Bad roads cost drivers more, but not as much in Sask.: Report

According to the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), bad roads are costing vehicle owners more each year in gas, maintenance and depreciation on their vehicles.

All together, it amounts to about $3 billion, according to a study which looked at data from provincial and municipal sources and Stats Canada.

“This study shows for the first time the hidden cost to drivers of below-average roads. And it demonstrates that governments would save money in the long run if they brought roads up to — not perfection — but a good standard. That should be attainable,” Ian Jack, vice-president of public affairs for CAA National, said in a news release.

The study found, on average, a Canadian driver pays an extra $126 every year because of bad roads. However, that number varies widely across the provinces.

Saskatchewan is clustered with four other provinces at one end of the spectrum, with the report saying a vehicle owner in Saskatchewan pays an extra $88 a year because of bad roads.

However, the number goes up for places like Quebec, P.E.I., and Nova Scotia, all of which are in the $200 range.

The report attributes the differences in the amounts mostly to road quality, especially among secondary roads.

According to its analysis, the report shows Saskatchewan as being in the top four of the 10 provinces for having very poor and poor highway pavement quality, but among those with the most fair and good quality secondary roads.

Data compiled in the study also shows that while Saskatchewan has the second-most highways behind Alberta, Saskatchewan vehicles are among those that travel the shortest distance in a year.

Altogether, the report comes to the conclusion that it’s cheaper in the long run, for both governments and vehicle owners, for more money to be put into maintaining roadways.