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Roads: Increase Ontario 400-series Highway Speed Limit

nfitz said:
I believe it was 130 km/hr when I studied Civil Engineering. When did they lower it?
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according to the GEOMETRIC DESIGN STANDARDS FOR ONTARIO HIGHWAYS

Commonly used design speeds are:

120 krn/h for freeways
110 km/h for major arterials carrying long distance traffic, and all four-lane divided and undivided highways
100 km/h for all other arterials and collectors
80 km/h for local roads and secondary highways.


I believe that most of the new highway 11 to North Bay used a 140 design speed.
 
chrison said:
Thanks for posting that. We will be continuing the fight on many fronts so please support the cause.
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You got my vote to increase it to 120 - 130 kph. Good grief, we don't live in the 1950's at let's "go like 60" mph (100 kph) speeds anymore. The past is the past. Those days are long gone.

chrison said:
- that's why many people drive at 120-140 km/h with pretty impressive safety results/stats).
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I was driving at those speeds just today and I wasn't doing anything wrong, period! This IS the 21st century, not the 1950's. I was simply being evironmentally friendly. Btw, my European vehicle does not get its rated EPA fuel mileage until I'm at least at 130 kph.
So why would the government want to prevent people from being "enviromentally responsible" when they drive their vehicles, by restricting the speed to 100 kph?

I must say after driving on the Autobahn at 250 kph (155 mph) steady, Ontario's old 100 kph speed limit is quite archaic.
 
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@ Spider
Your quote: "The exits are clearly marked".
Yes thanks for the tip. Much appreciated. I am hoping to have my new European passport in about 7 weeks.
 
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BurlOak said:
Most of these areas have been improved, but I am sure there are a few location where they are still not adequate - probably the 400 (up near hwy 89) where the small box beam median barrier is not adequate to prevent potential head-on collisions.
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There's nothing wrong with that kind of barrier. Most highways around the world use something similar, like in France and Germany. Nothing more than a flimsy metal barrier between directions, and no shoulders. Yet they still have speed limits of 130 or more.

It's true that our design standards are very outdated. When you exit a highway here you can often go nearly double the posted ramp speed - and I'm not exaggerating. By modern international standards our highways are easily built for 140+.
 
MisterF said:
There's nothing wrong with that kind of barrier. Most highways around the world use something similar, like in France and Germany. Nothing more than a flimsy metal barrier between directions, and no shoulders. Yet they still have speed limits of 130 or more.
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I can recall two indicents of trucks crashing through the barrier, resulting in a head on collision. I am not certain if they were at this stretch or farther south were there was a narrow grass median and 3 cable guide-rail, which I think has been replaced.

One thing that very much surprised me in Germany was how much more hazardous the roadside environment was compared to Ontario.
 
BurlOak said:
One thing that very much surprised me in Germany was how much more hazardous the roadside environment was compared to Ontario.
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As in no paved shoulders? As in barrier walls right beside the lane you're in? As in guard rails right beside you? On both sides, one side or?

The most hazardous shoulders I have ever seen were in Georgia and Florida, where transport trailer retreads litter the paved shoulders by the hundreds. The paved shoulders were paved with torn off retreads. There wasn't one section of highway where a person could get off in case of a problem without striking several of them, before being able to come to a complete stop.
 
Ready? ..........................

I just have to share this video with everyone. It really is quite embarrassing to think that most other developed nations are faster than Ontario. Even developing nations are faster than Ontario. This video is just one example of a developing nation that is faster than Ontario. It makes me wonder why all the manufacturing jobs are leaving Ontario and going overseas? When Ontario is slower than the nation shown in the video, it really shows how little vision our political leaders have here. No wonder Ontario is being passed over.

At 6:10 in the video it shows the posted speed limits for heavy vehicles and light vehicles. At 08:30 you'll see two speed limit signs. One for light vehicles and one for heavy vehicles on the left side of the road. Look how much faster the cars are traveling over the speed limit at the end of the video.
Enjoy!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdEO2iCHt-o
 
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It makes me wonder why all the manufacturing jobs are leaving Ontario and going overseas?
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Uh, high dollar and labour costs? To invoke speed limits on highways (which has exactly how much impact on the capacity of existing routes?) as THE reason behind the deindustrialization process is definitely stretching it.

