The votes are in and Ontario Street in St. Catharines has earned the title of Niagara’s Worst Road in CAA’s 18th annual Worst Roads campaign, which ran from March 22nd to April 19th.
When choosing a road that they believe should make the Worst Roads list, Niagarian voters shared their primary reasons for selecting that particular road. Following suit with previous campaign years, the top reasons were potholes and crumbling pavement (85 percent of votes), poor road maintenance (81 percent) and no or poor cycling infrastructure (40 percent).
As seen over the last several years, there has also been a rise in the percentage of votes from non-motorists, with 65 percent of voters identifying as a cyclist or pedestrian.
Niagara’s Top Ten Worst Roads for 2022 are:
- Ontario Street, St. Catharines
- Lundy’s Lane, Niagara Falls
- Portage Road, Niagara Falls
- Garner Road, Niagara Falls
- Willoughby Drive, Niagara Falls (three-way tie)
- Broderick Avenue, Thorold
- Drummond Road, Niagara Falls
- Saint David’s Road, Thorold
- Mewburn Road, Niagara Falls (two-way tie)
- Concession 6 Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Many of the roads on this year’s list have appeared on the Worst Roads list in the past, including Ontario Street, Lundy’s Lane, Portage Road, Garner Road, Willoughby Drive, Drummond Road and Saint David’s Road. Ontario Street has made it onto Niagara’s top ten list five times since 2015.
Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians cited potholes, poor road maintenance, traffic congestion and poor cycling and walking infrastructure as reasons for nominating Ontario Street as Niagara’s Worst Road this year. Voters were also able to pinpoint several specific, problematic intersections with Ontario Street, the most common of which were Lakeport Road, Linwell Road and Carlton Street.
“A lot of work has been done across the Region to maintain and repair poor roads. We’ve seen evidence of this as previous Worst Roads winners fall off the list after being nominated several years in a row,” said Peter Van Hezewyk, President and CEO, CAA Niagara. “Large infrastructure projects require lot of time and dollars, and most of the roads on the list are already on our governments’ radars. But this survey works because it helps to highlight which roadway improvements are most important to our citizens, so they can be prioritized.”
Ontario’s Top Ten Worst Roads for 2022 are:
- Barton Street East, Hamilton
- Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
- Barker Street, Prince Edward
- County Road 49, Prince Edward
- Carling Avenue, Ottawa
- Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto
- Lake Shore Boulevard East, Toronto
- Finch Avenue West, Toronto
- Bronson Avenue, Ottawa
- Queen Street, Kingston
To learn more about the Worst Roads campaign, visit caaniagara.ca/worstroads.
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ABOUT CAA NIAGARA
Founded in 1911 as the St. Catharines Automobile Club with just 16 members, CAA Niagara has grown to more than 145,000 Members with five Niagara locations; St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Thorold and Grimsby. A not-for-profit membership organization, CAA Niagara, provides emergency road services, travel, insurance and Member rewards.
