Quebec is pulling the plug on its traffic light pilot project that rewards drivers for good behavior
The city of Brossard, on Montreal’s south coast, has been forced to stop testing a traffic-calming technology after Quebec’s Ministry of Transportation said it was not consulted on the project, which also failed to respect provincial guidelines.
On May 1, the municipality introduced the Educational Awareness Reward Light (EARL) on Stravinski Avenue, near Académie Marie-Laurier. Developer Kalitec, based in Laval, described EARL as a smart traffic light that rewards motorists for respecting speed limits.
Brossard Mayor Doreen Assaad’s plan was to test the light for 90 days, but the project was aborted after just 11 days when Quebec’s Ministry of Transportation ordered it suspended. The light was taken out of service on 23 May.
“Everything we tried to do was rejected,” Assaad said. “I am very sorry on their part.”
The light, which looks like an ordinary traffic light, is red when at rest. As soon as a vehicle comes within range of its sensors, the light turns green to indicate to the driver that they are respecting the speed limit. If they speed, the light stays red, forcing them to slow down.
LOOK | EARL in action before the Brossard pilot was finally canceled:
Brossard, Que., has installed EARL, the education awareness reward light, on one of its streets. It can tell you you’re approaching and respond with a red or green light depending on your speed. (Update June 22, 2023: Brossard was forced to withdraw the pilot because it did not meet Department of Transportation guidelines.)
In a statement, the Ministry of Transport says it has not been consulted about the pilot project.
In addition, it believes that EARL’s use of the red light could be confusing to motorists who typically associate the color with a full stop, not slowing down. It says this could lead to “major road safety problems”.
Assaad says she understands the province’s concerns but wishes it had been more open-minded and passed the pilot. As far as she is concerned, Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault was “kept informed”.
Guilbault even congratulated us when we made our whole announcement. She said bravo to Brossard’s innovation.’
Although Brossard was the first municipality in Canada to use EARL, the technology has already been adopted by certain municipalities in France.
According to Assaad, 50 other municipalities in Quebec are interested in the technology.
“The current rules, in my opinion, are not solving the problems we have in Quebec,” she said. “If we were that good, we wouldn’t have had all those municipalities searched [desperately] for innovation to make sure everyone is safe.”
Assaad says she is still proud of what Brossard did with EARL.
For its part, Kalitec says it will soon meet with the Ministry of Transport.
