Speed Limits In Canada

Canadian speed limits are set by different levels of government (federal, provincial, and municipal), depending on the jurisdiction under which the road falls, resulting in differences from province to province. The limits have been posted in kilometres per hour (km/h) since September 1, 1977. Before then, when Canada used Imperial units, speed limits were in miles per hour (mph).

Statutory speed limits

Statutory speed limits are default speed limits set by statute in each province or territory. They apply on roads which do not have posted speed limits.

In most provinces and territories, statutory speed limits are in urban areas, in rural areas. There is no statutory speed limit for grade-separated freeways; however the typical speed limit in most provinces is or . Statutory speed limits for school zones tend to be in urban areas and in rural areas. The highest posted speed limit in the country is 120 km/h (75 mph) and can be found only on the Coquihalla Highway.

"N/A" means there is no such roadway in the province or territory. This table contains the statutory maximum speed limits, in kilometres per hour, on roads in each category.

Posted speed limits

Posted speed limits may differ significantly from the statutory speed limit. For example, in Alberta, Highway 1A has a statutory maximum speed limit of 100 km/h but a posted speed limit of 30 km/h near .

The highest speed limit in Canada is found on British Columbia's Coquihalla Highway with a speed limit of . Formerly, British Columbia's Okanagan Connector and Highway 19 also possessed 120 km/h limits, but were reduced to 110 km/h in 2018 to address an increase in collisions.

This table contains typical daytime speed limits, in kilometres per hour, on typical roads in each category. The values shown are not necessarily the fastest or slowest posted limit.

Regulations

Community safety zones

In Ontario, speeding fines double in areas identified as "Community Safety Zones".

Construction zones

In most Canadian provinces, as in most other locales, speed violation fines are double (or more) in construction zones, although in Ontario and Alberta, this only applies if workers are present in the construction zone.

Racing, contests and stunt driving

In Ontario, as of September 2007, drivers caught exceeding the posted speed limit by 50 km/h or more may have the vehicle that they are driving impounded immediately for seven days, have their licence suspended for seven days, and have to appear before the court. For a first conviction, they face an additional $2,000–$10,000 fine and six demerit points; they may also face up to six months in jail and licence suspension of up to two years. For a second conviction within 10 years of the first conviction, their licence may be suspended for up to 10 years.

Truck speed limiters

Since 2009 in both Ontario and Québec, trucks must be equipped with devices to electronically limit their speed to . In 2012, an Ontario court ruled that the law violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, however the law was upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2015. In April 2024, 105 km/h speed limiters also became mandatory for commercial trucks in British Columbia.

Radar detectors

Radar detectors in Canada are legal only in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. They are illegal to use or possess in the other provinces and all three territories. Regardless of whether they are used or not, police and law enforcement officers may confiscate radar detectors, operational or not, and impose substantial fines in provinces where radar detectors are illegal. Quebec penalizes $500 for use of a radar detector, along with confiscation of the device.

Signage

A speed limit sign reads "MAXIMUM XX", such as "MAXIMUM 80" for 80 km/h. A minimum speed sign reads "XX MINIMUM", such as "60 MINIMUM" for 60 km/h.

File:CA-ON road sign Rb-001-060.svg, Speed limit sign
File:Québec P-070-1-60.svg, Minimum speed limit sign
File:Canada - Speed Limit (50 kmh).svg, Speed limit sign in Ontario
File:British Columbia R-4.svg, Speed limit sign in British Columbia and Yukon
File:Ontario Rb-5.svg, Upcoming/advance notice of speed limit change sign
File:British Columbia R-3.svg, Upcoming/advance notice of speed limit change sign in British Columbia and Yukon
File:Ontario Rb-3.svg, Speed limit change sign in Ontario
File:Québec P-070-4-40.svg, Speed limit sign in Quebec
File:British Columbia R-5.svg, Speed limit ends sign in British Columbia
File:Québec D-110-P-2-45.svg, Recommended speed sign
File:Québec D-120-55.svg, Exit recommended speed sign in Quebec; Anglophone signs read EXIT or RAMP
File:Ontario Wa-32.svg, Exit recommended speed sign in Ontario
File:British Columbia I-106-100.svg, Metric signage reminder in British Columbia, posted on highways near the US border, to and from ferry terminals on Vancouver Island, and international airports
File:Québec I-400.svg, Metric signage reminder in Quebec, posted near US border

