It may come as no surprise to anyone who has driven down Wharncliffe Road South, but the main London artery has been voted among the worst roads in the region.
CAA unveiled its annual Worst Roads list on Thursday and the southern stretch of Wharncliffe was named the worst road in the organization's western region. Radical Road in Port Dover, King Street East in Kitchener, and Quaker Street in Norwich took the number two, three, and four spots. While a second London road - Wonderland Road - was voted the fifth worst in the western region.
Wharncliffe between Commissioners Road and Becher Street is set to undergoing a long list of improvements. The planned improvements include the replacement of the CN bridge, reconstruction of the existing roadway, and the addition of a new northbound lane from Horton Street to Becher Street. A completion date for the work has not been set.
The CAA's western region includes Middlesex County, Brant County, Huron County, Norfolk County, Oxford, Perth County, and the Waterloo Region.
There is a silver lining for London though. None of its roads cracked the top ten on the CAA's provincial list of worst roads.
Eglington Avenue East in Toronto, Riverdale Drive in Washago, and Dufferin Street in Toronto were named the three overall worst roads in Ontario. Voters pointed to Eglington's crumbling pavement, potholes, traffic congestion, and poor road signage as their main concerns with the road. CAA did point out a transit expansion, said to be one of the largest in North America, has significantly contributed to the current state of the busy Toronto street.
"While the condition of Eglinton Avenue is of concern to the public, many of the challenges for all road users will hopefully be resolved with the completion of the Eglinton Crosstown project," said Raymond Chan, government relations, CAA South Central Ontario. "The gridlock and congestion that many motorists are currently experiencing should ease as construction winds down, repairs to the road are made and as more people choose new transit options."
According to CAA, 53 per cent of Ontario municipalities saw roads in their community nominated. Drivers accounted for over three-quarters of the votes cast, while roughly 12 per cent of votes were from cyclists and another 12 per cent were from pedestrians.
Potholes and crumbling pavement were listed as the primary reason for selecting a certain road by the vast majority, 85 per cent, of those who cast votes.