PS: Having just seen the video, I don't quite get how you managed the gauge the speed at which the vehicle is operating, or on that matter, how you managed to attain an apples to apples comparison between say our 400 series highway in an urban area with a one that is for all indications operating at LoS A/B with extremely light traffic?

AoD
 
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I would love for the speed to be upped to 120, if possible 130 and not start getting tickets until 140-150. I don't forsee unlimited speeds, but would be nice to get above 100 for a change.
 
From wheels.ca:

Ontario rejects call to raise highway speed limits to 120 or 130 km/h

Ontario’s Liberal government is flatly rejecting calls to raise the speed limit on the province’s 400-series highways.

The group stop100.ca wants the maximum speed on those highways increased to 120 or even 130 kilometres an hour, saying 100 km/h is one of the lowest speed limits in the world.

However, Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli says speed is a factor in 20 per cent of fatal car accidents in Ontario, so the province will not be increasing the highway speed limit.

He says the government “is not inclined in any way, shape or form to increase the speed limits on Ontario roads.”

Chiarelli also rejects suggestions that everyone already drives 120 kilometres an hour on highways, and says police are kept busy issuing tickets to drivers caught going that fast.

He says Ontario has the safest roads in North America and intends to keep that record by maintaining the current speed limits.

Ontario used to have a highway speed limit of 70 miles per hour — or about 112 km/h — but it was lowered during the 1970s energy crisis.
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I think the real reason behind the rejection is that raising the speed limit would make the Ontario government revenue a little bit worse than it is.

Today, if you get a speeding ticket for going 40 km over the current 100 km/h speed limit (your speed: 140 km/h), the fine would be $295.00. (Source: http://www.ticketcombat.com) If the speed limit was 120 km/h and you are going 140 km/h, then the fine would be $95.00. The powers-that-be would be out $200.00.

Its a revenue problem for the province if they increase the speed limit. However, if they increase the fines when they increase the speed limit...
 
W. K. Lis said:
I think the real reason behind the rejection is that raising the speed limit would make the Ontario government revenue a little bit worse than it is.

Today, if you get a speeding ticket for going 40 km over the current 100 km/h speed limit (your speed: 140 km/h), the fine would be $295.00. (Source: http://www.ticketcombat.com) If the speed limit was 120 km/h and you are going 140 km/h, then the fine would be $95.00. The powers-that-be would be out $200.00.

Its a revenue problem for the province if they increase the speed limit. However, if they increase the fines when they increase the speed limit...
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Easy solution: Increase the fees for going 20 km/h over the speed limit on 400 series highways. If you're caught doing 20 over, $300 fine. 30 over, roadside suspension.

Keep the same system for non-400 series highways (although I'd like to see Provincial highways raised to at least 90), but create special rules for 400 series highways.
 
What I found strange is that Quebec 100-series highways are 90 km/h (equivalent to Ontario's rural provincial highways), but still 100 on Autoroutes. Some urban Autoroute segments are 90 or 70, and some 100-series highways in hilly, mountainous areas in the lower Laurentiens and Eastern Townships were 90 even though the roads wouldn't built for those speeds.

I like how Huron and Elgin counties raised the speeds on their rural county roads to 90, even former provincial highways. Makes a lot of sense as Western Ontario is typically flat and straight.

For MTO roads, I like 90 for Southern Ontario highways with flat and/or well-built rural stretches, such as most of Highways 3, 7 or 8, and 120 for rural freeways, 100 for urban areas. And lots of photo radar for speeds 20 over those limits.
 
Transportation minister Bob Chiarelli seems to be out of touch on this issue. 120 km/h is not going to make the roads more dangerous. To simply state that excess speed causes accidents doesn't show much of a grasp on the issue of a slight increase in the speed limit to reflect normal and responsible driving habits.
 
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