Campaign to expose Ontario's worst roads returns and it's not all about cars
CAA wants to hear about congestion, bad cycling infrastructure or lack of sidewalks
The Canadian Automobile Association's worst roads campaign is back and the group wants to hear about more than potholes and cracks in the asphalt.
CAA says it also want to expose congestion, poor road surface, bad cycling infrastructure or lack of sidewalks.
"It could be you're a bicycle rider and the route that you normally take isn't safe in terms of on the right side of the road near the curb as well as transit," said Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice president of government and community relations for CAA.
Di Felice says in the past, people have raised concerns about terrible congestion or no sidewalk infrastructure on stretches of road.
In 2021 three roads in the area made the top five list for the CAA's west division list:
- York Road in Guelph which came in at number one.
- King Street East in Kitchener was third.
- River Road East in Kitchener rounded out the top five.
Municipalities take action
Usually the roads that appear on the CAA's list have not been a surprise to most municipalities and it can lead them to act, Di Felice said.
"We're finding that decision makers are changing when a road gets repaired, they often will move it up or they find some extra funds to speed up the repairs," Di Felice said.
"Some of these repairs, especially if there's water main work that has to be done below, can take a long time. And that road sometimes could keep appearing because it's still a frustration for people."
In some cases, work is already underway.
York Road in Guelph, for example, has been under construction for several years already. The city's website, dedicated to the reconstruction project, says the road is due to be closed again in April from Ontario Street to Brockville Avenue for about two months.
Then, York Road will be closed from Stevenson Street to Victoria Road South in the summer until the end of the year to replace underground infrastructure like water and sewer pipes. Then, phase four of reconstruction is expected between late 2023 and late 2026.
People have until April 19 to nominate and vote for a road on the CAA's website. The list of roads people choose will be released in late spring or early summer.