Ontario Speed Traps on the Trans-Canada Highway

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Ontario Trans-Canada Highway
Ontario Speed Traps on the Trans-Canada Highway

Radar detectors and laser detectors are illegal to use in Ontario. Fines $100.00 to $1000.00, and seizure of Detector. Set your cruise control to 10 km/h over the posted limit, and you will be relatively safe. Photo Radar has just recently been booted out of the province by our new provincial government.

Ontario has Reciprocal Agreements: with 41 US states. Fines: Depends on Speed up to 20 kph-$3.00 per km/h, 21 to 36kph-$4.50 per km/h, 36 to 50kph-$7.00 per km/h, +50kph-$9.75 per km/h Careless driving charge. Note: Plead Guilty, or Not Guilty (show up in court), NO other options such as pleading no contest.

The OPP is using laser guns. This is confined mostly to Hwy. 401 around Toronto, and on Hwy. 417 just west of Ottawa near the Corel Stadium. Cop was standing outside his car, aiming the unit at the back of cars passing by. Unit had a cord running back into the car. A common tactic on Hwy. 401 is for one cop to peg speeders with the laser, then radio ahead to a partner up the road to nab the hapless driver.

Laser Speed Traps

They will generally give you 10 km (6.2 mph) over the posted limit before stopping you. They are really good at hiding the traps, sometimes in small Japanese cars 1/4 mile before the cars that will be stopping you. They can pick the middle car in a group of cars, and even seem delighted at doing it. On freeways, the officer, laser trap, and radio in hand, will hide in bushes with a cooler, and nab cars. The laser trap has a telescopic site on it, and as he clocks your speed, he looks at your licence number. Then he radios down the road (up to a mile) to his buddies(usually 4-8 cars or motorcycles) to stop you and give you a ticket. Watch for median bushes, on overpass, in unexpected vehicles at side of highway, behind road signs, or up to 100 meters off road to either side. Typical Stopping Vehicle Locations: up to 1 mile after trap, on freeways – on next on-ramp.

Stepped up patrols of Hwy. 401 (Windsor to Quebec border) especially around Toronto and east about 100 miles.

Please CONTACT US if the information on this page is no longer accurate, and you want to suggest adding or removing noted speed traps in your area or where you have recently traveled.

Speed Traps on the Trans-Canada Highway #417/17/11

Highway 417, Montréal – Ottawa

This is a freeway, with the east-west lanes divided by wooded areas. There are service roads (turnaround roads) connecting the lanes at regular intervals, announced by “NO U-TURN” signs. When you see a sign, look for a car hood poking out of the woods.

Highway 417, Ottawa (Hwy 17 – St Laurent)

On highway 417 direction west, between St-Laurent and 417/17 split. You will see a guy sitting on the right hand cement wall. And he’s not a hitchhiker but a police officer with a electronic box in his hands. The radar is permanently mounted but you can’t see it. And yes, it is laser. After split, the bikes are waiting on the 417 side, and cruisers have a road block on 17 at Blair Rd exit. At night, all summer long.

Highway 417, Maitland – Woodroffe

Along 417 West or East, Maitland or Woodroffe exit, overpass cops will sit there with either laser or radar and OPP waits along the oncoming exit. If you think you can run, sometimes you can see the cops before you go under the bridge. Kick it off on the Woodroffe exit, but if you are going West, you’re buggered.

Highway 417, Kanata

OPP sit on the Huntmar Road overpass of Highway 417 (just west of the Corel Centre sports arena), targeting eastbound traffic coming into Ottawa. Huntmar Road is located The OPP use the new laser speed guns. As this overpass is on a slight curve, one police officer sits on the bridge (tends to be a motorcycle cop) while 3 to 4 other officers wait just behind the bridge on Highway 417, just out of everone’s view

Highway 11, North Bay

A few kilometers west of North Bay, there is a scenic lookout (announced by traffic signs). A favorite hangout for the O.P.P.

Highway 144, west of Sudbury

Speed limit drops from 80 km/h to 60 km/h as you enter town of Chelmsford. Approx 15 km west of Sudbury. Area enforced by both the OPP and the Sudbury Regional Police

Trans-Canada Hwy 17, Sault Ste. Marie

Highway 17 East, in the First Nation town of Garden River. OPP has several select sites through this area. Predominent spot is the church parking lot on the west end of Garden River.

Highway 11, Matheson and Smooth Rock Falls

Please friends, do use extreme caution when nearing these two small towns since the local OPP don’t mind filling out other districts’ quotas as well as their own!

Highway 11, Cochrane

For about 30 km on either side of the town of Cochrane. There are O.P.P. barracks in Cochrane, but they seldom seem to stray further than 30 km for radar traps.

