MEDIA RELEASE: Hamilton's Barton Street East voted Ontario's Worst Road

The votes are in and the CAA Worst Road for 2022 is Barton Street East in Hamilton. After making its debut on the provincial top 10 list in 2019, Barton Street East has ranked fifth place (2019), third place (2021) and climbed to first place this year due to potholes and severe alligator cracking in the pavement. It has also taken the top spot as Hamilton’s worst road for the third year in a row.

Taking the second and third place spots are Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto and Barker Street in Prince Edward County.

“We know the campaign works. People vote in the annual CAA Worst Roads Campaign because it gives Ontarians a platform to continue putting pressure on various levels of government to understand what roads they believe are in urgent need of repair,” says Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice president, government and community relations, CAA SCO. “The campaign has been able to demonstrate that decision-makers are paying attention to the results, which has prompted municipal officials to move up infrastructure projects in their communities.”

This year, four out of 10 of the province’s Worst Roads are in Toronto. They are, Eglinton Avenue West, Eglinton Avenue East, Lake Shore Boulevard East and Finch Avenue West. This is double the number of roads in Toronto that appeared on provincial list compared to last year.

In 2021, Victoria Road in Prince Edward County made its debut on the provincial top 10 list and this year, it has completely dropped off the list. Other roads that have come off the provincial top 10 list include: Hunt Club Road and Innes Road in Ottawa and Algonquin Boulevard West in Timmins.

"These campaign success stories are because governments are prioritizing infrastructure through multi-year capital investments," added Di Felice. “The results this year show us that Ontarians are relentless in using the campaign to advocate for roads they believe are in urgent need of repair, which is why we have seen Barton Street bubble up to the top spot and roads like Eglinton Avenue continue to garner attention."

In Ontario, 182 municipalities had roads in their communities nominated. Drivers accounted for the 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 80 per cent citing potholes, followed by poor road maintenance (71 per cent) and no or poor cycling infrastructure (29 per cent).

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

“This year’s Worst Roads campaign once again solidified the fact that although much work has been done across the province to maintain and repair Ontario’s roads, greater investment is needed to tackle the staggering municipal infrastructure deficit in Ontario,” says Bryan Hocking, CEO, ORBA. “Building and maintaining infrastructure is a critical part of Ontario’s long-term economic plan, and even more important to our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. We must begin to build the necessary infrastructure today so we can be ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

Ontario's Top 10 Worst Roads for 2022

1. Barton Street East, Hamilton

2. Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto

3. Barker Street, Prince Edward County

4. County Road 49, Prince Edward County

5. Carling Avenue, Ottawa

6. Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto

7. Lake Shore Boulevard East, Toronto

8. Finch Avenue West, Toronto

9. Bronson Avenue, Ottawa

10. Queen Street, Kingston

Worst Roads by Region

• Central— Laclie Street, Orillia

• Eastern— Barker Street, Prince Edward County

• Halton-Peel-York-Durham— Hurontario Street, Mississauga

• Niagara— Ontario Street, St. Catharines

• North— Algonquin Boulevard East, Timmins

• Southwest— Plank Road, Sarnia

• Western— Speedvale Avenue West, Guelph

• Ottawa— Carling Avenue, Ottawa

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 2022 Worst Roads, please visit www.caasco.com/worstroads