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Gouin Blvd. East cracks top 3 in CAA-Quebec's 'worst roads' list

In what has become a yearly tradition, CAA-Québec asked the province's motorists which roads they loathe the most, and the results are in. Weigh in with your choices in our comments section.

Gouin was 6th-worst road in 2016, moves up to take 3rd place

CBC News ·
Gouin Boulevard East is considered a particularly bad road not just for its potholes but because of its poor design. In some place, cyclists and pedestrians share the designated path, and hydro poles stand in the middle of the designated cycling lane. (Radio-Canada)

For Montrealers, it may come as a surprise that only one of the worst roads in the province is on the island.

In what has become a yearly tradition, CAA-Québec asked the province's motorists which roads they loathe the most, and the results are in.

The winner of the dubious distinction is Kilmar Road in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, in the Laurentians. Next up is Newton Road in Mascouche.

And in third place, three spots up its sixth place finish from 2016, is Gouin Boulevard East in Montreal. We know. Try to hold your applause.

CAA-Québec spokesperson Annie Gauthier said the stretch of Gouin that runs through Rivière-des-Prairies is particularly bad, but the issues are more about design than disrepair.
Gouin Boulevard East is, once again, one of Quebec's worst roads, according to CAA-Québec voters. (Jay Turnbull/CBC)

In some places, there are no sidewalks so pedestrians and cyclists share the bike path. In other places, there are Hydro poles in the middle of the bike path.

"That makes movement really tricky because it can put their security at risk," she told CBC Montreal's Daybreak.

Worst Montreal roads

CAA-Québec also made a Montreal-specific list. Following Gouin in the top spot are Labrosse Avenue in Pointe-Claire and St-Charles Boulevard in Kirkland, roads Gauthier said are in general disrepair.

The complete top five for Montreal is as follows:

  • Gouin Boulevard East. (Montreal)
  • Labrosse Avenue. (Pointe-Claire)
  • St-Charles Boulevard. (Kirkland)
  • Pie-IX Boulevard. (Montreal)
  • Côte-St-Luc Road. (Montreal)

The idea behind the list, Gauthier explained, is to allow residents to put pressure on authorities responsible for road maintenance and encourage those authorities to follow through with their promises to make repairs.

It's also used as a tool to communicate with the authorities in charge of road maintenance. 

Gauthier said they inform local and provincial authorities about their results and follow up after six months to see what's been done.

And they get results – last year, nine of the roads on the list were repaired or had budget money allocated for improvements in either the short- or mid-to-long term.

​Here is the complete Top 10 list for Quebec:

(* indicates the road was on the CAA's top 10 list in 2015 or 2016.)

  1.  Kilmar Road in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge in the Laurentians.*
  2.  Newton Road in Mascouche in Lanaudière.
  3.  Gouin Boulevard East in Montreal.*
  4.  Principale Street in Sainte-Julie in the Montérégie.
  5.  Montée du Bois-Franc in Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard in the Laurentians.*
  6.  D'Estimauville Avenue in Quebec City. 
  7.  Saint-Thomas Road in Sainte-Thècle in the Mauricie.*
  8.  Brunelle Road in Carignan in the Montérégie.
  9. Traverse de Laval in Lac-Beauport in the National Capital region.*
  10. Route du Portage in La Martre in the Gaspé region.

Tell us about a road that hasn't made the list, in our comments section, below.

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