Review of speed limits

British Columbia

In British Columbia, a review of speed limits conducted in 2002 and 2003 for the Ministry of Transportation found that posted limits on investigated roads were unrealistically low for 1,309 km and unrealistically high for 208 km. The report recommended increasing speed limits on multi-lane limited-access highways constructed to high design standards from 110 km/h to 120 km/h. As described in that report, the Ministry is currently using "Technical Circular T-10/00 ... to assess speed limits. The practice considers the 85th percentile speed, road geometry, roadside development, and crash history." In July 2014, speed limits were adjusted on many of the province's highways, including some which were increased to , currently the highest speed limit in Canada.

Ontario

Ontario's first provincial legislation governing automobile use came into effect in 1903, which included a speed limit. The first provincial Highway Traffic Act (passed in 1923) changed the speed limit for highways to .

Limits were later increased, for rural roads, to and then again to . In 1968, the maximum speed limit for freeways was raised to . In 1976, the maximum speed limit for freeways was reduced to 60 mph, while the rural limit was reduced to 50 mph, except for main highways running through northern Ontario, which were reduced to 55 mph.

In 1977, highways started using the metric system, with speeds being increased slightly to a maximum ranging from .

In 2013, "speed too fast / exceed speed limit" contributed to 18.4% of all collisions, while "speeding" accounted for 55.2% of all driving convictions. An Ontario-based group is lobbying to increase speed limits from 100 km/h to .

In 2015, the Ontario government announced a plan to reduce residential speed limits from the statutory default 50 km/h, either by reducing the statutory limit to 40 km/h or by giving municipalities the option to set their own statutory speed limits, as well as allowing posted speed limits in school zones to be lowered to 30 km/h.

On September 26, 2019, speed limits were raised in a two-year trial to from as part of a pilot across a stretch of Highway 402 from London to Sarnia, a stretch of the Queen Elizabeth Way from Hamilton to St. Catharines, and a stretch of Highway 417 from Ottawa to the Ontario / Québec border. In 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reducing traffic in 2020, the trial was extended until 2023. On April 22, 2022, the above trialed sections were made permanent, in addition to three additional stretches, a stretch of Highway 417 from Kanata to Arnprior, a stretch of Highway 401 from Windsor to Tilbury, and a stretch of Highway 404 from Newmarket to the north end of the highway. Another two stretches started a speed limit trial, a stretch of Highway 400 from MacTier to Nobel, and a stretch of Highway 11 from Emsdale to South River. On July 12, 2024, the two trialed sections were made permanent, in addition to 10 more stetches. Five of the additional stretches were on Highway 401, a stretch extending the existing stretch further east, a stretch between Highway 35 / 115 and Cobourg, a stretch between Colborne and Belleville, a stretch between Belleville and Kingston, and a stretch between Highway 16 and the Ontario / Québec border. Two of the additional stretches were on Highway 403, a stretch between Woodstock and Brantford, and a stretch between Brantford and Hamilton. The remaining additional stretches were on Highway 69 with a stretch between Sudbury and French River, on Highway 416 with a stretch between near Highway 401 and south of the north end of the highway, and on Highway 406 with a stretch between Thorold and Welland, although it only took effect some time later in 2024. On October 2, 2024, Doug Ford mentioned in a news conference that he had directed Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria to explore raising the speed limit to on all remaining 400-series highway sections "where it is safe to do so".

References

{{North America topic, Speed limits in

Canada
Road transport in Canada
Canadian transport law