As spring thaw continues to reveal some of the worst wear and tear on Saskatchewan’s roads, residents are making their voices heard in CAA Saskatchewan’s annual Worst Roads campaign.
The province-wide campaign allows residents to vote on what they believe to be the most hazardous, worn-down, or neglected roads, whether in cities, rural areas, or on major highways. According to Angel Blair, Manager of Communications and Public Affairs for CAA Saskatchewan, public engagement has been strong so far this year.
“We have a ton of people voting, and that’s excellent news,” Blair said. “What it means is people are concerned about the roads that they drive on and their safety.”
Currently, Highway 339 near Avonlea is the only road in southeast Saskatchewan to crack the campaign’s Top 10. But that could change quickly.
“I know last year, the Weyburn area definitely had taken over our top 10 for a couple of weeks in the middle of April,” Blair noted. “Then Moose Jaw came out real strong in the end, and they actually got four of our top 10 spots in our 2024 Worst Roads.”
The campaign is open to votes on all types of roads, not just highways. “Rural roads, provincial roads, municipal roads, they all count,” Blair emphasized. “We want to know what is an unsafe road to you.”
Votes can be cast online at caask.ca/worstroads, where participants can pinpoint specific locations on a map. Each person can vote once every 24 hours.
The goal of the campaign, Blair said, is not just to identify trouble spots, but also to help bring attention to the need for road improvements across the province. “We use our roads — they are our lifelines in and out of our communities… We want to hear from you if there is a safety concern.”
Blair also pointed out that Saskatchewan has more roads than any other province — more than 250,000 kilometres — and those roads take a beating from harsh weather and heavy usage.
To further highlight the issue, CAA is posting videos each Tuesday on its YouTube channel featuring real stories from Saskatchewan residents about their experiences with unsafe roads.
“You can go back and see past years, too. It’s pretty fun to see what some of the people say about their roads,” said Blair. “There’s some wild stories.”
The campaign runs through April, and the final Top 10 list will be released once voting concludes.