Speed Traps around Ottawa

Highway 417, St Laurent

Lime Bank Road

Lime Bank Road, leading south just outside of city in 80 km zone. Ontario Provincial Police had a laser gun setup on Northbound traffic (just south of steep hill with 60 km speed limit) Speed limits vary 60 to 80 with little warning.

Sir John A Macdonald Parkway (the Ottawa River Parkway)

Just at the Parkdale exit there is a u-turn lane through the median. It is surrounded by trees. There is usually an RCMP car sitting there. You need to be careful around this area, because it is just after a turn and you can’t see past the trees till it is too late

Highway 417, Maitland – Woodroffe

Highway 417, Kanata

Highway 416, Fallowfield Rd

Another speed trap is located on the new Highway 416, which also a police officer sits on an overpass with his radar gun while others sit below out of site. The police target drivers heading north into Ottawa. The police sit on an overpass called the Log farm overpass. This is located just north of the Fallowfield Road exit. Just after the Fallowfield Road exit the highway curves to the right with a short straight away. This is where the overpass is located. People speeding around the corner are caught instantly.

Speed Traps on Highway #400/69 (Toronto – Barrie – Parry Sound – Sudubury

Highway 400, Toronto

As it turns into Black Creek drive the speed limit drops from 100 km/h to 80 km/h. O.P.P sit in the center of the hwy dividers just south of the 401 overpass.

Highway 400, Vaughan

Exit 33, for Rutherford and Langstaff Roads. One officer sits up on bridge and uses a LIDAR gun (Kustom Signals Pro Laser II) to clock cars, then radios ahead to 4-8 cars waiting on inside lane’s shoulder.

Highway 400, Barrie

Exit 102 to Duckworth St. exit in Barrie. The police sit in the south bound lane and clock your speed and radio cars in the north bound lane who flag you down and write the ticket. They usually have three or four officers to write tickets. They like to sit there on weekends.

Highway 400, Hwy 11 Barrie

Exit 102, where Highway 400 turns into Highway 11 north of Barrie. The speed limit dips from 100 km/h to 90 km/h. Slower drivers bottle-neck everything so frequent drivers keep it just pinned. At a place called “Gasoline Alley” the police hide out in one of the gas stations. There is so many visual things going on that you do not notice the cop until you see the flashing lights in your rearview. Avg. speed is often 120 km/h, but police don’t like the 30 km/h excess.

Highway 69, Nobel

Just north of Parry Sound. Posted Limit is 70 km/h but traffic moves at 100-120 km/h. Come over the hill and you’re looking at a hand held unit. A traffic cop’s Valhalla.

Speed Traps on the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway #401 (Windsor – London – Kitchener – Toronto – Kingston – Montreal

Highway 401, Brockville – Ganonoque

Closer to Gananoque, a preferred location for handheld radar during spring through fall is in the median area as you ascend a small hill where there is a significant rock cut. You feel that nothing could possibly be lurking in this area of granite rocks and boulders. However, a cruiser is able to drive up and into this area and is completely obscured from vision until you see the police flagging you over. South Central Ontario, Highway 7, west of Lindsay and just west of Manilla. There is an old cemetery on top the second hill (going west from Manilla). This cemetery has one obvious entrance to the east of the hill, there is also an abandoned road to the west side. The cruisers sit atop the hill nailing motorists who approach from either side, they get caught minutes later in Manilla or west of the cemetery where the road splits into two lanes. It’s hilly to the east and long, flat and nasty to the west.

Highway 401, Kingston

Close to exit 66, a patrol car may be lying in wait at the top of a hill, tracking west-bound traffic using a hand-held radar gun.

Highway 401, Kingston-Odessa

At Exit 599,. There’s an overpass with a large concrete support rising from the median strip. Patrol car was hiding on the east side of the support, tracking east-bound traffic with a hand-held radar gun.

Highway 401, Belleville

There is a speed trap on Farly Ave. On either side of the dirt section. 26 speeders were caught on Nov 6, 1996. alone. They hide in the bushes and wait with there radar.

Highway 401, Guelph

Exit 295, Highway 6 interchange. Cruiser on top of hill, on right shoulder. Radar gun turned around pointed at Westbound traffic. Very difficult to see cruiser. X Band Radar

Highway 401, Woodstock-Drumbo

Exit 250, just west of Drumbo near the next overpass (not an exit, just overpass) cops sit in the median and as you round a curve you have no chance to slow down before you’re zapped.

Speedtraps in the Greater Toronto Area (the “GTA”)

Gardiner Expressway, Don Valley Parkway

The Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway is patrolled by the Toronto police dept they have a number of late model Cameros the are white with bars on top and commonly lurk in the on ramps just past the Kingsway entrance, and Jarvis St on-ramps along the Gardiner, in the center medians on the DVP. In Toronto on the Don Valley Parkway southbound, south of the Bloor St. exit, ONE radar gun on the shoulder radios ahead to 5 or 6 officers waiting just ahead. Will permit a speed of 100 km/H in the 90 zone but will stop at 101KPH.

Highway 400, Langstaff Bridge

Hwy 400 southbound in the (relatively) new collector lanes. A motorcycle traffic unit sits under the Langstaff bridge, where he is cleverly hidden in the shadows. Very few vehicles use these lanes and Officer has a clear shot most of the time. Personally get nailed doing 133 in a 100 zone.

Highway 400, at Highway 401

As it turns into Black Creek Drive the speed limit drops from 100 km/h to 80 km/h. O.P.P sit in the center of the hwy dividers just south of the 401 overpass.

Highway 400, Vaughan

Steeles Ave & Jane St

Steeles Ave. West @ Jane St. Cruisers park in the UPS day entrance just east of Jane and catch motorcycles and cars racing away from lights at Jane. Also, they catch cars coming down the hill westbound (from Keele). Cruisers are completely hidden and often stack several chase vehicles in the parking lot/entance driveway to the UPS building. (This entrance is closed all night to vehicle traffic.)

Dufferin St, Highway 7

Dufferin St. north from Hwy 7 is very hilly and provides literally dozens of excellent trap spots in a very short distance. The York Region Police force uses ghost Caprices and an associate has reported seeing a RED Cavalier with a radar.

Mississauga – overview

Western suburb of Toronto; will be the only western suburb after Greater Toronto is amalgamated. Police: Peel Regional, Div 11 & 12 Marked Cars: Generally white cruisers with Christmas trees on top, blue stripes. Almost entirely Ford Crown Vics and Chevy Caprices. Unmarked cars: Usually Ford Tempos; rarely white, often dark blue or red. Often older (square) Chevy Caprices in dark colours, esp blue. Some reports of Ford Contours and older Chevy Cavaliers. Methods: Mostly Radar, often moving, instant-on. Laser tends to be tripod mounted, sometimes mounted on a rifle stock, occasionally seen affixed to roof of static car (pre-aimed).

Mississauga, Highway 10 / Hurontario Street

The main N-S street in Missisauga. Between Burnhamthorpe (main E-W St) and Hwy 401, often cruising unmarked cars doing radar speed checks while in traffic. Between Burnhamthorpe and QEW, some of the above, but often standing LIDAR units at side of street, in gas stations, etc.

Mississauga, Eglinton Ave.

LIDAR as above, and both static and roving radar in unmarked cars.

Mississauga, Lakeshore Blvd.

This is a favourite area for making money. Speed limits change suddenly and frequently between 50 km/h (30 mph) and 70 km/h (roughly 45 mph). Unmarked cars with static radar and crusing in traffic. This is also a favourite area for Metro Toronto cops where this street runs through Etobicoke. Not worth speeding here.

Mississauga, Erin Mills Road

between 403 & 401. All methods – loads of impromptu racing on wide street.

Mississauga, Square One Shopping Centre

New as yet unnamed street running parallel to 403 on its south side, just north of Square One Shopping Centre. Frequent use of LIDAR, aimed especially at those exiting onto this street from Mavis Ave and 403 Eastbound at Mavis.

Mississauga, Burnhamthorpe Road

Between Hwy 10 (Hurontario) and Mill Road. Usual method is statiic speed traps in marked cars or moving speed patrol in unmarked cars.

Mississauga, Mississauga Road

Between QEW & Burnhamthorpe, especially around Dundas Street. Marked and unmarked, static and roving. Almost always radar.

Mississauga, Derry Road

Between Dixie Road and Airport Road. Again, frequent and sudden speed changes, mostly from 80 km/h to 60 km/h to 50 km/h. All types of cars, Laser and Radar. Not worth speeding here.

Highway 403

Highway 403 between Q.E.W. Highway and Winston Churchill Blvd. – Ontario Provincial Police set up hand-held laser radar in both directions during the daylight hours in ‘off’ rush-hour periods. They start issuing summonses at 10 km/h over the posted limit

Highway 407

Because it’s a toll highway, people are reluctant to pay to drive on it, so it is usually almost empty. As a result, some have taken to test driving their new Porches on this stretch of brand new highway. They find out, only too late, that the highway is not empty after all, but the boys in blue are there, waiting for you.

