Montreal cyclists received 1,400 more tickets in 2023 than the year before

Cyclists in the city saw the number of fines they received from Montreal police (SPVM) increase last year, mainly for failing to obey traffic lights.

In 2023, SPVM reportedly gave out 8,361 tickets to cyclists — that’s 1,420 more than in 2022.

The fines were especially given to those who did not respect traffic lights — the most frequent offence was the failure to obey the red light.

Over 2,900 tickets were reportedly given out for those cases.

Since the reform of the Highway Safety Code in 2018, demerit points are no longer removed when cyclists run a red light – only a fine. Some experts say this may be why more officers are inclined to ticket this type of offence now – more than before.