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Speed limits on several stretches of Ontario highways will be increasing to 110 km/h, according to Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria.
A total of 938 kilometres across the province will have the increase implemented, including the following:
Sections of Highway 401 and 416 in eastern Ontario will see the increase take hold on Friday.Other parts of Highway 401, 402, 403, 416, 417 and Queen Elizabeth Way will change by Sept. 30.
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.
A map from the province shows where the 110 km/h speed limit is already in place and where it will be implemented. The yellow lines depict highways already at the higher limit, the blue lines show where the limit will be changed and the green are expansion projects where the increase will be included once completed. (Ontario Ministry of Transportation)
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.
What do drivers think?
Pat Garratt regularly takes Highway 400 to get around. He said there could be a bit more risk with the increased limit.
“People now, they’re going to be doing 130 [kilometres], instead of doing 120 in a 100, they will do 130 in a 110,” he said.
Christine Lavergne frequently drives down to Toronto from Sudbury and said the increased limit could help shorten her commute.
“They’ve already started a portion [of highways] where it’s 110, and we already see a difference in the time that it takes us to get here,” she said.
“10 kilometers … I don’t think that would increase any of the risks.”
Abdul Butt said he is “definitely” worried about safety and speeding with a higher limit in place, especially because he has young kids. “[But] if they’ve done the due diligence for safety, then sure, why not?” he said.
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 km/h “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.
DiCicco also said driver behaviour, like distraction and impairment, can be more important factors for road safety than speed.
Those who drive over the limit but below 150 km/h will face a fine and earn demerit points, but those driving over 150 km/h could face stunt driving charges, he said.
“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.”