Toronto street tops worst roads list for Ontario

Toronto roads took four of the 10 spots on CAA’s Worst Roads List, with Dufferin Street making the list for the seventh time in total.

That street was also voted worst in Ontario for the second year in a row, according to CAA South Central Ontario.

CAA has listed the 10 worst roads in the province, including:

1. Dufferin Street (Toronto)
2. Burlington Street East (Hamilton)
3. Finch Avenue West (Toronto)
4. Kraft Creek Road (Timmins)
5. Bayview Avenue (Toronto)
6. Lawrence Avenue East (Toronto)
7. Wharncliffe Road South (London)
8. Bouvier Road (Clarence-Rockland)
9. Carling Avenue (Ottawa)
10. Stanley Avenue (Niagara Falls)

“Over the course of the month long campaign, CAA received over 10,000 votes from across the province – the most votes to date,” noted Faye Lyons, part of CAA South Central Ontario’s government relations unit.

“While the popularity of the campaign continues to grow, it demonstrates that infrastructure remains a critical issue for Ontarians,” Lyons added.

Of the roads on the Top 10 List, 90% of the voters complained about crumbling pavement and pothole ridden streets as the reasons for selecting the roads, according to CAA.

For Dufferin Street in particular, voters expressed their frustrations about the condition of the road: “Dufferin Street anywhere is a disgrace,” and “It’s terrible, pothole after pothole,” were among the comments CAA noted.

CAA SCO is calling on the province to use gas tax sharing for dedicated funding for road, highway and bridge improvements.

“Gas tax sharing is needed now to prevent the further deteriorating of our municipal roads and bridges,” noted Geoff Wilkinson, executive director of the Ontario Road Builders’ Association.

“Predictable and sustainable funding will enable municipalities to better manage their road and bridge assets, thereby helping to minimize the long-term road repair bill.”