Ontario’s Ford Government Raising Highway Speed Limits

400-Series Highways – Including Niagara’s Highway 406 Between Thorold and Welland -Will See Posted Speeds Of 110km/h

News From Ontario’s Ford Government

Posted April 24^th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper – Just what we need! Doesn’t the Ford Government have anything better to do – like go after the price-gougers in the grocery and housing industries for example? How about saving a few forests or wetlands or ending government subsidies for corporations like Enbridge to construct more pipelines to heat homes with  climate-ravaging gas?

Apparently not.

During a time when we are seeing more wild and reckless driving on our roads and highways, why not consider raising speed limes. And consider this. If the posted speed limit goes up to 110 km/h, now we will have drivers gunning up to speeds of 130 or 140,and as usual, there won’t be enough police around to catch them.)

Now here is the News Release from the Ford Government – 

The Ontario government is raising the speed limit permanently from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on 10 additional sections of provincial highways in northern and southern Ontario.

The change builds on the safe and successful increase to six sections of provincial highways in 2022 and aligns with posted speed limits in other jurisdictions across Canada.

“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,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation.

“These evidence-based increases are a common-sense change to make life more convenient for Ontario drivers while bringing our highway speed limits in line with other Canadian provinces.”

Starting July 12, 2024, the speed limit will be permanently raised to 110 km/h on most of the following provincial highway sections, with the remainder coming into force before the end of the year:

• Hwy 401, Tilbury, extending the existing 110 km/h zone further east by 7 km
• Hwy 401 from Hwy 35/115 to Cobourg (approximately 35 km)
• Hwy 401 from Colborne to Belleville (approximately 44 km)
• Hwy 401 from Belleville to Kingston (approximately 66 km)
• Hwy 401 from Hwy 16 to Quebec boundary (approximately 107 km)
• Hwy 403 from Woodstock to Brantford (approximately 26 km)
• Hwy 403 from Brantford to Hamilton (approximately 14.5 km)
• Hwy 406 from Thorold to Welland (approximately 13 km)
• Hwy 416 from Hwy 401 to Ottawa (approximately 70 km)
• Hwy 69 from Sudbury to French River (approximately 60 km)

All highway sections were selected based on their ability to safely accommodate higher speed limits. Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan have a maximum speed limit of 110 km/h, while in British Columbia, the maximum speed limit is 120 km/h.

Quick Facts

In 2019, the Ontario government launched consultations and a pilot program to explore opportunities to safely increase speed limits on select Ontario highways.

In 2022, the government permanently increased the speed limit on six sections of provincial highways in southern Ontario as well as two sections in northern Ontario on a two-year trial basis.

The permanent increase in speed from 100km/h to 110km/h will cover 36 per cent and 860 kilometres of Ontario’s highway network.

Until 1975, Highways 400, 401, 417 and the Queen Elizabeth Way were posted at 70 mph (113 km/h) before being reduced due to the energy crisis.

Stunt driving penalties will continue to apply at 150 km/h. On the highway sections with increased speed limits, stunt driving penalties will apply at 40 km/h over the posted speed limit.

Additional Resources

Raising speed limits on Ontario highways

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