CAA Reveals Provincial and Regional Lists for 2017

Canadian Automobile Association

Hamilton’s Burlington Street East voted Ontario’s Worst Road

Toronto, ON – June 1, 2017

The votes are in and Ontario’s Worst Road for 2017 is Burlington Street East in Hamilton.

Taking the second and third place spots on CAA’s annual list are Dufferin Street in Toronto and Lorne Street in Sudbury. Burlington Street East has risen progressively higher up the top 10 list since it first appeared on the CAA Worst Roads list in 2009. Dufferin Street has made nine appearances on the provincial top 10 list since the campaign’s inception.
“With Burlington Street East attaining the top spot on this year’s CAA Worst Roads list, it is a clear message by voters that this road isn’t meeting the needs of residents,” said Raymond Chan, government relations specialist, CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO). “We look forward to
discussing the results of this year’s list with elected officials and municipal staff from across the province in the coming months.”

“I hope that CAA’s spotlight will spur some much-needed improvement on Burlington Street East and the many other Hamilton roads that require immediate attention,” said Paul Miller, MPP (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek). “We must invest in the repair and maintenance of our existing
infrastructure as well as in building new transport connections. People depend on this road to be safe.”

Over 3,000 roads were nominated from across the province this year – the highest number since the campaign’s inception.
“Once again this year, we see evidence that regular maintenance required to extend road life, in many cases isn’t being done,” said Geoff Wilkinson, chief operating officer, Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA). “In other instances, roads are simply at the end of their life-cycle. While many municipalities see the importance of investing in maintenance and reconstruction of roads and bridges, CAA’s Worst Roads campaign reminds us that many municipalities still have a long way to go in addressing their infrastructure deficit.”

Ontario’s Top 10 Worst Roads for 2017
1. Burlington Street East (Hamilton)
2. Dufferin Street (Toronto)
3. Lorne Street (Sudbury)
4. Maley Drive (Sudbury)
5. Queenston Street (St. Catharines)
6. Algonquin Boulevard West (Timmins)
7. Hunt Club Road (Ottawa)
8. TIE – Carling Avenue (Ottawa) and Duckworth Street (Barrie)
9. TIE – Algonquin Boulevard East (Timmins) and Yonge Street (Toronto)
10. County Road 49 (Prince Edward County)

Worst Roads by Region
Central – Duckworth (Barrie)
Eastern – County Road 49 (Prince Edward County)
Halton, Peel, York and Durham – Highway 7 (Markham)
Niagara – Queenston Street (St. Catharines)
Northern – Lorne Street (Sudbury)
Southwest – Plank Road (Sarnia)
Western – Northfield Drive West (Waterloo)

The top five roads in Toronto are Dufferin Street at number one, followed by Yonge Street, Bathurst Street, Eglinton Avenue West and Finch Avenue West. This is the first year that Yonge Street in Toronto has made the list.
“We have seen a significant shift this year in the top five Worst Roads in Toronto,” continued Mr. Chan. “Bayview Avenue received more votes than any other Toronto road in 2016 but did not return this year, while Finch Avenue West and Bathurst Street appear for the first time. This year’s list also features Eglinton Avenue West which is undergoing significant construction in preparation for the Crosstown LRT.”
The CAA Worst Roads campaign is a platform for Ontarians to make roads safer by helping municipal and provincial governments understand what roadway improvements are important to citizens, and where they need to be made.