Vote for Ontario’s worst roads

News Release

TORONTO, Aug. 13 /CNW/ - Ontario’s fifth annual Worst Roads Campaign is now underway.
Road users fed up with dodging potholes and paying vehicle repair bills caused by bad roads will soon have the opportunity to send a loud and clear message to Dalton McGuinty, John Tory and Howard Hampton during the upcoming provincial election.
“Any motorist who has ever had to shell out hundreds or even thousands of dollars to fix damage caused to their vehicles by a bad road knows the true costs of driving on neglected roads and bridges,” said Kris Barnier, Provincial Affairs Specialist CAA Ontario. “With the upcoming provincial election, now is the time for Ontarians to tell the provincial leaders and candidates that they want their provincial gas tax dollars spent fixing their local roads and bridges.”
This year’s campaign aims to convince the provincial party leaders to commit to sharing more of Ontario’s gas tax revenue with municipalities struggling to maintain their local roads. That’s why, starting August 20, 2007, motorists, cyclists and transit users will be able to make their voices heard by logging onto www.worstroads.ca. The site will give users the opportunity to cast a ballot for the worst road in their community. Users will also be able to participate in an online poll and send an electronic post card to the party leaders and to their mayor that says they want more of their provincial gas tax dollars sent back to their municipal government to help fix their crumbling local roads and bridges. Balloting opportunities will also be available at select CAA stores and approved auto repair centres.
This year’s campaign will highlight that Ontario’s bad roads are costing motorists a lot of money each year in vehicle damage and are putting their safety and the environment at risk.
The campaign, sponsored by CAA and the Ontario Road Builders’ Association, will take its message across Ontario during the six-week campaign, visiting more than 40 communities across the province. Balloting opens on August 20, 2007 and will conclude on September 28, 2007. The coalition will announce final results during the first week of October, 2007.