HWY Speed Limit Increase | GTAMotorcycle.com

HWY Speed Limit Increase

OmegaBravo7

Well-known member
Whatever happened to that speed limit increase pilot project we were supposed to get on the HWY’s? I remember hearing about it on the radio last yr but it just vanished. How long are these pilot projects normally in place before they decide to make implement changes?
 
They're implemented already, just not everywhere. Certain stretches of certain highways only so far.

  • Highway 402 from London to Sarnia.
  • The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) from St. Catharines to Hamilton.
  • Highway 417 from Ottawa/Gloucester to Ontario/Quebec border.
 
Whatever happened to that speed limit increase pilot project we were supposed to get on the HWY’s? I remember hearing about it on the radio last yr but it just vanished. How long are these pilot projects normally in place before they decide to make implement changes?
no where near the GTA.
 
It's basically on roads where the flow of traffic is already around 140.
 
I assume it’ll apply to all of Ontario including GTA if it’s deemed successful. Any idea how long such pilot projects could take?
 
Did anyone really think they could raise the speed limit on the 401 in Toronto, where the average speed is 50km/h, because of traffic jams? I can see 416, but the rest, forget it.
 
They're implemented already, just not everywhere. Certain stretches of certain highways only so far.

  • Highway 402 from London to Sarnia.
  • The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) from St. Catharines to Hamilton.
  • Highway 417 from Ottawa/Gloucester to Ontario/Quebec border.
Last time I used the QEW, I didn't notice any difference to the posted limit. I'll have to remember to look for the signs next time I'm down that way.
 
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I assume it’ll apply to all of Ontario including GTA if it’s deemed successful. Any idea how long such pilot projects could take?

It's supposed to be a two-year pilot program, and that time started last fall.
 
Last I saw cops said they hadnt noticed any difference in travel speed or driver behaviour. They did emphasize that they have only had one fall/winter so far and the speeding typically picks up in the summer.

The 110 limit is dumb amd I dont see why we are wasting money on it. I strongly suspect that the existing 85th percentile speed on the chosen stretches of road was already over 110. It makes more sense to me if they went 120 or 130 and speed cameras (or average speed cameras) with almost zero tolerance.
 
Last I saw cops said they hadnt noticed any difference in travel speed or driver behaviour. They did emphasize that they have only had one fall/winter so far and the speeding typically picks up in the summer.
........

I can attest to that, at least on the 402. I travel that stretch frequently and I have not noticed much difference. I was especially surprised at the start of the 402 at London. I expected everyone to immediately jump another 10 kph but it doesnt happen.
 
Last time I used the QEW, I didn't notice any difference to the pasted limit. I'll have to remember to look for the signs next time I'm down that way.
If you're heading toward Niagara, 110 starts around Fruitland road if I'm not mistaken.
 
I can attest to that, at least on the 402. I travel that stretch frequently and I have not noticed much difference.

The lane discipline on the QEW Hamilton to St. Catharines seems to be better.
 
They're in out of the way places. For me anyways. I've been on the 416 stretch once. There wasn't much traffic.
 
The 110 limit is dumb amd I dont see why we are wasting money on it. I strongly suspect that the existing 85th percentile speed on the chosen stretches of road was already over 110. It makes more sense to me if they went 120 or 130 and speed cameras (or average speed cameras) with almost zero tolerance.

They had to placate the "speed kills" crowd who were predicting the end of the world because of the 10 km/h limit increase. And, nothing has happened that had anything to do with the speed limit increase.
 
speed limits should be set at 300km/h, seems to be the normal speed these days.

on a more serious note, from 1968 to 1975, the speed limit in ontario was set at 70mph (112.6 km/h) remember the cars back then had bias ply tires, no air bags and dismal drum braking systems. True, today, we have more volume of cars, but they are far safer.

so I say, whats the big deal? 120 should be the norm.
 
How about both an upper and lower limit, and a different range for each lane.
 
The only big deal is the "speed kills" "think of the children" crowd.

If we want to talk about what it "should" be ... it "should" be 130 km/h outside urban areas and 110 km/h within urban areas, trucks-buses-trailers 100 km/h and right lane only. Same as most of western Europe. Enforced with photo radar ... that doesn't trouble me as long as the limits are reasonable (i.e. higher). If someone's not comfortable at that speed, they're welcome to use other roads. Germany deals with differing weather conditions by using variable speed limits, I saw it as low as 80 km/h in torrential, blinding rain (and I didn't want to do much more than that due to the conditions).
 
Some people can barely drive in Ontario, much less drive fast.

And a good portion of the remaining don't seem to think the rules apply to them anyways.

Why do we even bother with speed limits again? Oh yeah, it's so the 175KPH people don't plow into the back of the 90KPH in the middle/left lane on the 401 people.

Speed differential very much does kill.
 
speed limits should be set at 300km/h, seems to be the normal speed these days.

on a more serious note, from 1968 to 1975, the speed limit in ontario was set at 70mph (112.6 km/h) remember the cars back then had bias ply tires, no air bags and dismal drum braking systems. True, today, we have more volume of cars, but they are far safer.

so I say, whats the big deal? 120 should be the norm.
I'll tell you what. I'll take my parent's old Merc, grandma's Granada, or my old Buick, and you get into a super safe modern Smart for Two, and we'll have some fun, while testing who's safer. :D
 
and you get into a super safe modern Smart for Two, and we'll have some fun, while testing who's safer. :D

You may want to watch some crash test videos on old cars versus modern cars (Including the Smart ForTwo) before throwing out offers like that.

Here's an eye opener. Start around the 5M mark.

 

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