Speed limit increase pilot projects underway
Minimum speed standard raised from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on a number of 400 series highways
By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express
The province is studying a potential speed limit increase on 400-series highways, but Oshawa’s MPP has some questions.
The Ford government recently rolled out a pilot project that will see speed limits increased from 100 km/hr to 110 km/hr on three stretches of highway.
These roads included a 90-km stretch of Highway 402 from London to Sarnia, a 32-km stretch of the Queen Elizabeth Way from St. Catharines to Hamilton, and 102 km of road on Highway 417 from Ottawa to the Ontario/Quebec border.
The province has also launched online consultations looking for the public feedback on increasing speed limits.
This survey can be found at https://www.ontario.ca/page/consultationspeed-limits-ontariohighways?_ga=2.111248836.1109359722.1569432149-1403566760.1562862913
Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan all have highway speed limits of 110 km/hr.
Oshawa MPP Jennifer French says she will be looking at the pilot projects with a close eye.
“I don’t know if whether increasing the speeds will make it more unsafe,” French told The Oshawa Express.
French says it’s important that OPP and other police departments are involved in the conversation about speed limit increases.
She also worries how reductions to police budgets could affect their ability to enforce laws during the pilots.
According to French, while the pilot projects are not in Durham Region, constituents have concerns about not only highways, but local roads.
“Communities still have to be factored into this. Community members are going to have opinions on the roadways they use whether they be municipal or provincial,” French states.