Ontario Premier Doug Ford says speed limits will be increased to 110 kilometres per hour on 400-series highways across Ontario in a bid to reduce travel times on the often-congested roads.
Ford said he has asked Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria to raise the speed limit by 10 kilometres on all 400-series highways “where it is safe to do so.”
“We’re leaving no stone unturned to help fight gridlock on our roads, reduce travel times and allow people to spend less time commuting and more time at home with their families,” the premier announced at an Oct. 2 press conference in East York, Ont.
Ford noted that most motorists are already driving well above posted speed limits on the province’s major highways when traffic permits.
“Safety comes first over anything and then we’ll work on the rest, but wouldn’t it be great if we could even get over 50 kilometres an hour on the 401 in rush hour through this city,” Ford said. “That would be incredible.”
Sarkaria said the province is working with its team of engineers to discover what sections of the 400 highways have the ability to safely accommodate higher speed limits.
The government raised speed limits on six sections of provincial highways from 100 kilometres per hour to 110 kilometres per hour, following the success of several pilot programs that commenced in 2019, Sarkaria said.
The province again raised the speed limit earlier this year on 860 kilometres of Ontario’s highway network. The 10 sections account for 36 percent of highways across Ontario.
The sections of road to see a speed increase were Highway 401 from Highway 32/115 to Cobourg, Highway 401 from Colborne to Belleville and from Belleville to Kingston, and Highway 401 from Highway 16 to Quebec boundary as well as Highway 403 from Woodstock to Brantford and from Brantford to Hamilton.
Highway 406 from Thorold to Welland, Highway 416 from Highway 401 to Ottawa, and Highway 69 from Sudbury to French River also received a speed increase.
Sarkaria noted that stunt driving penalties continue to apply at 150 kilometres per hour, even on highways with the raised maximum speed. On these sections, stunt driving penalties will apply at 40 kilometres per hour over the posted speed limit.
