Hamilton’s Barton Street moved up two spots from a previous annual survey to become one of the CAA’s Top 10 worst roads in all of Ontario.
The agency, best known for its roadside assistance, published its 2021 list of less-than-stellar thoroughfares on Thursday and moved Barton Street to number three for 2021 from fifth place in 2019. There was no 2020 ranking due to the pandemic.
The city’s previous worst road champ, Burlington Street East, dropped off the list after topping the provincial list in 2017 and 2018 then placing number six in 2019.
At the top is Victoria Road in Prince Edward County, making a debut at number one.
Voters cited potholes and crumbling pavement as the main concerns for the road in the county located between Kingston and Oshawa.
Other notable changes in the 2021 list include Riverdale Drive in Washago, north of Orillia, coming off the list and Toronto’s Eglinton Avenue East dropping from first to fifth place.
Ontario’s Top 10 Worst Roads for 2021 are:
- Victoria Road, Prince Edward County
- Carling Avenue, Ottawa
- Barton Street East, Hamilton
- County Road 49, Prince Edward County
- Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto
- Hunt Club Road, Ottawa
- Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
- Innes Road, Ottawa
- Algonquin Boulevard West, Timmins
- Queen Street, Kingston
CAA said roads across 117 municipalities were nominated. Drivers made up the majority of the votes cast, followed by about a quarter of the votes made by cyclists and pedestrians.
CAA said its campaign is a platform for Ontario residents to express their concerns about roads to help municipal and provincial governments understand where and what improvements need to be made.
“The quality of our roadways affect everyone,” said 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.”
In a separate regional list, Niagara Fall’s Whirlpool Road and Halton’s Speers Road in Oakville made the Top 10.