OTTAWA – The votes have been tallied and the final list for Ottawa’s Worst Roads is in – with Carling Avenue once again at No. 1 for fourth consecutive year. The 19 km stretch of road from Kanata to downtown Ottawa also ranked No. 5 in the province, while Bronson Avenue came ninth.
CAA’s annual Worst Road survey 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.
“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 Jeff Walker, President and CEO of CAA North & East Ontario. “The Worst Roads campaign demonstrates that decision-makers attention to the results, which has prompted municipal officials to move up infrastructure projects in their communities.”
In addition to Carling and Bronson avenues, Ottawa’s other worst roads include Hunt Club Road, Baseline Road and Innes Road. In other areas of North and East Ontario, the top five include Algonquin Blvd East (Timmins); Lansing Ave (Greater Sudbury); Arthur Street West (Thunder Bay); Paris Street (Greater Sudbury) and Fielding Road (Greater Sudbury).
In Ontario, 123 municipalities had roads in their communities nominated. Drivers accounted for most 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
- Barton Street East, Hamilton
- Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
- Barker Street, Prince Edward County
- County Road 49, Prince Edward County
- Carling Avenue, Ottawa
- Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto
- Lake Shore Boulevard East, Toronto
- Finch Avenue West, Toronto
- Bronson Avenue, Ottawa
- Queen Street, Kingston
2022 Worst Roads in Ottawa:
- Carling Avenue
- Bronson Avenue
- Hunt Club Road
- Baseline Road
- Innes Road
Northern: Includes Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound District and more.
- Algonquin Boulevard East, Timmins
- Lansing Ave, Greater Sudbury
- Arthur Street West, Thunder Bay
- Paris Street, Greater Sudbury
- Fielding Road, Greater Sudbury
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.caaworstroads.com.
Media Contact
Julie Beun
Director of Communications and Public Relations
Cell: (613) 296-2592
Email: jbeun@caaneo.on.ca