MTA blasts decision to OK speed limit hike

WINNIPEG — Parts of Manitoba could soon have some of the highest speed limits in Canada. And the province’s largest trucking group isn’t happy about it.

This week, the Manitoba Highway Traffic Board approved a government proposal to increase the speed limit from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on Hwy 75 and the stretch of the Trans-Canada between Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan border.

According to the Winnipeg Sun, drivers could see the change implemented as early as this summer. There will likely have to be some construction to upgrade the highways first, largely with more paved shoulders.

The Manitoba Trucking Association, which along with the Canadian Trucking Alliance supports speed limiter devices on all trucks, has been fighting the proposal for months.

General Manager Bob Dolyniuk was angered with the MHT’s decision. “We’re dismayed that the board is moving ahead with it, given the risk to safety, the environment and the economic cost,” he told the Sun.

The MTA argues that raising the speed limit could result in more highway deaths and increase greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles burning more fuel.

— with files from the Winnipeg Sun