Toronto Mayor Rob Ford peers over the edge of the Dufferin Street Bridge June 5, 2013. Ford visited the bridge following an announcement that it will be closed for 18 months for much needed repairs.Moe Doiron/The Globe and Mail
For the second year in a row, Dufferin Street in Toronto has been voted the worst road in Ontario.
The word comes from the CAA which released its annual list of the Top 10 Worst Roads in the province today.
The auto club says Dufferin Street has made the list seven times over the years, not far behind Steeles Avenue, also in Toronto, which previously earned eight spots on the list but did not make this year's top 10.
Half the roads on this year's list are from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, after the CAA counted more than 10,000 votes from across the province.
This year, Burlington Avenue East in Hamilton moved up one spot on the list — to second place — while Finch Avenue West and Bayview Avenue, both in Toronto, jumped five spots — to third and fifth place respectively.
Fourth place goes to Kraft Creek Road in Timmins, while Lawrence Avenue East in Toronto was sixth, Wharncliffe Road South in London was seventh, Bouvier Road in Clarence-Rockland was eighth, and Carling Avenue in Ottawa and Stanley Avenue in Niagara Falls rounded out the list.
CAA spokeswoman Faye Lyons says the popularity of the campaign demonstrates that infrastructure remains a critical issue for Ontarians.
Ninety per cent of voters complained about crumbling pavement and pothole-ridden streets as the reasons for selecting the roads they did, the auto club said.
Comments about Dufferin Street included: "Dufferin Street anywhere is a disgrace" and "It's terrible, pothole after pothole."
The auto club says it will present the list and make recommendations about improving the roads to both the provincial and municipal governments.