Ontario Speed limit!

[Bluntified]

Has anyone seen the news lately in Ontario? A group of people are proposing to increase the speed limit of the 401 from 100kmh to 130kmh. How do you feel about this? I for one am all for it but want to here your opinions on it.

Here's a link to the official site with more information and to vote in a poll.

http://www.stop100.ca/

 

[1241Penguin]

North America has some of the lowest speed limits ever. For Canada, I believe that the fastest you can legally go on public roads throughout the country is 110 km/h, which is about 70 mph. I wouldn't mind the driving tests be made harder if that means speed limits could be raised.

 

[Dennisch]

The distances you can travel in your country is just mindbending. You guys should be allowed to barrel down the highways at Autobahn speeds. 👍

 

[Bluntified]

I agree with harder driving tests. The tests are fairly good how they are now but lack in examining how the driver maneuvers their car. The drive test centres in and around the GTA will GIVE you a pass after a few fails.

Higher speed limits would (IMO) benefit drivers by limiting senseless speeding tickets and keeping insurance rates down. By keeping the posted limit, it encourages police to "pick and choose" who they want to ticket.

 

[1241Penguin]

I agree with harder driving tests. The tests are fairly good how they are now but lack in examining how the driver maneuvers their car. The drive test centres in and around the GTA will GIVE you a pass after a few fails.

Higher speed limits would (IMO) benefit drivers by limiting senseless speeding tickets and keeping insurance rates down. By keeping the posted limit, it encourages police to "pick and choose" who they want to ticket.

We can only raise speed limits to an extent. We can't raise the limit to infinite just because driving tests are slightly harder.

That said, it would be nice to have a few autobahn roads in Canada.

 

[Joey D]

I don't live in Ontario, but I travel the 401 pretty frequently since it's the gateway to anywhere on the East Coast for a Michigander. Raising the speed limit would be great, although I don't think anyone actually obeys the current 100kph limit. On my way to Toronto a few months back I was cruising well in the 130kph territory (80mph+) and people were passing me left and right. If it's one thing Canadians know how to do, it's drive fast.

The distances you can travel in your country is just mindbending. You guys should be allowed to barrel down the highways at Autobahn speeds. 👍

That would be a dream come true.

 

[CMvan46]

Well I don't live in Ontario either but the speed limit in BC is a fairly irrelevant number. People go as fast as traffic lets them here anyway. Infrastructure is so poor here that it's a rarity to get to 100 km/h when heading to Vancouver from my place.

However when heading into sparsely populated areas inland its quite understood there are no police doing radar, they is nowhere for them to setup in the mountains. 140-150 km/h isn't uncommon, though the winding roads slow you down anyway.

 

[Schwartz]

Hell, give it the old

 

[ExigeEvan]

Is it a similair debate to what we had in the UK?

Basically they've twigged that a lot of people drive ~80 mph anyway when the limit is 70 mph. And that the police pretty much allow you to do it too (10%+2 boundary).

There's been talk of raising the limit to 80 mph but then enforcing a zero tolerance crack down on anyone caught exceeding it.

 

[AMCNUT]

As an Ontarian, I would support the increase on two grounds:

1. As a car enthusiast, I like to go fast.

2. As a citizen, most people already do 120-130 anyways, so I would agree with ExigeEvan that the concept of raising the legal limit and reducing the speeding tolerance would be beneficial for everyone.

I usually do ~110 km/h in the right or middle lane and I get passed like a roadblock on the 400 or the 401. Unfortunately I doubt that our government would increase the speed limit because, due to a small-yet-vocal minority, it would be a public safety disaster for them.

 

[Joel]

I think it'd be good to increase the limits. The 400 series highways are all well kept, and they're almost all at least a 3 lane divided highway. It'd be nice to get through there at 140km/h; as someone alluded to, the distances are massive and being able to do 130-140 would cut the time down. Everyone does 120-130 anyway.

