speed limit ontario

Ontario is permanently raising the speed limit on parts of the 401 and other highways

Highway speed limits are going up in some of Ontario's most-populous regions, from the standard 100 km/h we've gotten used to on most 400-series highways, to a slightly faster 110 km/h.

This means that we can drive 130 without getting a ticket now, right? Don't quote me on that — the whole "20 over" thing might just be a myth as far as some cops are concerned.

Regardless, speed limits of 110 kilometres per hour will be the new standard on six sections of Ontario highways starting April 22, 2022, according to a report from The Canadian Press (CP).

The highways going from 100 to 11o next month will be:

  • The Queen Elizabeth Way from Hamilton to St. Catharines
  • Highway 402 from London to Sarnia
  • Highway 417 from Ottawa to the Quebec border
  • Highway 417 from the Kanata area to Arnprior
  • Highway 401 from Windsor to Tilbury
  • Highway 404 from Newmarket to Woodbine

Ontario Minister of Transportation, Caroline Mulroney, told CP in a statement that these specific sections of highway were "carefully selected based on their ability to accommodate higher speeds."

The move comes more than two years after the implementation of a pilot project in which the province raised speed limits from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on chunks of three Ontario highways: the QEW, the 402 and the 417.

"People are telling us loud and clear that they support a safe and moderate increase to speed limits on these highways," said Mulroney in a statement less than a year after the initial pilot launched on Sept. 26, 2019.

"The increased speed limit pilot is just one way that our government is improving our transportation network — bringing it in line with other jurisdictions to get people where they need to go when they want to get there."

It appears as though the pilot were successful enough to make all test locations permanent, as well as adding in another stretch of the 417 and parts of the 401 and 404.

"We are considering raising speed limits from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on appropriate Ontario 400-series highways," wrote the province when announcing the pilot. "The new speed limit would align with other provinces, such as Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan."

Lead photo by

Jess


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