Manitobans called to weigh in on the province’s worst roads

Ewald Friesen from CAA Manitoba discusses this year's Worst Roads Campaign and how you can take part.

Manitobans are being called on to once again share their biggest gripes about the province’s worst roads.

It’s all part of CAA Manitoba’s 14th annual campaign, which encourages residents to voice their concerns and nominate the roads they want to see fixed in their communities.

“We know that there’s a lot of concern out there on the road – poor roads, infrastructure investments and those sorts of things,” said Ewald Friesen, manager of government and community relations with CAA Manitoba.

According to a CAA Manitoba survey conducted in January, 96 per cent of Manitobans are concerned about the state of the province’s roads, while half of respondents experienced vehicle damage because of poor roads.

Eighty per cent paid out of pocket for repairs, the survey said, which is up 10 per cent from last year.

The survey had a confidence level of 95 per cent with a margin of error of +/- three per cent.

The campaign seeks to give voice to some of those concerns, Friesen said, relaying them to politicians and government officials who can improve those troubled thoroughfares.

Year after year, Manitobans responded in a big way, he added, with over 480 different roads nominated last year from 71 different municipalities.

According to Friesen, the campaign can also net real change. Last year’s number one worst road—Brandon’s 18th Street—was repaired months after it was revealed as the campaign winner.

A significant portion of the Whiteshell’s Provincial Road 307, which cracked the top five for multiple years, was resurfaced, as well.

The list goes on from there.

“We’ve seen the government commit massive investments to Highway 75 to Morris—$61 million, so we know that our campaign works,” Friesen said.

The campaign is open to anyone who uses the road, like drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Reasons to nominate a road include congestion, potholes, poor road signs, and cycling safety.

Nominations can be submitted online until April 11.

CAA Manitoba will then compile a list of the top 10 worst roads in the province, which will then be announced to the public.

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagacé