EASTERN ONTARIO – If you drive on Highway 417, you will be able to travel a little faster starting this fall.
The provincial government has announced a pilot project to increase the speed on the 417 from 100 kilometers an hour to 110 kilometers an hour for the highway from Ottawa to the Ontario-Quebec border.
It’s one of three study areas. A fourth is being considered in Northern Ontario.
The pilot is for two years.
The government plans to amend its Street Racing Law to penalize people driving over 150 kilometers an hour. That would mean drivers going 40 kilometers an hour or more over the speed limit on Highway 417 would be nabbed by police. Right now, people have to be at least 50 kilometers an hour over the speed limit for a Street Racing Law conviction.
Local MPP Jim McDonell says there will also be consultations on how to safely increase highway speeds while keeping road users safe.
“Public safety on our roads and highways is our number one priority. We believe a speed limit of 110 km/h, with appropriate enforcement, can be safely implemented to evaluate the impacts of increase speed limits on Ontario’s roads,” McDonell said.
The speed limit increase should start in mid-September.