Worst Roads Campaign arrives in the Bay

CAA News Release

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Whether it’s a bumpy side street, a main thoroughfare without a shoulder, a crumbling bridge, or a stretch of highway with an alarming amount of collisions, residents of North Bay can name at least one roadway they hate to travel on.

Representatives from CAA North & East Ontario (CAANEO) were at Mathews Automotive Monday to encourage residents to make their concerns and frustrations for decaying infrastructure known by voting for Ontario’s Worst Road.

After an 18-month hiatus, the Worst Roads campaign returns with the message “Help Pave the Way to Safer Roads,” which reiterates the detrimental impact that substandard infrastructure can have on vehicles, the environment and road user safety.

Now in its ninth year, the campaign has already had a significant impact on roadway repairs; more than 90 percent of the roadways nominated to the Worst Roads list have been repaired or are scheduled to be repaired in the near future.

“Recognizing the adverse impact that bad roads have on the economy, the environment and road safety, CAANEO remains resolute in our quest to encourage the senior levels of government to provide long-term, sustainable funding to assist municipalities in improving and maintaining Ontario's transportation infrastructure,” said Korey Kennedy, Manager of Public & Government Affairs for CAANEO.

“That is why we are encouraging all Ontario residents to cast their ballot for the road, bridge or highway that they deem to be Ontario's worst.”

Though North Bay has yet to make an appearance on the Worst Roads list, the 2010 campaign proved that any municipality regardless of size can have a roadway deemed one of the worst in the province.

The small communities of Sioux Lookout and Pembroke saw success after residents rallied together to bring attention to the state of a roadway in their respective municipality, coming in at spots one and 13 respectively on the 2010 Worst Roads list.

Aside from now taking place in the spring season, when roads are in their most dire state following the spring thaw, the Worst Roads campaign makes its return with a new Top 10 list that will give greater attention to those roadways that make the final cut.

“Appreciating how tremendously successful the Worst Roads campaign has been over the course of the past eight years, the Club is confident that the recent changes will only help increase the overall level of participation and ensure that more of Ontario's roadways are repaired and improved,” said Kennedy.

Road users can have their say once again by casting a ballot by April 24, 2012 at one of the eight CAANEO Travel Stores or online at www.worstroads.ca, which provides access to a new voting portal that is integrated with Google Maps and real-time voting.

The Ontario Worst Roads campaign is sponsored by CAA North & East Ontario, CAA South Central Ontario, CAA Niagara, and Ontario Road Builders’ Association.

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