Infrastructure

Roads and Highways

A Fair Deal for Motorists

Canada’s roads and highways are inadequate and government spending is failing to keep up with the needs of Canadians; thereby affecting health and safety, the economy, trade, tourism and the environment.

Motorists deserve a fair deal – safer, more forgiving roads in return for taxes they pay on gasoline.

Canada’s geographical expanse coupled with limited transportation choices means Canadians rely heavily on private motor vehicles as their primary mode of transportation. With about 19 million registered vehicles, and approximately 21 million licensed drivers, Canadians are among the most mobile people in the world, and roads and highways are an important part of their daily lives.

Canada’s National Highway System (NHS), which includes the Trans-Canada and other major roads, approximately 900,000 kilometres in length, is the backbone of Canada’s transportation system.

A government sponsored study in 1998 found that 38% of Canada’s National Highways System and 22% of bridges are deficient and substandard.
According to Transport Canada , in 2003, 2,778 road users were killed in traffic collisions and almost 222,260 suffered traffic-related injuries.
In its 1998 report, the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety estimated that reduced congestion and improved highway standards could reduce the number of fatalities on the National Highway System by as many as 247, and the number of serious injuries by up to 16,000 each year.
46% of Canadians believe their roads and highways have gotten worse in the last year.

With so much at stake, why are our roadways in such desperate shape? Motorists pay more than $5 billion a year at the pump in federal fuel and excise taxes. The federal government only reinvests approximately 2% of these ‘user fees’ in the infrastructure that Canada’s 21 million drivers require. Canadians motorists deserve better.

Better and safer roads and highways would benefit Canadians in many ways. Reducing congestion and general improvement of travel conditions on the national highway system would save motorists each year an estimated 73 to 97 million hours in travel time, up to 236 million litres of fuel and property damage resulting from 17, 489 collisions. This translates to between $18 and $26 billion in travel time savings and as much as $4.4 billion saved in reduced vehicle operating costs which include fuel and oil, labour, maintenance and depreciation. The savings associated with improved highway safety are estimated to be up to $15.3 billion.

Roads and Highways: Critical to Canada’s Competitiveness (PDF)

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