MTO talks speeds with the OSL

SCARBOROUGH, Ont. – Ontario could be getting ready for another push for 120km-h thresholds on 400-series highways.

Julia Munro, the MPP for North York and parliamentary assistant to Transportation Minister Brad Clark, recently paid a visit to the Ontario Safety League (OSL) and while safety statistics formed the bulk of her speech, talk of new speed limits seemed to dominate the follow-up discussion.

The group heard how 80 per cent of drivers currently speed on 400-series routes and the QEW and that any decision to adjust limits would need to focus on three key elements: Driver behavior; Infrastructure; and Capabilities.

“It’s certainly an ongoing issue for us,” says Munro, who is also the chairperson for the ministry’s advisory group on infrastructure construction.

The idea was quickly attacked by several OSL board members, including a former ministry employee.

“I still bare the scars from Al Palladini’s attempts in 1996 (to raise speeds),” he explains. The ministry wanted zero tolerance enforcement back in ’96, but the OPP insisted officers would always give 20 per cent.