These are the worst roads for Ontario drivers in 2018

Burlington Street East in Hamilton, Ont. is the worst road in the province, according to the Canadian Automobile Association’s (CAA) annual list of Ontario’s least user-friendly streets.

This is the second consecutive year that Burlington Street East has topped CAA’s list. Following closely behind are County Road 49 in Prince Edward County, Duckworth Street in Barrie, Avondale Road in Belleville, and Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto.

Dufferin Street is the only other Toronto road that ranks in the top 10. Steeles Avenue East, which was voted Ontario’s worst road in 2003 and from 2005 through 2009, did not make the Ontario list this year, but does rank fifth on the list of Toronto’s worst roads.

Both stretches of Eglinton — east and west — made the list this year. The road is currently undergoing a vast transformation as the city builds the Crosstown, a new light rail transit (LRT) project that has reduced the amount of open lanes and added congestion even in off hours. The LRT is expected to be completed in 2021. 

CAA’s rankings are based on votes cast by survey participants — over three quarters of whom were drivers this year. Roughly 9% of the remaining votes were cast by cyclists, while another 9% was cast by pedestrians.

The top reasons voters cited for choosing the roads that they did include the presence of potholes (75%), limited or no cycling infrastructure (14%), and congestion (10%).

In 2017, another CAA survey found that 87% of respondents believed that road conditions were either the same or worse than they were the previous year. But, the majority of respondents (71%) have never tried to advocate for the repair of a road.

CAA first launched its annual list of Ontario’s worst roads in 2003, and was designed as a platform for road users to voice their opinions on the province’s road conditions. Over 3,500 roads were nominated this year.

Worst roads in Ontario

1.  Burlington Street East
Hamilton, Ontario

2. County Road 49
Prince Edward, Ontario

3. Duckworth Street
Barrie, Ontario

4. Avondale Road
Belleville, Ontario

5. Eglinton Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario

6. Drummond Road
Niagara Falls, Ontario

7. Dufferin Street
Toronto, Ontario

8. McLeod Road
Niagara Falls, Ontario

9. Pelham Road
St. Catherines, Ontario

10. Lockhart Road
Innisfil, Ontario

Worst roads in Toronto 

1. Eglinton Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario

2. Dufferin Street
Toronto, Ontario

3. Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario

4. Eglinton Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario

5. Steeles Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario