Thunder Bay – NEWS – While many complain about roads in Thunder Bay, it might surprise many to find out that only Tokio Street in the city made it to the list of worst roads in Ontario.
Ottawa’s Carling Avenue has the dubious honour of once again being named one of the worst roads in Ontario.
Noted for its very poor condition and severe cracking, Carling Avenue came in at second for the province in CAA’s Worst Road for 2021. Topping the list is Victoria Road in Prince Edward County.
Carling Avenue is a regular feature on the annual CAA survey aimed at advocating for better road maintenance, but this year, Hunt Club and Innes Road also made it to the top ten on the provincial list.
For the Northern region, North Bay’s 3rd Avenue West took the top berth, followed by Rioko Street in Thunder Bay in fifth spot and Barrydowne Road in Greater Sudbury.
“Road safety starts with road quality,” says Jeff Walker, President and CEO of CAA North & East Ontario. “The cost of poor roads isn’t just to commerce and trade, but as our Poor Roads study showed this year, they also cost Canadian motorists more than $3 billion a year in operating costs.”
Overall, roads in the National Capital Region took seven of north and east Ontario’s top 10 places.
“With stay-at-home orders and lockdowns, we’re still seeing roads deteriorate, but we’re seeing different ones on the list this year. And, in our region, it’s clear that people care because we saw a 62% increase in voting over 2019, when the survey was last run,” adds Walker.
In Ontario, 117 municipalities saw 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 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 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
North & East Ontario’s Top 10 Worst Roads 2021:
1. Third Avenue West, North Bay
2. Gardenvale Road, Ottawa
3. Montreal Road, Ottawa
4. Mulvihill Road, Ottawa
5. Tokio Street, Thunder Bay
6. Barrydowne Road, Greater Sudbury
7. Montee Outaouais, Clarence-Rockland
8. Loggers Way, Ottawa
9. Mountbatten Avenue, Ottawa
10. Falaise Road, Ottawa