The opposition at city hall is criticizing the mayor and the police over cuts to traffic management at construction sites.
According to a report in La Presse, 120 police cadets who mainly manage traffic at construction sites will see their hours cut as of Tuesday.
The city says this is an internal police decision and won't comment on the matter.
No one from the police department was available to comment either.
The reason for the cuts appears to be budgetary: In 2014, the police overtime bill for traffic management was $4.4 million, while last year, it climbed to $11 million.
City council opposition leader Lionel Perez said the cuts are a bad idea, money aside.
“We know this is a record year in terms of construction site. We know that in the past there have been about 150 police officers that in fact are there to ensure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and also of drivers. They have the moral and legal authority to be able to indicate what to do, so it’s really very concerning this morning the find out that the Montreal police department is looking to revise and reduce significantly the number of police presence at street corners. We think that it’s an aberration, that it’s very dangerous for the public,” he said.
Meanwhile, the city is warning that after Labour Day, traffic in the Montreal region will become a lot busier than it has been all summer.
Officials are advising that commuters opt to carpool or use public transit.
