Speed limit to increase to 110 km/h on some Ontario highways

Speed limit to increase to 110 km/h on some Ontario highways

Increase will be implemented on some highways Friday or by Sept. 30 this year

Speed limits on several stretches of Ontario highways will be increasing to 110 kilometres per hour, according to Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria.

A total of 938 kilometres across the province will have the increase implemented, including the following:

Sarkaria said the province already increased the speed limit on 876 kilometres of Ontario's highways in previous years and that the newest increase "marks the next step."

"This work is critical to improve travel times for families, commuters and workers and will benefit millions of drivers," he said at a news conference in King City Wednesday.

Sarkaria claimed drivers will save 20 minutes travelling from Sarnia to Toronto and nearly 30 minutes from Toronto to Ottawa with the higher speed limits.

Premier Doug Ford said on social media that by October nearly 89 per cent of Ontario's highways will be at a higher speed limit. He said that change reflects the speed the highways were designed for.

The province's news release stated increased speeds will only be implemented on highways designed to safely accommodate those limits, following "rigorous technical reviews" and any infrastructure changes.

The increase will also be included on newly constructed freeways, such as Highways 413, 425, 7 and 69.

Increase is 'reasonable,' says road safety advocate

Most of Ontario's four-lane highways were designed to safely handle speeds higher than 100 kilometres per hour, said Angelo DiCicco, president of the Ontario Safety League, a non-profit charity that aims to reduce preventable deaths and injuries on Ontario roads through education.

So that makes the speed limit bump from 100 to 110 kilometers per hour "quite reasonable," he said.

But DiCicco says those numbers are the maximum under ideal conditions and that it isn't always safe to drive at that speed. He says traffic will likely be travelling way below the limit during traffic hours and near urban centres.

"Safety is about behaviour, design and enforcement. It's not just a number on the sign," he said.

He said driver behaviour, like distraction and impairment, can be more important factors for road safety than speed.

Speed limit rising to 110 km/h on Hwy 416, parts of 401

Ontario explores raising speed limits on more stretches of 400-series highways

He said those who drive over the limit but below 150 kilometres per hour will face a fine and earn demerit points. But those driving over 150 kilometres per hour could face stunt driving charges, said DiCicco.

"Just because the sign went from 100 to 110 doesn't mean that you can go above and beyond any of the other rules and regulations," he said.

Wednesday's announcement builds on previous speed increases that took place at 10 stretches of provincial highways in 2024 and six sections in 2022.

In October 2024, Ford directed the Ministry of Transportation to look into increasing the speed limit to all 400-series highways across the province "where it is safe to do so."

Arrthy Thayaparan is a writer at CBC Toronto with interests in health, climate, education and community stories. You can contact her at arrthy.thayaparan@cbc.ca.