The PQ Would Like to Increase the Speed Limit on Quebec Highways to 120 km/h. Good Idea?
The Parti Québécois is committed to setting up a pilot project that would increase the speed limit from 100 to 120 km/h on certain highways, should it win the next elections and form a government.
The party previously tried to create a pilot project by proposing an amendment to the Quebec Highway Safety Code, but provincial transport minister André Fortin closed the door on that idea. According to Fortin, increasing the speed limit on highways could increase the death toll on Quebec roads. He cited an American study in which every limit increase of 8 km/h increases the number of serious accidents by 8%.
The minister also recognized that allowing officers to apply tolerance as they see fit depending on weather or other road conditions is a good thing.
At a press conference last Wednesday, PQ MP Martin Ouellet said it’s time to put an end to the hypocrisy.
"Everybody in Quebec knows that when you drive on a highway, you will not be stopped driving a little above 100 km/h because there is a zone of tolerance applied by the police."
The PQ assures that it does not want to compromise road safety. They say their commitment to public safety is first and foremost.
Prior to the year 1978 when the SAAQ was founded, Quebec used to have 70 mph (113 km/h) speed limits. After the new 100-km/h limits were applied, road deaths declined sharply.
If such a pilot project is successful, the new limit (which might not even be 120 km/h) could be extended to all Quebec highways. A panel would be formed to determine the reasonable speed to establish.