A Montreal cyclist is planning to fight a $651 ticket he was given for warning others a police operation targeting cyclists was in effect.

Chris Lloyd was issued a $40 ticket by police after running a red light near the city’s Mount Royal Park.

After receiving the fine, Lloyd decided to hang out around the corner to warn other cyclists of the police operation.

“I was standing at the bus stop and when the light would turn red … I would make eye contact with a cyclist who looked like they weren’t going to stop or give a wave,” Lloyd explained to CTV Montreal.

But officers told him he was obstructing a police operation – an illegal act.

Lloyd said he was in disbelief at the move.

“I said ‘You can’t be serious?’ How can me standing here on the sidewalk telling people to stop at the red light -- how can that be against the law?”

Lloyd alleges that police slapped him with the bloated ticket after he asked for proof of the law. They told him to move -- or risk being arrested.

“I looked at the amount, $651, and I just thought this is ridiculous,” he said.

Other Montreal cyclists agree.

“I guess technically … sticking strictly to the law, he shouldn’t do that. But I think it’s mean-spirited,” one cyclist said.

Montreal police would not comment on the case, but said Lloyd can contest the ticket if he wishes.

Lloyd said he will pay the $40 ticket for running the red light, but is planning to fight the “obstruction” fine.

And he has a good chance in winning his case, CTV legal analyst Jordan Charness said.

“There was a judgment a couple of years ago which said that flashing your lights to warn motorists that there are police around is not considered obstruction and the person back then was acquitted,” Charness said. “So, really, it's going to depend on what exactly happened here.”

Lloyd said the entire incident was “ridiculous” and a way for officers to meet their ticket quota.

“I think they were just hoping for me to go away so they could continue to give out a bunch of tickets,” he said.

With a report and files from CTV Montreal