Each year, CAA invites drivers, cyclists, transit riders and pedestrians to vote in their Worst Roads Campaign. Pictured: Aberdeen Avenue near Bay Street South.
Hamilton’s Aberdeen Avenue was recently named the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) worst road in Ontario for 2024.
The announcement also marks the third year in a row that a Hamilton road has topped the list.
Barton Street East in Hamilton was named the worst road in Ontario in both 2022 and 2023. For 2024, Barton Street East ranked in third place.
CAA has released a worst roads list since 2003.
Each year, CAA invites drivers, cyclists, transit riders and pedestrians to vote in their Worst Roads Campaign.
Of the 20 years a list has been released, a Hamilton-based roadway has topped the list five times.
Burlington Street East topped the list in 2017 and 2018.
CAA says that Aberdeen Avenue claimed the top spot on the provincial list “due to potholes, poor road maintenance, and traffic congestion.”
Meanwhile, Barton Street East was named third worst in Ontario “due to potholes and poor road maintenance.”
Teresa Di Felice, Assistant Vice President of Government and Community Relations at CAA South Central Ontario, said in a press release, “We know that the campaign works; time and time again, we see roads and infrastructure projects being moved up and budgets prioritized after the road has appeared on the list.”
“For the last 21 years, the campaign has given Ontarians a voice to help them nominate the roads they believe are in need of urgent repair,” she continued.
In Ontario, over 2,000 different roads were nominated in 145 municipalities.
Drivers accounted for most of the nominations, with cyclists and pedestrians making up about 25 per cent of respondents.
CAA says that the top issue with roads reported by voters was potholes, with 53 per cent of respondents citing them as their primary reason for selecting a road.
The other reasons were poor road maintenance (reported by 52 per cent of respondents), traffic congestion (13 per cent), and poor or non-existing cycling infrastructure (8 per cent).
Ontario’s top 10 list is verified by the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO).
Nadia Todorova, Executive Director of RCCAO says, “This year’s campaign revealed growing competition on Ontario’s deteriorating infrastructure amidst a growing state of good repair backlog. Long-term, sustainable funding is needed to build and maintain critical infrastructure.”
CAA also releases the top five worst roads in each individual region in Ontario.
Rounding out Hamilton’s top five worst roads this year, after Aberdeen Avenue and Barton Street East, were Burlington Street East, Main Street West and Main Street East, and Cannon Street East.
Ontario’s Top 10 Worst Roads for 2024: (1) Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton; (2) Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto; (3) Barton Street East, Hamilton; (4) County Road 49, Prince Edward; (5) Hurontario Street, Mississauga; (6) Bloor Street West, Toronto; (7) Cedar Street North, Uxbridge; (8) Finch Avenue West, Toronto; (9) Lake Shore Boulevard East, Toronto; and (10) Laclie Street, Orillia.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
