Commuters voted Mayfair Crescent in south Regina into the number one spot in the CAA’s 2022 Worst Roads campaign, which took place from April 6 to April 30.
Every year, this campaign gives Saskatchewan road users, including motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, runners, transit users, and motorcyclists, a chance to nominate and vote for the worst highways and municipal or residential roads.
“What we wanted to focus on this year is, ‘a worst road is an unsafe road,'” said Christine Niemczyk, the CAA’s director of corporate communications.
“We do share that information with those who are responsible for those roads. I have reached out to the mayors of Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw (and) we’ve also contacted the Ministry of Highways and various communities.”
Some of the major road issues reported during the 2022 campaign included potholes, unpaved roads, poor road maintenance, poor road signs or road markings, and traffic congestion. CAA said several factors can cause deterioration of the roads, including weather conditions, age of the roads, heavy traffic to lack of maintenance.
“In cold climates like Saskatchewan, the freeze-thaw cycle plays a key role in creating potholes — a problem that occurs when temperatures regularly go above and below the freezing point,” CAA said in a release.
“When rain or snow seeps through cracks and openings in the pavement, it freezes and expands, causing the pavement to heave upward. Then as temperatures rise, the ground underneath the pavement returns to its normal level, leaving a cavity or hole which breaks apart with continued use of vehicles driving over the fractured pavement.”
The 2022 top 10 worst roads list will be distributed to government and business leaders in hopes of sparking conversation and action. The top 10 list can be viewed on the CAA Saskatchewan website.