Province looking to raise speed limit to 120
By Lethbridge Herald on November 11, 2025.
Anna Smith
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The provincial government is inviting residents to share thoughts on speed limit increases on select highways.
Starting Friday, Albertans can take an online survey regarding speed limits on divided highways. The survey will run until Dec. 12 and asks how Albertans view raising the speed limit by 10 km/h on various highways from 110 km/h to 120 km/h.
“Alberta’s government is investigating how to safely increase speed limits on divided highways, and if Albertans support increasing speed limits,” said Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen.
“We are investing more than $1.5 billion this year alone to improve highway safety and upgrade infrastructure across the province,” said Dreeshen. “We want Albertans to be able to drive the speed limit that the highways are designed for. Modern vehicles combined with public awareness mean we can explore higher speed limits.”
Topics in the survey would include what highways to prioritize a speed limit increase on, and views on restricting commercial trucks from using the far-left lane on highways with three or more lanes alongside other feedback.
“Following a review of the survey results, Alberta’s government plans to conduct a mini-trial of a 120 km/h speed limit to assess the impacts of higher speed limits on divided highways. The trial will include strong monitoring to assess driving behaviour.”
The survey is available online at alberta.ca/divided-highway-speed-limit-increase-survey.
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not opposed to faster limits on major highways. however, there should be enforced slowdowns when driving conditions are impacted by weather.
meanwhile, we should consider reducing speed limits on residential roads. 40 would be a safer and still reasonable speed, and, if one is doing that limit, one would avoid getting dinged if overlooking that they have entered into a school/park zone
I think increasing the speed limit to 120 on multiple lane highways like #2 and 3 makes sense as a lot of vehicles already travel at that speed. Stoney Trail also but not Deerfoot as traffic is too congested. However, speed should be reduced during winter conditions not by date range but by actual conditions. This could be done with electronic speed signage.
If we’re going to open a discussion about speed limits, the speed at which this government is throwing out distractions to avoid answering to the health care scandal, privatization of health care, the vaccine fiasco, the under-funding of public education, the claw-back of federal funding for AISH recipients et al is astounding.
Moreover, minister dreeshen’s comments vis a vis the “survey” are especially troubling as he blatantly states that this government has already planned to increase the speed limit in a “mini-trial” even before tabulating the results of the survey. This raises an important question. Why bother asking Albertans for their opinions if the decision has already been made to implement a “mini-trial” so-called?
Also concerning: will the “strong monitoring” of this “mini-trial” be accomplished by a “mini-trial” of the premier’s provincial police force in waiting in order to make a public show of so-called need, in line with the premier’s desire to implement same?
All of this occurring under a premier who maintains a dangerous notion regarding the definition of democracy:
“Democracy is when the elected officials make decisions”…“Democracy is not when un-elected judges unilaterally make decisions.”
https://calgaryherald.com/news/premier-danielle-smith-says-courts-should-be-more-constrained-in-making-decisions
So true, IMO. Some guy selling garden gnomes one day and an MLA the next should wield sweeping powers over the laws of the land.
Maybe Danielle might consider running a platform that actually outlines her plans next election.
As for raising speed limits on highways that already have difficulty managing the traffic (QEII) … sounds like the invisible hand of Darwin will be taking the wheel.
So, that means we would not have to go 130-135 kph on the QE2 north of Calgary so we don’t get run over?
Right now just going 125 kph still has people tailgaiting me in the granny lane . . .with some semi’s passing me! I would hope everyone makes sure their tires are properly inflated, with no blemishes and all their wheel lugs are securely tighened. I did 200 kph on the autobahns over seas many times, but we made sure our tires and wheels were maintained and we were not on our cellphones, or watching a movie driving down the highway as some have been caught doing on the QE2.
Something I have observed over the several decades of driving . . . people always speed, no matter the speed limit. I had people passing me on the autobahns while I as doing 200 kph, like I was standing still . . . if you were in the fast lane and noticed headlights flash several times, while miles behind you, you moved out of that lane, and that car flew by.
I am not sure if Canadian drivers are ready for 200 kph driving! They have been in some European countries for decades.
We are slowly creeping up to those speeds though!