Six sections of the province’s 400-series highways, including Highway 402 in Middlesex and Lambton counties, will have their speed limits permanently bumped to 110 kilometers per hour beginning April 22.
A 40-kilometre stretch of Highway 401 between Tilbury and Windsor will have its speed limit increased from 100 km/h. On Highway 402 between London and Sarnia – one of the stretches used as a pilot project – that increase becomes permanent.
“On our roads, we know how important it is that families traveling to get their kids to sporting events and businesses looking to transport their goods can get where they need to go more quickly and safely,” Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said during an announcement at the Tilbury ONroute on Highway 401.
Other highway spans where the speed-limit increase becomes permanent include:
- The 32-km stretch of Queen Elizabeth Way from Hamilton to St. Catharines;
- The 102 kilometers of Highway 417 from Ottawa to the Ontario-Quebec border;
- The 37-km section of Highway 417 from Kanata to Arnprior; and
- Highway 404 from Newmarket to Woodbine, spanning 10 miles.
The changes align Ontario with six other provinces – British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia – that have posted highway speed limits of 110 km/h.
Mulroney said the six sections of highway have been “carefully chosen” for speed limit increases “based on several factors, including the ability to accommodate higher speed limits.”
She said the Transportation Ministry collected “significant data” on traffic flows and traffic speeds during the pilot projects that began in 2019.
“What they observed was that traffic speeds only increased a little bit and there was no . . . increase in collisions,” Mulroney said. “We believe what we’re doing is responsible and we can increase speed limits in a safe manner.”
When asked if provincial police had expressed any concerns regarding the increased speed limit, the minister said the province had “been working with law enforcement and we’re going to continue to do that as we move forward with this plan.”
When asked again if concerns have been raised by the OPP, Mulroney repeated her answer.
Mulroney said the increased speed limit doesn’t mean the speed-limiter mandate to keep transport trucks at a top speed of 105 km/h will change.
As for the speed limit some day being increased on all sections of 400-series highways, Mulroney said the province received positive feedback during the pilot portion of the initiative, “so we will certainly explore extending it to other sections of highways across the province. ”
With rising gas prices, Mulroney was asked about drivers who may not want to drive faster to conserve fuel.
“If they want to cruise at a 100 km/h or a 105 (km/h) that’s fine,” she said.