Editing Transportation in Canada (section)

==Roads==
{{See also|Roads in Canada|Numbered highways in Canada}}
[[Image:Transca chwk.jpg|right|thumb|The Trans-Canada highway in Chilliwack, BC]]

There is a total of {{convert|1042300|km|abbr=on}} of roads in Canada, of which {{convert|415600|km|abbr=on}} are paved, including {{convert|17000|km|abbr=on}} of expressways (the third-longest collection in the world, behind the [[Interstate Highway System]] of the United States and China's [[Expressways of China|National Trunk Highway System]]). As of 2008, {{convert|626700|km|abbr=on}} were unpaved.<ref name="CIA Factbook">{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Canada|access-date=January 13, 2011 }}</ref> There are no regulations at a federal level that regulate Canada's road infrastructure, highway system, or traffic safety laws; it is left to the individual provinces and territories to regulate these elements. Regulations on a provincial level include [[Ontario]]'s [[Highway Traffic Act]],<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90h08 | title = Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8 | publisher = King's Printer of Ontario | date = July 1, 2024 | access-date = August 16, 2024}}</ref> [[Alberta]]'s Traffic Safety Act,<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://kings-printer.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/t06.pdf | title = Traffic Safety Act | publisher = Alberta King's Printer | date = May 16, 2024 | access-date = August 16, 2024}}</ref> and [[British Columbia]]'s Motor Vehicle Act,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96318_00 | title = Table of Contents - Motor Vehicle Act | publisher = King's Printer for British Columbia | date = August 4, 2024 | access-date = August 16, 2024}}</ref> for example. The only regulation at a federal level that relates to motor vehicles is the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, which deals with the manufacturing and importing of motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment within the country.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/M-10.01/FullText.html | title = Motor Vehicle Safety Act | website = Justice Laws Website | publisher = Government of Canada | date = June 19, 2024 | access-date = August 16, 2024}}</ref>

In 2009, there were 20,706,616 road vehicles registered in Canada, of which 96% were vehicles under {{convert|4.5|t|lk=on}}, 2.4% were vehicles between {{convert|4.5|and|15|t}} and 1.6% were {{convert|15|t}} or greater. These vehicles travelled a total of 333.29&nbsp;billion kilometres, of which 303.6&nbsp;billion was for vehicles under 4.5 tonnes, 8.3&nbsp;billion was for vehicles between 4.5 and 15 tonnes and 21.4&nbsp;billion was for vehicles over 15 tonnes. For the 4.5- to 15-tonne trucks, 88.9% of vehicle-kilometres were intra-province trips, 4.9% were inter-province, 2.8% were between Canada and the [[United States|US]] and 3.4% made outside of Canada. For the trucks over 15 tonnes, 59.1% of vehicle-kilometres were intra-province trips, 20% inter-province trips, 13.8% Canada-US trips and 7.1% trips made outside of Canada.<ref name="statcan">{{cite web |url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/53-223-x/53-223-x2009000-eng.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820013415/http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/53-223-x/53-223-x2009000-eng.pdf |archive-date=August 20, 2012 |url-status=live |title=Canadian Vehicle Survey: Annual |publisher=Statistics Canada |year=2009 |access-date=January 13, 2011}}</ref>
[[Image:Ambassador bridge evening.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ambassador Bridge]] between [[Windsor, Ontario]] and [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]] has a quarter of [[Canada – United States trade relations|US-Canada trade]] cross over it.]]
Canada's vehicles consumed a total of {{convert|31.4|e6m3|Moilbbl|lk=out}} of [[gasoline]] and {{convert|9.91|e6m3|Moilbbl}} of [[Diesel fuel|diesel]].<ref name="statcan"/> Trucking generated 35% of the total [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] from transport, compared to 25% for rail, water and air combined (the remainder being generated by the industry's transit, pipeline, scenic and support activities).<ref name="Trans Sector 05"/> Hence roads are the dominant means of passenger and freight transport in Canada.

Roads and highways were managed by provincial and municipal authorities until construction of the Northwest Highway System (the [[Alaska Highway]]) and the [[Trans-Canada Highway]] project initiation. The Alaska Highway of 1942 was constructed during [[World War II]] for military purposes connecting [[Fort St. John, British Columbia]] with [[Fairbanks, Alaska]].<ref name="Year"/> The transcontinental highway, a joint national and provincial expenditure, was begun in 1949 under the initiation of the Trans Canada Highway Act on December 10, 1949. The {{convert|7821|km|adj=on}} highway was completed in 1962 at a total expenditure of $1.4&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Coneghan | first =Daria | title =Trans-Canada Highway | work =The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan | publisher =Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina | year =2006 | url =http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/trans-canada_highway.html | access-date =December 29, 2007 }}
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Internationally, Canada has road links with both the [[Contiguous United States|lower 48]] US states and [[Alaska]]. The [[Ministry of Transportation (Ontario)|Ministry of Transportation]] maintains the road network in [[Ontario]] and also employs Ministry of Transport Enforcement Officers for the purpose of administering the Canada Transportation Act and related regulations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/contact/regional_e.html |title=Regional Enforcement Officers |access-date=October 1, 2007 |author=Canadian Transportation Agency |publisher=Canadian Transportation Agency}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2004/09/21/c2149.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html |title=Enforcement blitz improves road safety |access-date=October 1, 2007 |author=Ministry of Transportation |publisher=Canada NewsWire |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051215145409/http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2004/09/21/c2149.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html |archive-date=December 15, 2005 }}</ref> The [[Department of Transportation (New Brunswick)|Department of Transportation]] in [[New Brunswick]] performs a similar task in that [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]] as well.

The safety of Canada's roads is moderately good by international standards, and is improving both in terms of accidents per head of population and per billion [[vehicle kilometer]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iraptranstats.net/ca |title=Transport in Canada |access-date=October 6, 2008 |work=International Transport Statistics Database |publisher=[[International Road Assessment Program|iRAP]]}}</ref>