Province ponders higher speeds on its highways
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The Ontario government will explore increasing speed limits on provincial highways, Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek says.
“We’re looking at doing a couple of pilot projects at different speed limits and then having the full consultation to make sure that’s the path Ontarians want to go,” Yurek said Wednesday.
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“Our roads are built and designed — the 400 series highways, the provincial highways — to carry 120 km/hr safely.”
The Minister announced the pilot projects as part of new legislation to be introduced Thursday, but said the details won’t be available until next week.
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OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said speeding is a major cause of accidents on the province’s highways, and higher speeds mean more likelihood of injury and death.
The legislation would also increase fines for slow pokes in the left-hand lane, Yurek said.
There is already law around driving too slowly in passing lanes, and it would be up to police to interpret exactly what speed is too low to be safe, he said.
“Each and every one of us who are driving on our 400 series highway or four-lane highways out there experience a time when there’s somebody that just loves to drive in the left-hand lane not at the flow of traffic,” he said.
“It’s very frustrating which leads to drivers making poor decisions which leads to hazards on the road.”
If the law passes, all driving instructors will be required to maintain a zero blood alcohol and drug level, he said.
There would be also be steeper fines for those found guilty of driving ‘carelessly’ around maintenance workers, tow truck vehicles and recovery workers, Yurek said.
And in a significant change that the government argues would increase safety, motorcyclists would be permitted to use HOV lanes.
Motorists with pickup trucks and trailers for personal use would no longer have to get them inspected as if they were commercial vehicles, saving them time and money, Yurek said.
The government also plans to review rules of the road for bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters, he said.
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