Alberta has officially implemented a 120 km/h speed limit trial on a section of Highway 2.
The section will go for 22 kilometres south of the Leduc commercial vehicle inspection station in both directions and will be monitored. The trial is expected to wrap up at the end of this summer.
“Here in Leduc, we obviously know the importance of Highway 2 and the corridor,” said Leduc-Beaumont MLA Brandon Lundy at a press conference Wednesday morning. “We know whether people are commuting or whether businesses are transporting their goods, we want to reflect how people actually live and travel in the province.”
Leduc County Mayor Tanni Doblanko said the higher speed limit will cater to businesses who use the corridor daily.
“Those businesses rely on the transportation infrastructure that helps move their businesses and the province forward,” said Doblanko. “This trial will benefit the drivers who use the road every day.”
According to a provincial survey, nearly 70 per cent of the 59,000 respondents were in favour of a speed limit increase on rural divided highways.
“This is all about respecting Albertan’s time and reflecting on the strength of our infrastructure and keeping our province moving,” said transportation minister Devin Dreeshen.
Upgrades have been made to stretch of Highway 2 including paving and improvements to interchanges. There are also signs indicating when the speed limit increases.
The province recently implemented higher fines for careless driving, excessive speeding, stunting and racing in an effort to crack down on dangerous driving.
‘We are against it’
While many are welcoming the idea of a higher speed limit, some say it could make highways more dangerous.
“We have a lot of near misses at the current speeds,” said Don Getschel, director of the Alberta Towing Recovery Association. “With the increase of the speed limit, it’s just going to increase the danger level for any tow operators or anybody working roadside.”
Getschel says Edmonton and other municipalities in Alberta have opted to lower speed limits in certain areas to curb accidents.
“I don’t agree with the government’s reasoning that it’s going to save time, because it’s going to cost lives,” he said. “We attend multiple fatal collisions on Highway 2 already. I anticipate that number to go up.”
Last year, Edmonton saw a record-high number of fatal car crashes, which were often a result of speeding, after the provincial government banned photo radar in 2024.
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With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa
