Police as tax collectors irks some
News that the city wants to top up its budget partly by ratcheting up police fines is not a welcome idea to some folks, who think it cheapens the public perception of what police do (but they didn’t succeed in getting a quote from the police fraternity).
In very tangential police news, here’s a description of the very obscure police museum, which can only be visited on Tuesdays.
Only a Montrealer would write “its extensive historic collection is scattered a little bit everywhere” because they were thinking of “un peu partout”.
Ephraim 09:52 on 2012/09/16 Permalink
They could likely balance the budget and get through their quota of tickets just standing around a few of the corners of Montreal and handing out traffic citations to pedestrians, bicyclists, cars and taxis, without even having to move around the city at all. Just let the infractions come to them.
(Saw a bicyclist drive across three lanes to get to the right side against traffic on St-Urbain and make a right turn onto a one-way (the opposite direction) street. So that would have been four different infractions, including not signaling. There’s about $200 just there.)
Chris 11:52 on 2012/09/16 Permalink
A municipality is a construct of the province, and the province has given it limited means to raise money. For example, Montreal is not allowed to impose a sales tax (which for example New York City does). Montreal gets its money mostly form property taxes. This makes it more expensive to buy/rent/live in Montreal, but adds no cost to those just driving though or working here. The latter use the roads, benefit from the snow clearing, etc.
Bert 19:01 on 2012/09/16 Permalink
Ephraim, please consider one of my favourites, companies that make breaking the law part of their business plan. FedEx, UPS, Purolator and every other Tom Dick and Harry delivery company, be it truck or car. an L plate or an F plate do not give one the right to park anywhere, be it in no-parking zones or worse, double parked. The sole exception to this is The Queens Courrier, Canada Post, who by law (proclamation, or some other instrument of Law) can do basically what they want.
Mathieu 08:47 on 2012/09/17 Permalink
Props to that 5-6PM FedEx truck who, nearly everyday, parks at the corner of Parc and Bernard right in the reserved lane, right in front of the bus stop, without any flashing lights (for what they’re worth, it could at least warn cars behind it that it’s going to stop so they don’t end up to close to it). I’m pretty sure that this Public Mobile store could survive if their packages arrived earlier or later…