What is the worst road in Manitoba? CAA wants to know

Voting is officially open for CAA Manitoba’s 10th year of its Worst Roads Campaign.

This means Manitobans can now have their say on which roads have the worst issues such as congestion, potholes, road signs, traffic light timing, and safety.

According to Heather Mack, CAA Manitoba’s manager of government and community relations, it comes down to how each individual defines what they believe is the worst road.

“This isn’t just about motorists. We want to hear from pedestrians, public transit users, and cyclists,” she said in an interview on Wednesday.

“So it could be something like lack of cycling infrastructure on a particular road. Maybe there’s a crosswalk that’s needed, or maybe the speed limit you think is too high on your street.”

The campaign helps to inform all levels of government about which roads they need to prioritize for improvements. CAA noted that the most common issues noted by voters are potholes and poor road conditions.

Manitobans can cast their nominations for the worst roads online until April 6. Once the voting is closed, CAA will put together a list of the 10 worst roads in the province, as well as the worst roads in specific regions. 

The organization will then present the worst roads list to local and provincial officials.

“Generally, the cities know what streets need to be fixed, but they don’t get that snapshot of priorities,” Mack said.

“We’ve seen some great success like Empress [Street], which happened to top the list for at least a couple of years, and we were glad to see all three levels of government come together to get that road repaired and off the list.”

In 2021, Manitobans voted Taylor Avenue in Winnipeg, Provincial Road 307, Provincial Road 250, Provincial Road 450, and Provincial Trunk Highway 34 as the province’s worst roads.

Mack noted more roads outside of Winnipeg made the list last year, likely because people were spending more time travelling within the province and noticing deficiencies in these roads.

- With files from CTV’s Joey Slattery.