I can understand slowing down through Toronto and on the Gardiner Expwy, etc. But on the 401, 407, and the long sparsely populated sections of the Trans-Canada highway, there's really no reason to have a limit of 100 km/h, it makes no sense. There's long stretches in Ontario (between Toronto and Ottawa) and big stretches in Quebec with very little traffic on a divided 3 or 4 lane highway. It's just kinda silly to do 120 km/h there.

 

[AMCNUT]

That's a good point about the Trans-Canada - even though it's two lanes I think you could afford to go faster through there. Don't know what it's like north of Kapuskasing but I can't imagine there being anything of note outside of the Thunder Bay area.

Imagine burning through Saskatchewan unmolested by speeding regulations? I'd go out there just race back and forth!

 

[ImprezaAddict]

North America has some of the lowest speed limits ever. For Canada, I believe that the fastest you can legally go on public roads throughout the country is 110 km/h, which is about 70 mph.

In Colombia, the fastest you can go anywhere is 80kph. 49.7mph.

 

[1241Penguin]

On my way to Toronto a few months back I was cruising well in the 130kph territory (80mph+) and people were passing me left and right. If it's one thing Canadians know how to do, it's drive fast.

I think this applies throughout Canada. Here in BC, even when we do the posted speed limit, there are still cars zooming past. You'd have to wonder why no one has spoken out loud yet to the government.

 

[wfooshee]

I happened to be passing through Texas the very day the limit on I-10 and I-20 went up to 80 mph. On I-10 westbound this was as you entered the next county west of San Antonio, and the first Speed limit 80 sign I saw I thought, "Wow, common sense is breaking out out West!!"

I didn't even know it was the first day until I saw a local newspaper at one of our gas stops. (You have to gas up several times to cross Texas!!! I-10 at the Louisiana line is mile marker 880, and we were headed to the exit at mile marker 13 in El Paso.) The newspaper emphasized the zero-tolerance policy on the higher limit, no cushion. Basically, it had no effect on actual traffic speeds, it just made what people were already doing, legal. The speed limit ought to be at an 85th-percentile speed, i.e. the speed above 85 percent of the traffic.

As for Ontario, never been there. I hear it gets cold in the winter so I'm probably not interested. But if most folks are already doing 80 mph, then that ought to be a reasonable actual limit based on teh 85th-percentile guideline.

 

[Bopop4]

No, Canada has some of the worst drivers on the planet.
Raising the speed limits would be asking for trouble.

 

[wfooshee]

That's what "they" have said every time it's come up in any situation it's been considered. Oddly, it has yet to turn out that way. Anywhere. As far as I know, not a single speed limit increase anywhere in North America has resulted in an increase in the fatality rate of the traffic.

Yet it's always predicted when raised limits are proposed.

 

[Bopop4]

You've never seen Ontario drivers...

 

[Joey D]

Ontario drivers aren't bad at all, even when the come to the US they drive pretty good considering everything is completely different for them.

 

[Team THRT Drift]

You've never seen Ontario drivers...

I completely agree with you man. I drive around often, but i will always get cut off, or someone almost hits me cause they're texting etc...etc...
Its hard driving around.

I wont even talk about winter... •shudders•

 

[ND4SPD]

We have our share of idiots. But then again, who doesn't? I hope they raise the speed limit for the 401, no one does 100kmh on the 401. Everyone is doing atleast 120, at 100, you'll be a rolling roadblock. We also have the 407 ETR (Paid express highway) and after driving on there countless times I believe that's a road that deserves autobahn rules.

 

[1241Penguin]

The idea of letting a texter go 130 km/h on public roads is making me re-think my stance on this... I've once witnessed some girl in a Honda Accord make a left turn at the wrong time, right onto an oncoming Nissan Versa.

