MONTREAL — As cycling experiences an unprecedented boom across Montreal, new data reveals a parallel surge in traffic tickets handed out to riders—sparking a fierce debate between cycling advocates and law enforcement over the city’s safety priorities.
Preliminary data released by the city shows that Montreal Police (SPVM) issued more than 9,500 tickets to cyclists last year, with fines ranging from $80 to $100 per infraction. This represents a staggering 60% increase in ticketing since 2020, with the numbers climbing steadily year-over-year since 2022. The most common infractions flagged by police include running red lights, riding on sidewalks, wearing earbuds, and operating electric bicycles without a helmet.
However, cycling advocacy group Vélo Québec argues that the sheer volume of fines lacks critical context and targets the wrong behaviors. Magali Bebronne, the program director at Vélo Québec, pointed out that while the recent spike seems high, ticket numbers were actually 20% higher prior to the pandemic, when annual cycling fines hovered around the 12,000 mark.
The group’s primary concern lies in what cyclists are being penalized for. According to Bebronne, a quarter of all tickets issued last year for riding an e-bike without a helmet involved users of Bixi, Montreal’s public bike-sharing network.
“We’d rather have the police focus on behaviors that put other people at risk,” Bebronne said. She explained that many spontaneous commuters arrive at a Bixi docking station intending to take a regular bicycle, but are forced to rent an e-bike simply because no other options are available at that terminal—leaving them legally exposed if they don’t happen to carry a helmet.
In response, Vélo Québec is calling on the city to drop the strict helmet requirement for bike-share users. The organization is also questioning the double standard regarding audio devices, noting that car drivers—who travel in heavily sound-insulated cabins—are legally permitted to use high-powered sound systems or headphones, while cyclists face immediate fines for using basic earbuds.
The advocacy group urges police to shift their enforcement strategy away from technicalities and toward actions that directly impact street safety, particularly behaviors that compromise the right-of-way and safety of pedestrians.
