Ontario Plans to Raise Speed Limits on Additional Sections of Provincial Highways
The Ontario government has announced that it will be raising the speed limit on additional sections of provincial highways.
Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria stated in the release, “Most of Ontario’s highways were originally designed to safely accommodate speed limits of 110 km/h and the data from our changes in 2022 shows they do just that.”
During a press conference on April 24, Mr. Sarkaria mentioned that the speed limit increases will apply to over 36 percent, totaling 860 kilometers, of Ontario’s highway network.
This decision follows the successful increase of speed limits on six other highway sections in 2022.
The newly identified highway sections for speed limit increase include:
- Highway 401 at Tilbury to seven kilometers east
- Highway 401 from Highway 32/115 to Cobourg (35 kilometers)
- Highway 401 from Colborne to Belleville (44 kilometers)
- Highway 401 from Belleville to Kingston (66 kilometers)
- Highway 401 from Highway 16 to Quebec boundary (107 kilometers)
- Highway 403 from Woodstock to Brantford (26 kilometers)
- Highway 403 from Brantford to Hamilton (14.5 kilometers)
- Highway 406 from Thorold to Welland (13 kilometers)
- Highway 416 from Highway 401 to Ottawa (70 kilometers)
- Highway 69 from Sudbury to French River (60 kilometers)
These sections have been deemed capable of safely accommodating higher speed limits.
Related Stories
During the conference, Mr. Sarkaria highlighted, “Until 1975, highways 400, 401, 417, and QEW had speed limits over 110 kilometers until they were reduced in response to the energy crisis.”
He expressed that the speed limit increase will enhance driver convenience and align Ontario highway speed limits with other provinces.
The government has specified that most speed limit increases will be implemented on July 12, with the remaining sections expected to see an increase by the end of the year.
The decision to raise speed limits stems from public feedback received through online surveys in 2019, where 8,300 respondents participated with 82 percent supporting speed limit increases on sections of the 400-series highways.
