How are your roads?

[cowman]

In the municipality I live in the roads are pretty good. Now some might disagree but I look at it from what they were like about thirty years ago. Considering the heavy and increased traffic I think they've done a pretty good job.
I was amazed when I learned how much it costs to build or rebuild a road and how much is spent on gravel! This municipality got rid of all their equipment and operators a few years back and privatized everything. It seems to have worked out fairly well.
It was also enlightening to learn how little money the province gives to the municipality for road repair and that the feds give nothing! I thought that was what the road tax was for? To build the roads? What happens to our 10 cents a liter road tax? If it is being used to repair/build roads, then where?

[ivbinconned]

With all our barley going to Alberta over the years, and our calves, some of us refer to our highways as NDP bobsleigh runs, as they are shaped like one.
For maney years the US had no federal fuel tax. Now, I think there is a small one.
This has always been an irritation to me. When you think about it...when manufactured goods are transported from Toronto area the federal fuel tax adds much more cost to an item when it is shipped out west.
When it is shipped 100 miles from Toronto it becomes available to millions of people with out the federal tax adding so much.
This is why the US stayed away from such a tax. It doesn't help build a country.

[cowman]

Now I'm not against a road tax on fuel. After all we need roads! But the fact of the matter is the federal government collects the 10 cents a liter and it vanishes, never to be seen again. Do you think it might be better if each province got the road tax to spend? On the roads within their boundaries?
Instead the road tax is collected and used for the "important infrastructure"! Read that as Toronto/Montreal or perhaps the bridge to PEI! What about the cruddy gravel roads in Sask./Alta./Man.? Is this fair?
Is this what the Canadian way is?

[carebear300]

Actually the municipal roads in my area are pretty darn good. Like cowman I remember what they were like thirty years ago and they are sure nothing to complain about. Even the main highway that we use most times is really good considering the amount of heavy traffic it gets these days. Some of the secondary highways are pretty poor though. We could sure stand a share of that road tax to be sent back to Sask to be spent on roads, but if they sent it back here the government would just syphon it off for some important project such as deepening Wascana Lake. I am sure the geese will notice the difference.