Highways in Canada

[TownGuy]

I've driven 140 km/h on the 401 back and forth to work for 6 years now and have never gotten a ticket. I get frequently passed too. I've seen maybe 2 people getting pulled over in this time. The only time there seems to be an actual police presence is on long weekends.

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

Any idea how they are going to stage the demolition? Typically they just fully close the highway on a Saturday night and divert the traffic elsewhere... but there isn't really a good alternate to the 401 across the Cataraqui Marsh. Kingston Mills Road is close, but the bridge over the Rideau isn't rate for heavy trucks, and the only other route is Hwy 2 through Downtown. I wonder if they'll just build temporary roads around the outside of the old bridge and just demolish it that way...

Anyways, here is the old structure taken a few weeks ago when I went to Montreal for the Rogers Cup (Genie had been eliminated by the time I got there)...

Here are the details on the demolition of the old structure in late October
http://www.thewhig.com/2014/09/05/old-overpass-will-be-demolished

[sonysnob]

I've been pulled over once on the 400-series of highways in Ontario for speeding. I was doing 133km/h on the 400 south of Barrie. That's it in 15 years of driving.

[Innsertnamehere]

What I always find noticable is how somewhat arbitrarily different highways drive faster than others. The urban portion of the 401 is always super slow (100km/h speed of traffic, roughly), while the 404 is probably the fastest non toll road in the GTA I've been on, speed of traffic easily reaches around 125km/h at some points.

[RyLucky]

If you make a habit of driving 20 over in Calgary, you WILL get caught, most likely by photoradar/speed on green camera. A ticket will arrive in the mail. The police publish the location of all Intersection Safety Cameras (ISCs), but they change them from time to time, so it's hardly worth memorizing.

http://www.calgary.ca/cps/Pages/Traffic/Speed-on-green-and-red-light-cameras.aspx
Here's the link to camera locations

Apparently, since installing the cameras, speeding has been reduced and collisions have decreased. Of course there might be other factors in their too. Personally, I prefer using cameras to wasting police time on catching speeders, which can be dangerous for police as well. Every time I get a ticket, I think it sucks but I also know that I deserved it, so I might as well pay the fine and watch my speed more closely.

A had a few (quite a few) tickets in my early 20's, but now I just go about 5-10 over max, more often than not, just sticking to the speed limit. It's not worth the fine and the bad feelings.

[Klazu]

What I hate about speed cameras is that one cannot know where they have set the threshold for getting caught. Is driving 0-10km/h over the limit acceptable or not?

In my home country they do occasionally have zero tolerance cameras, which means that 81km/h on a 80km/h road will get you a ticket. That is ridiculous as such small changes in speed are impossible to keep under control and these systems mail the tickets automatically, without no human intervention.

Relying on your cruise control is also no help, as those vary greatly. My experience is that even in brand new American cars the cruise can be off by over 5km/h, however my German car does keep it very exact. Even then you would have to drive a bit under the limit, just to be on the safe side.

This is why I don't prefer automated traffic cameras, although speed enforcement itself is much needed. There just needs to be some flexibility and rationality behind it.

[eternallyme]

If speeds were increased to 120 km/h on Ontario freeways, some urban freeways may not be able to be increased due to design issues. I wonder what the 85th percentile speed on rural freeways in Ontario are? I would think around 125 or so, but has a study been done at all?

[Vertigo3000]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

What I always find noticable is how somewhat arbitrarily different highways drive faster than others. The urban portion of the 401 is always super slow (100km/h speed of traffic, roughly), while the 404 is probably the fastest non toll road in the GTA I've been on, speed of traffic easily reaches around 125km/h at some points.

400 between Barrie and King is around 130-135 all the time. My grandparents drove on it recently (they never drive on it) with me in the vehicle and were scared, they were going 100 and they took the next exit and drove down the county roads to Toronto to drop me off in Toronto.

[middeljohn]

As an example of fuel efficiency and how it relates to speed. I drive a 2012 Malibu 4 cyl.

At 80 km/h I get about 5.5 L/100km last time I measured.
At 90 km/h I get around 6
At 100 km/h I get around 6.5
At 110 km/h I get between 7 and 7.5
At 120 km/h I get 8

Slower than 80 it becomes less efficient again. But obviously fuel economy decreases as speeds increase beyond 80. This absolutely needs to be taken into account when deciding on speed limits.

[eternallyme]

Speed limits should NEVER be set purely for environmental purposes. They would get zero compliance and would create safety hazards for the few following those limits.

[eternallyme]

Some examples on provincial highways of speed limit changes in Ontario I would make:

From 80 to 90: Many primary highways in southern Ontario including Highway 7 in eastern Ontario, Highway 12 in central Ontario, Highway 21 in west-central Ontario - excluding highways that have heavier development

From 80 to 100: Mostly 4 lane highways with less development, such as Highway 3 from Leamington to Windsor, Highway 40 south of Sarnia (4-lane portion)

From 80 or 90 to 100: Northern Ontario major highways currently at 80 or 90 (11, 17, 61, 66, 69, 71, 72, 101, 144, 655) excluding some heavily developed sections, advisory speeds would be in place in tighter sections

From 100 to 110 or 120: Most rural freeways; could also be posted in urban or suburban areas if safely designed for such.

[middeljohn]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

Speed limits should NEVER be set purely for environmental purposes. They would get zero compliance and would create safety hazards for the few following those limits.

I said "taken into account". Obviously it's not the only factor, and safety should always take precedence over it. For example, all cars are horribly inefficient at 30 km/h but it's a law that makes sense in school zones. On highways I mostly disagree with increasing speed limits. People will always drive 10 km/h over the limit, so if you increase the limit from 100 to 120, then flow of traffic will increase from 110 to 130.

