TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province is planning to increase speed limits on 400-series highways across the province.
The government increased speed limits from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on six sections of provincial highways in 2022 after several successful pilot programs that first began in 2019.
Earlier this year, the province raised the speed limit on 10 more sections of highways across the province, including a 70-kilometre stretch of Highway 416 from Highway 401 to Ottawa.
Ford said Wednesday that he had directed Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria to raise the speed limit to 110 km/h on all 400-series highways “where it is safe to do so.”
Ontario Drivers: … so now I can get away with doing 130 km/h
In my experience, where it’s 3 lanes each way, the effective 401 speed limits have often been:
Right lane: 105km/h Middle lane: 120km/h Left lane: 130km/h. I don’t think that will change with the new signage, maybe 130 and 135 for the left two lanes.
Where it’s 2 lanes, the 401 has these effective speed limits:
Right lane: The speed of the truck. Left lane: The speed of the other truck passing the one in the right lane.
Will be curious to see if this does anything other than increase the number of accidents and creating more slowdowns…
They need to enforce the low end too. ie. People doing 90 or less in the left lane.
Yeah the law is just so vague about it though:
But just yesterday I encountered someone doing 70-something on the highway and it caused a lot of frustrated drivers making hurried lane changes - so I can definitely see the danger there.
That’s the thing - if everybody’s doing 100 and someone’s doing 90 or less, that’s impeding the reasonable flow. Then someone has to switch lanes which affects the other lane.
That’s probably just an Ontario thing though. It’s much nicer driving outside of Ontario.
This changes nothing. Speeds on isolated sections of the 400 highways are already well over 110km/h.
