their tracks.
“When we talk about demobilizing,” Plante said, “we mean clearing out the space.”
The mobility squad inspectors are authorized to give tickets, averaging about $400 per infraction, and Montreal police will get involved if and when those inspectors deem it necessary.
The city added that for the last three months, they’ve been watching the pilot project closely and said it has helped them better understand what needs to be done.
Though they said members of the public should feel free to flag any issues they see by calling the city at 3-1-1, they said the goal of the squad is to stop problems before they begin.
In total, the squad will cost just over $1 million, a bit more than half of which will come from the city’s budget and the other half from the provincial government.
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