The move comes more than a decade after officials commissioned civil planning firm Wade Trim to produce an analysis (PDF) of posted speed limits on 11,000 km of provincial highways. After reviewing accident data, vehicle speed observations, road design and other factors, the analysts called for a new maximum limit of 120 kmh on most rural divided highways.
The Ministry of Transportation appears to have heeded the guidance, which also stressed the importance of minimizing collisions with animals and reducing speed when conditions are less than ideal.
The province is said to be preparing several pilot programs to test the viability of active safety controls. Variable speed zones will be outfitted with equipment to track vehicle speed and road conditions, automatically reducing the limit as needed, while a wildlife detection system will be tested in another area.
Studies have concluded that most motorists will drive at a speed they consider reasonable for the road, weather and traffic conditions, regardless of the posted limit. Posted limits that are much higher or lower than drivers’ natural pace have been blamed on higher accident rates.
“Crashes … appear to depend less on speed and more on the variation in speeds,” the 2003 report noted. “The likelihood of a crash occurring is significantly greater for motorists traveling at speed slower or faster than the mean speed of traffic.”
Motorists in other Canadian provinces with 100 kmh maximum limits have campaigned for the ceiling to be raised to 120-130 kmh (75-80 mph), consistent with speed limits in many US states and in other countries. Proponents argue that such speeds are consistent with modern highway design, without bringing an increase in fatality rates.
“Safety on our highways is our number one priority, and is the foundation for every decision that has resulted from this review,” said BC Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone in an announcement highlighting the higher limits. “The actions we’re taking were the subject of a thorough technical review by our engineers, and the ministry is committed to ongoing monitoring and evaluation of speed limits and other highway safety measures.”
Many of the relatively low speed limits were established during the oil crisis of the early 1970s, aiming to save fuel rather than lives. Drivers in Ontario were able to travel 70 mph (113 kmh) before the cap was lowered, however the government never returned to the previous laws after the energy supplies stabilized.
“Most industrialized countries on Earth post 120-130 kmh speed limits on divided freeways,” says Ontario-based advocacy group Stop100. “In Ontario, those speeds are illegal, drivers are fined and have their insurance rates increased for no reason.”
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