en.Wedoany.com Reported - The City of Montreal has deployed Derq's AI-powered INSIGHT platform at 100 intersections as part of its Intersection Safety and Mobility Analysis System (SASMI). This scale is considered one of the largest deployments of its kind in North America, marking the city's commitment to placing artificial intelligence at the core of street monitoring.
For decades, many cities have approached road safety with a "post-mortem" mindset—reviewing reports after the fact and assigning blame. Montreal's deployment changes this logic. Derq's INSIGHT platform allows city traffic teams to interpret real-time conditions of the road network, rather than waiting weeks for stacks of accident reports. This shift is driven by the tangible pressure on North American transportation agencies: they need to prove they can prevent injuries, not just count them.
Derq, an MIT spin-off founded in 2016 with 20 patents, has its technology operating in the United States, Canada, and the Gulf region. This deployment was executed jointly with Derq's Canadian distribution partner, Tacel Ltd., a Canadian intelligent transportation systems company founded in 1979. The 100 intersections are seen as a critical milestone: many cities have piloted AI safety analysis at a few intersections but stalled due to lack of budget or political will. Montreal has skipped this phase, sending a signal to the market that the technology is ready to take on responsibility within a busy, multi-modal road network.
The platform enables the city to shift from fragmented historical reports to real-time monitoring. Karl Jeanbart, Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Derq, stated that cities have traditionally relied on historical reports and limited data to understand road safety. Montreal is adopting a forward-looking approach, leveraging AI to generate granular traffic intelligence. INSIGHT integrates automated traffic signal performance metrics and predictive analytics. The technology is hardware-agnostic and can connect to a city's existing infrastructure, including video sensors and traffic signals.
Montreal has long pursued its "Vision Zero" commitment, aiming to eliminate road fatalities and serious injuries by 2040. Alan DeSousa, the borough mayor responsible for mobility and infrastructure, stated that the deployment of AI solutions marks a shift toward a more proactive mobility management strategy. City councillor Alexandre Teodoresco, responsible for optimization, municipal performance, and innovation, emphasized that the project demonstrates how innovation can improve residents' daily lives. Yassine Benamghar, Vice President of Tacel, noted that transportation agencies are under pressure to make faster decisions within complex networks, and real-time safety intelligence enables quicker responses to emerging risks.
The significance of the Montreal contract becomes clearer when compared to Derq's progress elsewhere. The technology has been integrated into road networks in the United States, Canada, and the Gulf region. Days after the Montreal announcement, Derq confirmed it is supporting intelligent traffic upgrades at approximately 95 locations around MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, as the state prepares to welcome over one million visitors during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Different cities, different motivations, but the same bet on real-time AI analysis to keep road networks flowing smoothly.
The long-term impact in Montreal remains uncertain: whether real-time monitoring translates into fewer collisions and smarter interventions depends on the city's own processes and will. But choosing to scale up aggressively, rather than dabbling, has already sent a signal to other fields: the proactive era of road safety management is no longer theoretical, and the agencies that act first will set the rules.
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