CAA’s Worst Roads Campaign enters last full week

There are three certainties in life: Death, taxes and rough Saskatchewan roads.

Chances are pretty good that if you are currently living in or have lived in Saskatchewan, you’ve driven down some pretty rough roads. They’re the ones that make you feel like you’re strapped into a roller coaster that’s shaking just a little too much, or the ones that make even the most experienced driver avoid taking a sip from their coffee.

CAA Saskatchewan is hoping to make some of those roads a little nicer thanks to its Worst Roads Campaign. The annual event aims to bring attention to the province’s worst roads and offers drivers the opportunity to nominate and vote for the roads that they think cause the biggest safety concerns to both themselves and others.

This year’s competition has entered its final week.

READ MORE:

• Pothole season: CAA kicks off annual Worst Roads Campaign
• Highway 44 named worst road in Saskatchewan in CAA poll
• Regina’s Mayfair Crescent claims title as Saskatchewan’s worst road

As of Monday, Highway 22 near Cupar was in the top spot due to potholes. It was followed by Highway 5 near Buchanan for poor road maintenance and Highway 8 near Moosomin for potholes.

Angel Blair, CAA’s Worst Roads Roving Reporter, spoke with road users who live and work near five of the communities that were voted the worst and most unsafe roads in last year’s competition.

Blair said many people are upset with road conditions around the province.

“Going to these communities was really interesting, and you really had a sense of empathy for the road users that have concerns,” she said. “I really got a sense that it affected them in a lot of ways.

“If it’s a safety concern (or) it’s a worst road, and all the roads that we went on through our travels the last two months, I would say there are valid concerns for all of them.”

She said this year’s contest has drawn quite a bit of attention.

“There seems to be a lot of people voting,” Blair said. “There’s a lot of new places that we’ve never seen before, so that means that residents are voting, and there is a safety concern out there.

“Of course, we do have some repeat offenders and some that show up on our list year after year, and those are the roads, both new and old, on our list that we want to draw attention to. We want to make those voices heard.”

Voting closes for this year’s contest at midnight next Monday. Then, on April 30, CAA will announce its top 10 list. It will then share that information in the hopes that those roads will be fixed sometime in the future.