It's about to get a little faster on select Ontario highways, including Ottawa's 417 east toward Quebec.
The decision to up the speed limit is getting two thumbs up from drivers on day one of Ontario's pilot project to increase the maximum posted speed limit by 10 kilometres-per-hour from 100.
“It’s about time, it should be 110 right across Ontario,” said Lou Campoli, driving to Ottawa from Mississauga Thursday.
“It will help the flow, I think the slower people will get the drift and pick up their speed a little bit.”
Mike Arial said “I love it,” upon hearing the news of the speed limit increase. “Nobody travels at 110. We all travel at 120, 130.”
The new speed limit signs are posted along the 102-kilometre stretch from the 417 east of Anderson road to just west of the Quebec border.
The province launched the 2-year pilot project increasing the speed limit along select 400-series highways in Ontario. Other affected stretches of highway include Highway 402 between London and Sarnia and the Queen Elizabeth Way from St. Catharines to Hamilton.
“Right now you could say a lot of people are going over the current 100-kilometres an hour so I think we need to take a tempered approach,” said Teresa Di Felice, CAA’s Assistant Vice President of Government and Community Relations.“There seems to be an appetite to see if this will work.”
Ontario joins six other provinces with speed limits 110-kilometres-per-hour or greater. Alberta, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have limits of 110, British Columbia has the highest speed limit at 120.
“If we had ugly highways and stuff, I’d say yeah, let's be more cautious. But on a 400 highway like that, we don't even feel 110,” said Arial.
Di Felice added Ontario drivers have been asking the maximum speed limit be increased for years.
“We definitely have heard the call and support the government in trying this as a pilot project,” said Di Felice.
Ontario Provincial Police warn drivers of speed enforcement in the affected areas and suggest drivers pay greater attention to changing weather and road conditions as not all drivers will be increasing their speeds to 110-kilometres-per-hour.
“You still need to pay full attention of other motorists who may not be increasing their speed and if there's a larger speed differential, that's often when we start seeing problems and crashes when people are not giving themselves enough space to react to any changing traffic conditions or patterns,” said Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the OPP Highway Safety Division.
“I think people are pretty much used to going 120, so I think they'll probably stay the same, maybe a little more, I don't know,” said driver Rodney Dalessio.
East Ottawa drivers applauded the move adding highway speeders tend not to obey speed limits anyway.
Arial’s brother, Richard said: “They pass me at 120 all the time so I’m not scared of them going any faster, you're not going to change them.”