 

[Schwartz]

We have our share of idiots. But then again, who doesn't? I hope they raise the speed limit for the 401, no one does 100kmh on the 401. Everyone is doing atleast 120, at 100, you'll be a rolling roadblock. We also have the 407 ETR (Paid express highway) and after driving on there countless times I believe that's a road that deserves autobahn rules.

Unfortunately a road like Germany's Autobahn wont be coming to North America in the forseeable future because

1: American's/Canadians wont be willing to pay for the pricey upkeep for a road like the Autobahn.

2: Americans lack the driving training that would be necessary to keep the roads safe.

However I believe if the North American population decided to put as much time/money/care into driving as they do in Europe, it could happen. I think the government should model the transport system on how it is done in Germany. Infact, even with the high speeds of the Autobahn, the highway fatality rate is much lower than in the US.

 

[ND4SPD]

The idea of letting a texter go 130 km/h on public roads is making me re-think my stance on this... I've once witnessed some girl in a Honda Accord make a left turn at the wrong time, right onto an oncoming Nissan Versa.

Thats the thing though, 100kmh speed limit or not, they're already doing 130kmh down the 401. Funny you mention that though. I nearly got into a head on collision because some girl texting with her phone on her steering wheel crossed over the center lane and into me. I had to swerve away from her and ended up pushing someone into the curve trying to avoid me....

 

[Bluntified]

We have our share of idiots. But then again, who doesn't? I hope they raise the speed limit for the 401, no one does 100kmh on the 401. Everyone is doing atleast 120, at 100, you'll be a rolling roadblock. We also have the 407 ETR (Paid express highway) and after driving on there countless times I believe that's a road that deserves autobahn rules.

Nailed it. A vast majority of people drive 130kmh, why not make it official.

To add, the 407 is a nice piece of highway, smooth and traffic free. Takes me 25 minutes to get from Mississauga to Markham as opposed to 45 mins to an hour on the 401. On the 407 you can get away with 140-150kmh.

 

[Bopop4]

Raise it to 130 and everyone would start going 140-150, even in a 40 they're trying to get more.

 

[wfooshee]

Not necessarily.

The 80 mph area of I-10 and I-20 in Texas still runs at about 80, not 90. Those that try 90 get busted, and they don't get discounts on the speed readings. Raising the limit form 70 to 80 had very little effect on actual traffic speed.

Traffic flows at 130 because that's a comfortable rate. 100 is stupid slow, 150 is uncomfortably quick.

You've never seen Ontario drivers...

Actually, I have. I've driven across Pennsylvania and New York, where cars with Ontario tags are the ones you see the back of as they blaze past. Also, I live in Panama City, and our beach is a Mecca for wintering Canadians from Ontario and Quebec.

 

[Joey D]

The idea of letting a texter go 130 km/h on public roads is making me re-think my stance on this... I've once witnessed some girl in a Honda Accord make a left turn at the wrong time, right onto an oncoming Nissan Versa.

But texting while driving at any speed is dangerous. There's no difference between a 100kph and 130kph when you aren't paying attention to begin with.

 

[Keef]

Some people can't wrap their head around the fact that speed doesn't kill people. Crashes kill people. Don't hit anything and you won't have a problem.

The other day some friends and I saw the car that had somehow managed to get t-boned by a semi truck on the highway. In downtown, in a construction zone. It looked like they changed lanes and somehow failed to see a 50 ton truck behind them. I'm sure one of the problems stems from American drivers' bad habit of filling half their side mirrors with their own car, because apparently they're too stupid to know where their own car is in space. Between my rearview mirror, side mirrors, and side windows, I have zero blind spot. I can't see my own car in my mirrors like everybody else but why the hell would I want to see my own car? I'm in it. And then of course there's the fact that I check my mirrors routinely to keep tabs on the movements of other cars. Many people don't do that. Pretty simple concept.

 

[fld200]

Raising the speed limit anywhere would be good...AS LONG as you raise it for EVERY vehicle on the highway, not like this California crap of raising the car speed limit to 70 mph, and keeping semi's at 55...