North America's Fascist Redlightocracies

Coolipolis has an article concerning the continuing adventures of Montreal mayor Tremblay.

Montreal has always been able to throw up little tin plated dictator mayors, but in Tremblay is sounds like they have a doozie.

After him ramming through* a name change for Parc Ave (now it's Avenue de Boo-Boo), now he remains steadfast in resisting right turns at red lights in the city.

...the island of Montreal, which sees 20,000 residents leave per year, remains the last of North America's fascist redlightocracies, the only place other than Manhattan in the entire Can-Am that forces people to sit at right lights even when they want to turn right when nobody is around.

To add hypocrisy to its anti-environmental folly, a coupla dozen months back the city passed a bylaw. Police can now slap people with tickets for daring to warm up their cars before getting in them. Running a car unnecessarily pollutes the environment.

And yet the city forces drivers against their will to commit their grievous sin against the environment by making them wait unnecessarily at right lights.

Ekkk, 20,000 a year...

*Update, according to Kate at montreal city weblog, the Mayor backed off the name change after public protest. Woohoo, this makes him slightly less tin potish.

Read more here.