MEDIA RELEASE: Victoria Road in Prince Edward County voted Ontario’s Worst Road.

Jun 3, 2021

2 min



The votes are in and the CAA Worst Road for 2021 is Victoria Road in Prince Edward County. Making its debut on the Ontario top 10 list, voters cited potholes and crumbling pavement as the main concerns for the Prince Edward County road.

Taking the second and third place spots are Carling Avenue in Ottawa and Barton Street East in Hamilton, respectively.


“The quality of our roadways affect everyone,” says Tina Wong, government relations specialist for CAA South Central Ontario. “Our roads are the arteries used every day to keep essential workers, goods and services flowing. They should be maintained now more than ever.”


Two notable changes in this year’s list include Riverdale Drive in Washago coming off the provincial top 10 list and Toronto’s Eglinton Ave East dropping from first to fifth place.


“As people continue working from home and traveling locally during the pandemic, we are seeing different roads appear on the list. We should continue taking advantage of these lighter traffic patterns as an opportunity for necessary road repairs,” adds Wong.


In Ontario, 117 municipalities saw roads in their communities nominated. Drivers accounted for a majority of the votes being cast, with cyclists and pedestrians accounting for about a quarter of the votes.


Voters shared their primary reasons for selecting a road, with 81 per cent citing potholes or crumbling pavement, followed by traffic congestion (11 per cent) and no or poor walking infrastructure (7 per cent).


Ontario’s top 10 list is verified by the Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA).


“We are very pleased to partner with CAA on the 2021 Worst Roads Campaign. ORBA provides analysis on the nominated roads, sheds light on why they were chosen and what issues are impacting them. Increased investment in our transportation infrastructure is vital in order to effectively maintain existing assets and plan for the future.” - Doubra Ambaiowei, Technical Director, Ontario Road Builders’ Association.


Ontario’s Top 10 Worst Roads for 2021

  1. Victoria Road, Prince Edward County
  2. Carling Avenue, Ottawa
  3. Barton Street East, Hamilton
  4. County Road 49, Prince Edward County
  5. Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto
  6. Hunt Club Road, Ottawa
  7. Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
  8. Innes Road, Ottawa
  9. Algonquin Boulevard West, Timmins
  10. Queen Street, Kingston


Worst Roads by Region

  • Central— Bell Farm Road, Barrie
  • Eastern— Victoria Road, Prince Edward County
  • Halton-Peel-York-Durham— Speers Roads, Oakville
  • Niagara— Whirlpool Road, Niagara Falls
  • North— Algonquin Boulevard West, Timmins
  • South West— Plank Road, Sarnia
  • Western— York Road, Guelph


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.


Votes submitted to the CAA Worst Roads campaign are compiled and released as an annual provincial top 10 list along with a series on regional lists, all designed to spark a dialogue with governments and to help pave the way for safer roads across Ontario.


For the full list of the 2021 Worst Roads, please visit www.caasco.com/worstroads


You might also like...

Check out some other posts from CAA Club Group

2 min

MEDIA RELEASE: New study reveals pedestrians and cyclists face high-risk near-misses every day in Canada

Every day, pedestrians and cyclists in Canada experience high-risk near-misses that could have resulted in serious injury or fatalities. A new seven-month study, commissioned by CAA, has uncovered over 600,000 near-miss incidents across 20 intersections nationwide, creating the largest dataset of its kind in Canada. While actual collisions are recorded by police, near misses are not. “The findings are clear, near-misses are not isolated events; they are daily warnings that demand attention,” says Teresa Di Felice, Assistant Vice President of Government & Community Relations at CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO). “The results of this study create an opportunity to proactively assess intersection design and implement measures that enhance safety for all road users.” Partnering with Miovision, the study used cameras and AI to monitor and analyze intersections across Canada in real time. Shockingly, one in every 770 pedestrians and one in every 500 cyclists experience a high-risk or critical near-miss. Near-Misses Are Predictors of Future Collisions The study found that near misses most often involved vehicles making a right turn. More than half (55 per cent of pedestrians and 50 per cent of cyclists) had a close call with a vehicle. More than a third (34 per cent of pedestrians and 36 per cent of cyclists) were involved in conflict with a left-turning vehicle. Most Canadian intersections accommodate thousands of pedestrians daily, meaning at least three serious incidents occur at a single location every day. “These aren’t just close calls; they are collisions waiting to happen,” says Di Felice. “By pinpointing near-miss hotspots, municipalities can now prioritize upgrades that prevent collisions before they happen.” Solutions That Make Intersections Safer The study highlights key design features proven to reduce near-misses, including: Dedicated left-turn lanes to prevent dangerous interactions. Leading pedestrian intervals, allowing pedestrians to start crossing before vehicles move. Advanced green lights for left-turning vehicles, reducing hesitation and confusion. Cities that implement these solutions can dramatically decrease the risk of collisions and make their streets safer for all road users. Traditional road safety measures rely on collision data, meaning changes only happen after injuries occur. Near-miss tracking is the next step in proactive safety planning, allowing experts to prevent crashes before they happen. CAA is urging municipal and provincial leaders to embrace technology-driven safety monitoring, citing the compelling benefits revealed by this study. Data was collected using 360-degree cameras at intersections of various designs across seven provinces, including Nova Scotia, Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Using AI-powered video analytics, Miovison was able to detect near misses and assess risk levels based on vehicle speed and trajectory. The study's detailed findings can be found here: CAA Intersection Safety Study Media Broll can be found here: https://vimeo.com/1094061982/90cf023ced

2 min

MEDIA RELEASE: Hamilton's Aberdeen Avenue named CAA’s Worst Road in Ontario for a second year in a row

Ontarians have spoken, and the results are in. For a second consecutive year, the 2025 CAA Worst Road in Ontario is Aberdeen Avenue in Hamilton. Frustrations with potholes and poor road maintenance have kept this road in the number one spot. It first debuted on the top regional list for Hamilton in 2021 and moved onto the provincial list in 2023. In second and third place are Barton Street East in Hamilton and County Road 49 in Prince Edward County, two roads that have previously appeared on the CAA Worst Roads top 10 list six and seven times, respectively. Both roads are expected to receive significant upgrades and are in the planning stages. "Timely repairs, better communication, quick fixes, pothole funds, and using recycled aggregates are just some solutions to fix unsafe roads," says Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice president of government and community relations, CAA South Central Ontario. "CAA continues to urge all levels of government to prioritize road safety with stable funding to do so." This year, participants nominated over 2,400 different roads from 208 municipalities, up respectively from 2,000 roads from 145 municipalities in 2024 – a 20 per cent increase in roads nominated and a 42 per cent increase in the number of municipalities with roads nominated. Municipalities are responsible for approximately 140,000 kilometres of roads across the province. "For over two decades, the CAA Worst Roads campaign has given Ontarians a voice to spotlight unsafe roads in their communities and push for much-needed repairs,” says Di Felice. "This list provides a powerful snapshot to governments on where to prioritize budgets and move up road repairs, and we know that the public supports these efforts." CAA research shows that 26 per cent of survey respondents expressed dissatisfaction with road work projects, stating that they take multiple seasons to complete. However, 85 per cent are willing to put up with the inconvenience of construction in exchange for long-term improvements. Ontarians shared their primary reasons for selecting a road, with 84 per cent citing potholes, followed by poor road maintenance (77 per cent) and traffic congestion (15 per cent). Ontario's Top 10 Worst Roads for 2025 1. Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton 2. Barton Street East, Hamilton 3. County Road 49, Prince Edward County 4. Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto 5. Hurontario Street, Mississauga 6. Leveque Road, South Frontenac 7. Highway 50, Caledon 8. Sider Road, Fort Erie 9. Gardiner Expressway, Toronto 10. Sheppard Avenue West, Toronto Worst Roads by Region Toronto – Eglinton Avenue West Hamilton – Aberdeen Avenue Halton-Peel-York-Durham— Hurontario Street, Mississauga Central—7th Line, Innisfil Eastern— County Road 49, Prince Edward County Niagara— Sider Road, Fort Erie North— Panache Lake Road, Greater Sudbury Southwest— Banwell Road, Windsor Western— Dundas Street, London Ottawa— Carling Avenue For the complete list of the 2025 Worst Roads, please visit www.caasco.com/worstroads The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) has verified Ontario's top 10 list. CAA is proud to have RCCAO as a technical partner in the CAA Worst Roads advocacy campaign.

2 min

MEDIA RELEASE: Provincial Trunk Highway 34 Named the Worst Road in Manitoba

Manitobans have spoken – and the results are in. The 2025 CAA Worst Road is Provincial Trunk Highway 34 (PTH 34) in Central Plains/Pembina Valley, Manitoba. Frustrations with potholes, poor road maintenance, poor road signage and unpaved roads pushed PTH 34 to the number one spot. This marks this road’s sixth appearance on the CAA Worst Roads Top 10 list; however, this is the first time it has taken the top spot. This year also marks a historic first for the CAA Worst Roads campaign – for the first time in its 14-year history, nine out of ten roads on the top 10 list are from rural Manitoba communities. Saskatchewan Avenue, the only Winnipeg road on the list in 2025, has appeared on the CAA Worst Roads list for the last seven consecutive years. "The CAA Worst Roads campaign provides a powerful snapshot to governments on where to prioritize budgets and move up road repairs by giving Manitobans an opportunity to have their say on the difficulties they are experiencing in getting around," says Ewald Friesen, manager of government and community relations for CAA Manitoba, "We saw the proof of this when last year's winner, 18th Street in Brandon, received a swift and coordinated response from governments on the same day the results were released, with shovels in the ground by Fall.” This year’s campaign saw an almost 50 per cent increase in roads nominated, with 723 different roads across 86 municipalities. CAA research shows that 39 per cent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with road work projects, stating that the roads don’t last long before they must be repaired again. However, 88 per cent are willing to put up with the inconvenience of construction in exchange for long-term improvements. "Manitobans take to this campaign because they are hopeful for change,” says Friesen. “CAA’s annual campaign plays a critical role in highlighting the roads that need urgent attention, providing governments with a better understanding of where Manitobans want these investments made." Half of the roads on the top 10 list are new this year. These include Provincial Road 234 in Interlake, Provincial Road 349 in Westman, Provincial Road 239 in Interlake, 26th Street in Brandon, and Provincial Trunk Highway 12 in Eastman. Manitoba's Top 10 Worst Roads for 2025 1. Provincial Trunk Highway 34, Central Plains/Pembina Valley 2. Provincial Road 234, Interlake 3. Provincial Road 307, Whiteshell 4. Provincial Road 239, Interlake 5. Provincial Road 349, Westman 6. 26th Street, Brandon 7. Provincial Trunk Highway 12, Eastman 8. Provincial Trunk Highway 26, Central Plains 9. Richmond Avenue, Brandon 10. Saskatchewan Avenue, Winnipeg "CAA Manitoba urges all levels of government to prioritize road safety through predictable, year-over-year investment and timely repairs," adds Friesen. “CAA Manitoba will continue to advocate for Manitobans to drive positive change in communities across the province." For more information and historical results, please visit: https://www.caamanitoba.com/advocacy/government-relations/worst-roads

View all posts