Bayview & Lawrence

Located at Bayview & Lawrence, heading south on Bayview Ave. towards Lawrence Ave. the road takes a blind turn onto a bridge. Just at the turn the road turns it changes from a 60 km/h zone to a 50 Kp/h. They hide before the onramp to Lawrence Ave. Heading north on Bayview from Lawrence Ave. they hide in the driveway of Crescent School. It’s usually 1 or 2 officers, in marked cars or bikes. The trap is used usually on the weekends

Thornhill area

On John Street, between Bayview Ave. and Don Mills Rd. I have seen cops in every side street and behind every bunch of bushes. Their favorite places along this stretch of road: In the parking lot of the Fire Dept. For some reason, people don’t realize that there’s a cop with a radar gun in the car, I guess people figure he’s visiting his fire buddies. At the top of the hill near Don Mills, there is a tiny parking lot for people who want to walk down in the ravine. If you are eastbound, you don’t see the cop there until your past him. They especially like to be out in early September when the kiddies are heading back to school.

Bathurst St, north of Toronto

On Bathurst St. between Carville Rd. & Bloomington Side Rd. Lots of Farmers fields with hidden entrances.

Wilson Ave

On Wilson, heading both directions west of Avenue Rd., police will station themselves in a municipal pumping station driveway. The road is bordered by the 401, so drivers let loose, and the cops will pull you over DAY and NIGHT! They start pulling over at 70 km/h (50 limit). Toronto police only, White Crown Vics with light bars on top. At night, their reflective tape can help you spot them.

Speed Traps on Other Ontario Roads

Highway 404 at Stouffville Rd. (exit 37)

1 cruiser on overpass (difficult but not impossible to see to see the cruisers silhouette from distance) 1 to 4 cruisers on shoulder,.5 to 1K up the road, flagging ’em over. Trap is usually, if not always, opposite to rush hour (or weekend) direction. Northbound or Southbound drivers beware.

Highway 6,Kitchener-Hamilton

There is always a speed trap on Highway 6 North and South from Kitchener to Hamilton. They have two cruisers at the side of the road, one for doing radar, the other for going after the motorist. The officer stands at the side of the road with a radar gun on a tripod and shoots motorists. After the speed is determined to be in excess of the lowly 80 km/H the officer in the cruiser will go after them. Rumour has it the officers on this stretch are not lenient at all.

Highway 7, Peterborough – Norwood

This is a stretch of about 25 km which has the attention of local media due to the high number of serious and fatal motor vehicle collisions. It’s a 2 lane highway and a main trucking route for the Toronto to Ottawa route. The local Kawartha OPP detachment has a cruiser out there with moving radar, no roof lights, at all times. Sometimes a second fully marked cruiser will sit with the hand held radar in the area of the Esson Line and also the Golf Course Road, (7th Concession of Asphodel Township). This is a posted maximum 80 km/h Zone. During a recent snow storm, police laid 45 charges with the minimum charges at 25 km/h over the limit. Two vehicles were clocked at 134 km/h and one at an amazing 146 km/h in the 80 km/h zone in the snow storm. There are no warnings along this stretch.

Westbound 403 in Ancaster

Radar guns are in marked OPP cars. As soon as you pass Mohawk Rd exit, slow down to speed limit or maybe 10 km/h above. In summer, motorbike cops sit behind sound barrier wall at Fiddlers Green exit. If you are going west, DO NOT run. They will get you. Much slow down due to construction

Lindsay

One is Hwy 35 S from the Hwy 7 Intersection to River Road. They are sitting on River Road a lot and are driving the usual caprices, usually a gray or a light blue unmarked. I know..:) I found out the hard way! The second is Lindsay Street which is coming into Lindsay from Hwy 35 S The speed drops from 80 to 50..and they wait just past the bridge in the cemetery or the park. As well i know from the hard way..:) The cops on the Highways 35 and 7 are OPP and the cops in Lindsay are the locals..

Speedtraps on Highway 416

Going northeast on the 416, approximately 1/2 kilometer before the Hunt Club offramp. There is a nice big corner, going under an overpass there are usually 5-6 cop cars waiting there with radar

Speedtraps on Highway 402

The 402 hwy runs from Sarnia to London to join up with the 401. Beware between the Sarnia off-ramps all the way to Wyoming/Reeces corner off-ramp for there are wide medians between east and west bound lanes, This stretch of road has a lot of tree coverage for the emergency turn around lanes, in this stretch there is a U-turn about every 3 kms, watch for these spots, the men in blue use the cover very well and use these spots very often.

Speedtraps on Highway 416/16

Between Kemptville and the 401 there are marked and unmarked cars when I traveled back and forth down 16, on a regular basis. You can get away with 10 km/h over, but don’t push it.

Speedtraps on Queen Elizabeth Highway

Just east of St. Catherines. The police hide under the Seventh Street over-pass. As the unsuspecting motorist comes over a rise in the road, he is greeted by an officer standing at the roadside behind a tripod mounted laser and a radio. But, usually there are only two cruisers waiting on the barely used on-ramp, which is located just after the overpass.