MONTREAL

Former cop puts spotlight on traffic traps around Montreal

CTV Montreal Published Thursday, November 20, 2014 2:43PM EST Last Updated Thursday, November 20, 2014 7:43PM EST

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A former police officer who now helps drivers contest traffic tickets has released his list of the top ten ticket traps in and around Montreal.

Alfredo Munoz of SOS Ticket, who was a Sergeant with the Montreal police force, has spent the past decade fighting tickets instead of handing them out.

He says he's helped motorists contest about 40,000 tickets. He and the lawyer he works with look about about 300 tickets a week.

He's using his experience to help other drivers watch out for areas where police officers lie in wait for drivers, because he says the role of a police officer should be to enforce safety and not act as a "tax collector."

In many of the following speeds the speed limit drops abruptly, so drivers who slow down gradually can easily be nabbed for going over the limit.

In some places, such as on Highway 15, drivers get caught using High Occupancy Vehicle lanes without enough passengers.

He says a popular spot is the Ville Marie eastbound, heading downtown. Patrol cars park on the median just before the Mountain St. exit.

The speed limit is 70 km/h, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone driving at that speed.

“Everybody's rolling about 90, 94, 95 and as soon as you hit 100, boom,” he said.

Munoz said he often spoke out against ticket quotas when he was on the force but did not get support from fellow officers. He says he doesn't buy the claim that their current stance is unrelated to Bill 3 negotiations.

“Suddenly they have a conscience. Right now they're saying 'oh, that's not right'. I wonder what changed,” he said.

Munoz says whatever the motive, he’s all for less tickets and more safety.

“Policing should never be a business. Policing has to be about protecting the people,” he said.

Munoz's List