Share this Story: Squeaky Wheels: Drivers can't get tickets for speeding in parking lots
Squeaky Wheels: Drivers can't get tickets for speeding in parking lots
Montreal police explain they can't enforce speed limits or stop signs in parking lots.
Jason Magder • Montreal Gazette
Mar 06, 2016 • July 12, 2020 • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
Police can't ticket people who drive against the demarcations in parking lots, like those who go into the lot where arrows indicate the area is reserved for traffic exiting the lot. Police also can't enforce speed even if there is a sign in the parking lot showing the maximum permitted speed limit. Photo by Dario Ayala /The Gazette
Q: What, if any, highway codes apply in parking lots? I ask because anyone who's driven through one has undoubtedly seen aggressive drivers racing through parking spaces, driving fast, narrowly missing pedestrians — the list goes on. Do any laws apply to them?
David Hogarth,
Squeaky Wheels: Drivers can't get tickets for speeding in parking lots Back to video
A: Certain articles of the Highway Safety Code, the rules of the road for Quebec drivers, do not apply to parking lots because they are considered to be private property, explained Montreal police Sgt. Danny Richer.
This applies to all parking lots, even those that are owned by a government body.
"We can't enforce speed limits or stop signs inside parking lots," Richer said.
He added, however, police can still enforce municipal bylaws, like fire lane parking restrictions, and police can give out tickets to drivers who take up two spaces in the lot. Police can also give tickets for people parked in disabled spots without authorization, or on lines indicating where parking is prohibited.
Police can't ticket people who drive against the demarcations in parking lots, like those who go into the lot where arrows indicate the area is reserved for traffic exiting the lot. Police also can't enforce speed even if there is a sign in the parking lot showing the maximum permitted speed limit. He added there is no specific speed limit for parking lots, but motorists are expected to drive safely.
Richer said it's not a good idea to ignore such regulations, however, because if motorists get into a accident they could get a ticket or even be arrested for reckless driving. He pointed out regulations in the parking lot are there for the safety of pedestrians and motorists, so drivers ignore them at their risk.
Squeaky Wheels makes a difference
Last week, we reported about a temporary exit off Highway 20 eastbound toward Montreal West and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce . That prompted the following question:
Q: With reference to the item in (last week's) Squeaky Wheels where Transport Quebec spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun stated the temporary replacement for the Montreal West exit off Highway 20 East "will be used for several years," the entire surface of the stretch of Notre Dame St. from the Highway 20 East exit to the intersection with des Trinitaires St. is already like a moonscape. When will this abominable piece of alleged road be resurfaced? Or, alternatively, can Bensadoun provide us with the information on how we can claim compensation from Transport Quebec for our future broken axles, punctured tires, damaged shock absorbers and suspensions, and ruined rims and wheel alignments?
John Ronald,
A: The roadway in question falls under the purview of the city of Montreal. Because of this question, the road has been flagged to crews currently working to patch potholes throughout the city. One of the pothole repair machines will be sent to the area on Monday, said Jacques-Alain Lavallée, a spokesperson for the city.
The pavement is also on a list of streets that is destined to be resurfaced, though Lavallée did not have exact information on when it will be repaved. Several streets in that interchange are destined to be repaved, including Angrignon Blvd., Lavallée said.
Squeaky Wheels makes a difference, Part 2
Dollard des Ormeaux resident David Waugh's question from Feb. 14 about a broken priority light for a bus lane on St-Jean Blvd. in Dollard prompted action from the STM. Waugh reports the light is now working.
Do you have an issue worthy of Squeaky Wheels? Here's how to get in touch:
jmagder@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JasonMagder
Facebook.com/JasonMagderJournalist