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etobicoke4 Lack of cash stalls city road repairs 14.09.05, 18:40

$300M needed to fix aging infrastructure
Safety, economy, environment threatened: CAA

KEVIN MCGRAN
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER

Toronto's roads are getting worse.

The city's roads, bridges and sidewalks need $300 million worth of repairs, up
from last year's repair backlog of $235 million. And a lack of money means this
year's repairs won't get done and the backlogs will only get bigger.

"Our roads are getting older," said Gary Welsh, the city's general manager of
transportation services. "The funding levels have not kept pace with the amount
of work (needed). A lot of the roads were built 30 to 50 years ago and they're
coming up to the end of their lifespan where major funds are needed to bring
them up to their original condition."

The city's transportation services department, which now spends about $140
million a year for repair and reconstruction projects, says it needs more money
to tackle:

#
Road resurfacing projects at 625 locations costing about $64 million.

#
Road reconstruction projects at 478 locations costing about $103 million.

#
Western Gardiner Expressway repairs of $80 million.

#
Bridge rehabilitation work worth $45 million.

Current spending levels are not enough because the backlog is only going to get
bigger as the "transportation infrastructure continues to age," says a staff
report to be discussed at today's works committee meeting.

The Canadian Automobile Association argues the backlog puts the safety of
motorists, pedestrians and cyclists at risk. It is urging the city to act.

"We're $300 million behind. That's a serious safety threat," said CAA spokesman
Kris Barnier. "It threatens our economy, our environment and our way of life
because people are stuck in traffic instead of doing things they'd rather be doing."

Compounding the problem is the fact that postponing road maintenance allows
smaller problems to grow into bigger, more expensive problems.

Maintenance is deferred because city council finds road projects easy to put off
and a quick way to balance the budget, said Councillor Shelley Carroll, chair of
the works committee.

"The money assigned to roadwork is going to have to become sacred," she said.
"It's got to stay here, it's got to be done. We've got to keep up-to-date."

In an effort to draw attention to the situation, the CAA yesterday launched its
third annual worst-road competition. Motorists across Ontario are urged to send
a message to their city halls by voting for the worst roads in their area at
www.worstroads.ca.
It's run by the Municipal Roads Coalition — a coalition of lobby groups
including the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, the CAA, the Ontario Motor Coach
Association, the Ontario Road Builders Association and the Ontario Trucking
Association.

They say bad roads are bad for tourism, bad for the economy, and cost drivers
about $2,000 in extra car repairs.

"This campaign is working," said Tasha Kheiriddin, Ontario director of the
taxpayers federation.

"We're still seeing some resistance from senior levels of government. Though
they're talking about the issue now, their actions are not matching their rhetoric."

Kheiriddin urged Ottawa to allocate more gas tax money for municipalities, and
allow municipalities to choose whether to spend it on roads or transit. Most gas
tax dollars are earmarked for transit.

"That just doesn't make sense," Kheiriddin said. "The thousands of new buses
that municipalities will buy run on roads and highways."

Ottawa took in about $5.7 billion in gas tax last year and spent only $325
million on roads and highways, while Ontario spent more than 50 per cent of the
$3 billion it collected in gas tax in 2004 to repair roads, she said.

The federation is calling for a national Municipal Roadway Trust, equal to the
five cents a litre of the fuel excise taxes Ottawa now collects. For Ontario, it
would amount to $2.6 billion over five years.

Last year, Albert St. in the Township of Norwich in Oxford County was named the
worst municipal road in the province. Toronto's Bathurst St. was third and
Steeles Ave. fifth.

With little work planned this year for Steeles Ave., the border road between
Toronto and York Region is sure to be nominated.

"It's certainly carrying enough of a load that it needs to be more of a
priority," Carroll said.

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etobicoke4 Lack of cash stalls city road repairs 14.09.05, 18:40

$300M needed to fix aging infrastructure
Safety, economy, environment threatened: CAA

KEVIN MCGRAN
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER

Toronto's roads are getting worse.

The city's roads, bridges and sidewalks need $300 million worth of repairs, up
from last year's repair backlog of $235 million. And a lack of money means this
year's repairs won't get done and the backlogs will only get bigger.

"Our roads are getting older," said Gary Welsh, the city's general manager of
transportation services. "The funding levels have not kept pace with the amount
of work (needed). A lot of the roads were built 30 to 50 years ago and they're
coming up to the end of their lifespan where major funds are needed to bring
them up to their original condition."

The city's transportation services department, which now spends about $140
million a year for repair and reconstruction projects, says it needs more money
to tackle:

#
Road resurfacing projects at 625 locations costing about $64 million.

#
Road reconstruction projects at 478 locations costing about $103 million.

#
Western Gardiner Expressway repairs of $80 million.

#
Bridge rehabilitation work worth $45 million.

Current spending levels are not enough because the backlog is only going to get
bigger as the "transportation infrastructure continues to age," says a staff
report to be discussed at today's works committee meeting.

The Canadian Automobile Association argues the backlog puts the safety of
motorists, pedestrians and cyclists at risk. It is urging the city to act.

"We're $300 million behind. That's a serious safety threat," said CAA spokesman
Kris Barnier. "It threatens our economy, our environment and our way of life
because people are stuck in traffic instead of doing things they'd rather be doing."

Compounding the problem is the fact that postponing road maintenance allows
smaller problems to grow into bigger, more expensive problems.

Maintenance is deferred because city council finds road projects easy to put off
and a quick way to balance the budget, said Councillor Shelley Carroll, chair of
the works committee.

"The money assigned to roadwork is going to have to become sacred," she said.
"It's got to stay here, it's got to be done. We've got to keep up-to-date."

In an effort to draw attention to the situation, the CAA yesterday launched its
third annual worst-road competition. Motorists across Ontario are urged to send
a message to their city halls by voting for the worst roads in their area at
www.worstroads.ca.
It's run by the Municipal Roads Coalition — a coalition of lobby groups
including the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, the CAA, the Ontario Motor Coach
Association, the Ontario Road Builders Association and the Ontario Trucking
Association.

They say bad roads are bad for tourism, bad for the economy, and cost drivers
about $2,000 in extra car repairs.

"This campaign is working," said Tasha Kheiriddin, Ontario director of the
taxpayers federation.

"We're still seeing some resistance from senior levels of government. Though
they're talking about the issue now, their actions are not matching their rhetoric."

Kheiriddin urged Ottawa to allocate more gas tax money for municipalities, and
allow municipalities to choose whether to spend it on roads or transit. Most gas
tax dollars are earmarked for transit.

"That just doesn't make sense," Kheiriddin said. "The thousands of new buses
that municipalities will buy run on roads and highways."

Ottawa took in about $5.7 billion in gas tax last year and spent only $325
million on roads and highways, while Ontario spent more than 50 per cent of the
$3 billion it collected in gas tax in 2004 to repair roads, she said.

The federation is calling for a national Municipal Roadway Trust, equal to the
five cents a litre of the fuel excise taxes Ottawa now collects. For Ontario, it
would amount to $2.6 billion over five years.

Last year, Albert St. in the Township of Norwich in Oxford County was named the
worst municipal road in the province. Toronto's Bathurst St. was third and
Steeles Ave. fifth.

With little work planned this year for Steeles Ave., the border road between
Toronto and York Region is sure to be nominated.

"It's certainly carrying enough of a load that it needs to be more of a
priority," Carroll said.
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