February 22, 2005

Very sobering picture: TRIP

Long-term investment needed to replace aging infrastructure, report says

By Grant Cameron

staff writer

The Road and Infrastructure Program (TRIP) of Canada is welcoming the release of a report last week that indicates there is a critical need to invest in transportation as well as other kinds of infrastructure.

Lloyd Ferguson, chairman of TRIP Canada, says the report presents a “very sobering picture” to all levels of government.

“This report makes clear that governments and other stakeholders need to devise long-term investment strategies to address the needs of our aging transportation infrastructure.”

The report, entitled Urban Transportation in Canada Needs and Opportunities, was prepared by an Urban Transportation Task Force for the Council of Deputy Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety.

The report found that investment in transportation, in addition to other kinds of infrastructure, is important to supporting economic and job growth, environmental sustainability and quality of life in Canada’s cities.

TRIP Canada — a special committee of the Canadian Construction Association that is comprised of 10 provincial roadbuilder and heavy construction associations, as well as the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association — is especially interested in a survey that was completed as part of the report. It was conducted among provinces and territories and asked about their 10-year needs for urban transportation.

According to the survey, mass transit investment needs over the coming decade were estimated at nearly $23 billion. However, when asked specifically about road, highway and bridge investment needs, the 10-year figure was estimated to be in excess of $66 billion.

In short, TRIP Canada says, the survey found that expected road and highway investment needs across the country will be approximately three times as great as mass transit needs over the coming decade.

Jeff Morrison, executive director of TRIP, says the committee is pleased the report shows there is a need for investment in other types of infrastructure besides transit.

“Although this report points to the needs in the mass transit sector — and those needs are great — it also demonstrates that Canada’s roads and highways are in need of far greater attention.

“While governments at all levels are talking about their intentions to direct gas tax and other municipal funds into mass transit, this report stresses that with funding needs three times as great, roads and highways have to be an essential element of the urban transportation funding mix.”

The task force report says a “large infrastructure gap” has emerged between the current fiscal capacity and the needs of citizens for core services. It also noted that the potential long-term costs of failing to address infrastructure issues across the country are numerous.

“It is clear . . . that the transportation infrastructure need in urban areas is very large. In fact, the need is estimated to be in excess of $85 billion over the next 10 years.”

The report notes that governments have invested and will continue to invest in urban areas and some of the need will be met by current and planned expenditures. However, it notes that the need exceeds the funding capacity of traditional partners and additional new investment is critical.

The report says much of Canada’s road infrastructure was built in the 1950s and ‘60s and was generally well maintained through the 1970s but after that, for a variety of reasons, a backlog began to grow in maintenance and replacement work for civil infrastructure systems including roads and bridges.

“The result is a physical infrastructure system that has aged and is now approaching the end of its useful service life.”

On the public transit side, the vehicle fleet in Canada averages 11 years old, compared to the Canadian Urban Transit Association’s recommended average fleet age of six to nine years, the report says.

Meanwhile, in some cases buses are pressed into service at 25 years of age and subway cars in Montreal and Toronto have been in service since the 1960s.

The report recommends that:

•The federal government should provide sustainable, predictable, long-term funding to support urban transportation investment;

•All orders of government must recognize that amongst competing urban infrastructure needs, the specific needs of transportation, including transit, are significant and merit a proportional share of new investment;

•Governments must take action to improve transportation and travel time for freight and passengers in urban areas through increased investment, transportation demand management, improved planning processes and the use of advanced technology;

•While respecting provincial and territorial jurisdiction and planning priorities, all orders of government must find ways to work together more effectively to improve transportation and mobility in urban areas, and opportunities for collaboration beyond funding partnerships should be explored; and

•All governments should pursue opportunities to promote awareness of the importance of sustainable urban transportation and transportation choices to the economy, the environment and social lives of Canadians.

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