The vast majority of people will agree that speed limits need to be increased on highways throughout the country, but the vast majority of people also severely overestimate their driving skill level. The reality is that most people only give a fraction of their attention to the road when their driving and most only think 1-2 seconds ahead as opposed to 20-30 seconds which is what you're supposed to do. In Alberta this is especially problematic since freeways are new and most drivers I encounter don't understand how their supposed to merge in. Already people merge into a 100km/h freeway at 70. Changing the limit to 110 or 120 will only increase the differences in speed between the freeway and the mergers.

[sonysnob]

Originally Posted by middeljohn

I said "taken into account". Obviously it's not the only factor, and safety should always take precedence over it. For example, all cars are horribly inefficient at 30 km/h but it's a law that makes sense in school zones. On highways I mostly disagree with increasing speed limits. People will always drive 10 km/h over the limit, so if you increase the limit from 100 to 120, then flow of traffic will increase from 110 to 130.

The vast majority of people will agree that speed limits need to be increased on highways throughout the country, but the vast majority of people also severely overestimate their driving skill level. The reality is that most people only give a fraction of their attention to the road when their driving and most only think 1-2 seconds ahead as opposed to 20-30 seconds which is what you're supposed to do. In Alberta this is especially problematic since freeways are new and most drivers I encounter don't understand how their supposed to merge in. Already people merge into a 100km/h freeway at 70. Changing the limit to 110 or 120 will only increase the differences in speed between the freeway and the mergers.

I don't agree with this at all. Having driven in several states that have 80 MPH (128km/h), and the highways don't seem to operate dramatically faster than they do here in Ontario.

The argument for increasing speed limits is to make normal activity legal. 120km/h on a rural stretch of 400-series highway in Ontario shouldn't be illegal.

[ssiguy]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

They will be. Here's the report that came out early July from the Province with all the speed limit changes and details of the review. Start at the bottom of page 9, and then jump ahead to page 14 - 16 for details on the changeable speeds planned here.

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/publications/rep...al_Hwy_Safety-Speed_Review_technical.pdf

It will certainly increase speed and damn good on BC for acknowledging the obvious and hopefully this will finally kick start the rest of the country.

Yes, the speed limit was decreased nation wide due to the farce of the energy crisis. Some roads were 75mph and then dropped to 60 mph.........ridiculous.
The thing is that the reasons given {and for keeping them there} was due to reducing gas consumption and decrease accidents. Well cars are infinitely more efficient and safer than they use to be and yet no corresponding increase in speed limits at least not in the 2 biggest provinces.

All roads should be at least 120 on freeway except on short turn or special areas like tunnels. I do agree with lower speed limits for transports like 100km due to them not being able to stop or negotiate abrupt changes in traffic and the danger of jack knifing. Anybody who cannot safely drive at 130km/hr should not be allowed to drive, case closed. Driving is a privlege not a right.

I can't remember seeing police on Ontario freeways but can on BC but not in Vancouver so much. The reality is that 120km is still slower than what many drive.

Freeways are VERY safe and the number of accidents and especially deaths on freeways is, considering the amount of traffic they carry, very small. It's regular non-grade separated and urban roads where all the accidents and deaths occur.

The thing that has always surprised me is that, with the exception of the few worry warts and "think of the children!" crowd, most people love the idea of higher freeway speeds. There has been absolutely no backlash in BC with the overwhelming majority saying "it's about bloody time". Not even the opposition had a problem with it and when was the last time a government and opposition actually agreed on something? It seems to have wide public support and yet governments, especially in Ont/Que don't really seem to be responding.

Even at 120km/hr, that is still only average for most of the industrial world.

[middeljohn]

Originally Posted by sonysnob

I don't agree with this at all. Having driven in several states that have 80 MPH (128km/h), and the highways don't seem to operate dramatically faster than they do here in Ontario.

The argument for increasing speed limits is to make normal activity legal. 120km/h on a rural stretch of 400-series highway in Ontario shouldn't be illegal.

Because you're assuming that people will continue to only drive 120km/h. If you increase the limit to 120, then people will drive 140 which is not safe on rural highways.

[1overcosc]

If we increase to 120, we should do the following:
1) Start aggressively enforcing people who exceed the new limit by going 130-140 to create a new mentality that the speed limit is the MAXIMUM, not the "drive at this or 20 over" point
2) A PR campaign letting people know that if they want to keep driving at 100, they should feel free to do so

My speed limit proposal for Ottawa's Highway 417:
1) Quebec border to Highway 174: 120km/h
2) Highway 174 to Vanier Parkway: 110km/h
3) Vanier Parkway to Bronson Avenue: 90km/h, downgraded due to tight turns and very closely spaced ramps
4) Bronson Avenue to Highway 416: 110km/h
5) Highway 416 to Arnprior: 120km/h

[MolsonExport]

Strange how speeding limits has become some sort of competitive issue.

[SignalHillHiker]

90-100K represent!

It's probably good to have a little competition and get the provincial governments to kick it into high gear, accelerate, speed things up, etc.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by middeljohn

Because you're assuming that people will continue to only drive 120km/h. If you increase the limit to 120, then people will drive 140 which is not safe on rural highways.

I disagree. People will drive at the speed that they feel safe and in control at. If you increase speed limits to 200 I doubt you'll see very many cars going that fast.

[Innsertnamehere]

Every place that has seen speed limits increase has had little if any change in average speed (typically it increases by maybe 2-3km/h on average). 400 series highways in Ontario are built with a 120km/h design speed, and that tends to be what people do, regardless of speed limit.