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Infrastructure

Canadians are among the most mobile people in the world, and roads and highways are an important part of Canadians’ daily lives.

Canada’s geographical expanse, coupled with limited transportation choices means Canadians rely heavily on private motor vehicles as their primary mode of transportation. This is evident with over 19 million registered vehicles, and over 22 million licensed drivers in this country.

Canada’s National Highway System (NHS), which includes the Trans-Canada and other major roads, is approximately 900,000 kilometres in length, and serves as the backbone of Canada’s transportation system. As a result, it’s important that government spending keep up with the needs of Canadians. The result will be improvements to safety, the economy, trade, tourism, and the environment.

Of particular concern to CAA:

• 46% of Canadians believe their roads and highways have gotten worse in the last year according to a 2008 CAA poll.
• According to Transport Canada, in 2006 (the most recent stats available), 2,889 road users were killed in traffic collisions and nearly 200,000 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.
• A government sponsored study in 1998 found that 38% of Canada’s National Highway System and 22% of bridges are deficient and substandard.

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, oil, labour, maintenance and depreciation. The savings associated with improved highway safety are estimated to be up to $15.3 billion.

Safer roads need not be complex. Simple upgrades and improvements to intersections, road signs, and road delineation would provide a substantial safety benefit to senior drivers, one of Canada’s most at-risk driving groups.

CAA Public Affairs’ efforts on the infrastructure file are ongoing and we are continuing to press the Government to provide better value for Canadian motorists. To view some of our infrastructure-related reports and campaigns, please explore the links on this page.