Ontario raising speed limit on Highway 403 near Hamilton

The move follows a 2019 pilot and the permanent increase on an initial six sections of highway in 2022, including a piece of the QEW between Stoney Creek and St. Catharines.

Sarkaria said Wednesday the latest sections of soon-to-be speedier highway were chosen “based on the ability to safely accommodate higher speeds.”

He noted much of Ontario’s 400-series highways were originally designed for travel at 110 km/h or higher and suggested data collected on already-changed sections like the QEW shows the roads remain safe.

The ministry said in a release the increase in speed limit will not change the threshold for stunt-driving penalties, which will continue to be enforced at 40 km/h over the posted limit.

The changes bring more Ontario highways in line with higher highway speed limits in many other provinces, including British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Some research in B.C. and the United States has suggested raising highway speed limits also raises the risk of crashes and injury, with faster-moving motorists having that much less time to react.

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• Dec 31, 1969
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But moderately increasing highway speeds can make sense provided the decision is “not just political, but also scientifically supported by evidence,” said professor Ahmed Shalaby, a road safety expert in the department of civil engineering at the University of Manitoba.

Shalaby said one rationale cited for the change from 100-to-110 km/h is to reduce the “spread of speeds” on a highway where many drivers already travel over the posted limit and at different rates of speed.

But he also said “safe” highway speeds also depend heavily on road design, environmental factors and surface condition. A higher speed limit is “only safe if the infrastructure and (road) design support it.”

Shalaby argued “excessive speed” — particularly so-called stunt driving over 140 km/h — is one of the biggest causes of highway collisions and associated injury or death.

Right now, B.C. has a top speed of 120 km/h on some highways — but the province also “rolled back” the limit on several roadways in 2018 in the face of study data showing more and serious crashes.

The professor said if Ontario is confident in its decision to increase highways speed limits, “it should have the public data to support that.”

The minister cited data that showed Ontario’s existing higher-speed highway sections are operating safely, but that data was not immediately available Wednesday when requested by The Spectator.

It was also not clear exactly where the speed limit will change near Hamilton on Highway 403; a high-level map provided at the announcement Wednesday appears to show a lower speed limit remains through the most urban areas of the city.

The hiked highway speed limits will extend close to the interchanges for both the Lincoln Alexander Parkway and the Red Hill Valley Parkway, which have maximum speed limits of 90 and 80 km/h, respectively.

The city said it could not offer comment Wednesday on whether higher default highway speeds could translate into more speeding on adjoining local parkways.

Mayor Andrea Horwath has also publicly floated the idea of a provincial takeover of both of those municipally owned parkways.

Sarkaria did not offer an opinion on the likelihood of an upload when asked Wednesday, but noted he has spoken with the mayor on “many different issues” since becoming transportation minister late last year.

The speed limit changes are being made up and down Highway 401 east of Toronto, on Highway 416 near Ottawa and on a section of Highway 69 near Sudbury. The local changes include: 

• Highway 403 between Hamilton and Brantford (14.5 km);
• Highway 403 between Brantford and Woodstock (26 km); 
• and Highway 406 from Thorold to Welland (13 km).