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| The six numbered dots represent the new and useless traffic lights |
On one 400 metre stretch of Decarie between St. James and De Maisonneuve there are now four sets of traffic lights, two brand new and one that has been uselessly delaying people for about four years. That's a new light every 100 metres. It must be some sort of new world record.
Compare that to a much-busier 700 metre stretch of Sherbrooke between Clifton and Girouard - a strip with far more pedestrians and traffic - it does fine with four lights over almost twice the distance.
A pointless luminous delay machine has been installed at Crowley and Upper Lachine, which serves no purpose: traffic to Crowley is virtually nil and a stop sign would be entirely adequate.
A light installed about 30 metres north of Upper Lachine on Girouard forces motorists to wait 54 seconds. Fifty four seconds! You'll literally want to get out to stretch your legs or do jumping jacks while waiting through that sucker. You then get six seconds - yes six seconds - to progress northbound through the green before another 54 second red cycle begins. Those who sniff a green on the horizon motor full speed, knowing they'll be punished by the clock for missing their chance. Once again, a simple stop sign would be adequate and would lead to much calmer driving.
Stop signs encourage motorists to keep their eyes on the road - pedestrians, cylclists and other cars - rather than up in the air, mesmerized by a green, yellow or red light bulb.
Montreal West thrives without a single traffic light - including at a busy five-way intersection of St. James and Westminister full of school kids - where there has never been an accident.
Nuns Island hasn't got a single traffic light and has useful structure like roundabouts, putting to rest the nonsense of Montreal drivers being somehow worse than those of other cities.
Needless to say the public had no say in this expensive money and time grab.
Lives, in tiny increments, are being confiscated by nameless pencilnecks planning roads in locked offices.
It isn't cheap either: traffic lights are costly to purchase, maintain and operate, whereas stop signs are almost free.
A traffic light is a punishment. A stop sign is a chance at redemption. Don't believe me? Drive through the intersection of St. Jacques and Westminister. You'll see the goodwill and cooperation that motorists are capable of and you'll feel good after getting through.
Unlike in many other cities, traffic lights in Montreal are not made with an intelligent design, so you routinely see a long line of cars waiting at a red while no vehicles are trying to come the other way.
Is there corruption behind this illogical slavery to the traffic light? Are we living under government by insurance company whose next task is to force you to wear helmets behind the wheel?
The concept of a traffic light is philosophically offensive. It's signal that the government feels entitled to arbitrarily confiscate your time in a paternalistic manner which does not require explaining. No attempt to justify these often pointless delays is ever offered. Let's start dumping these devices now.