Poorly-maintained roads affect us all. They make us late, cause delivery delays, contribute to congestion and, most importantly, can cause damage to our vehicles or endanger us. Each year, CAA invites Ontario drivers, cyclists, transit riders and pedestrians to vote in the CAA Worst Roads campaign. This tells us all which roads need improvement. Many of the complaints center around potholes, congestion, poor road signs, lack of good cycling infrastructure, and other safety concerns. The feedback hopes to influence change by starting a dialogue with the government to help pave the way for safer roads across Ontario. Let’s take a look at the top 10 worst roads in Ontario for 2025.
CAA Worst Road Campaign
Every year in Ontario, 182 municipalities maintain roads in their communities. Similar to previous years, a breakdown of respondents of the CAA Worst Roads Campaign showed that drivers sent in most of the votes, with cyclists and pedestrians accounting for about a quarter of the total votes. The purpose of voting for Ontario’s Worst Roads is to shine the spotlight on where more work is needed in Ontario.
Similar to previous years, Hamilton has been nominated as having both the first and second worst roads in the city, with Aberdeen Avenue taking first for the second year in a row. Second place was Barton Street East, which first made the list in 2019 when it ranked fifth. Barton Street East has shockingly remained on the list since then! The release of the 2025 list marks the fifth year in a row that Hamilton has taken home first place.
CAA’s Worst Roads in Ontario list for 2025
- Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton
- Barton Street East, Hamilton
- County Road 49, Prince Edward County
- Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
- Hurontario Street, Mississauga
- Leveque Road, South Frontenac
- Highway 50, Caledon (Bolton)
- Sider Road, Fort Erie
- Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, Toronto
- Sheppard Avenue West, Toronto
Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice president of government and community relations at CAA, states that the Worst Roads campaign is information sought after by the public.
“The Worst Roads campaign has been going on for over 20 years. The reason why we keep offering it is because people take to it,” states Felice. “It’s really about giving people a say, and people come to the campaign for different reasons to nominate a road.”
Felice says that choosing roads for the campaign comes down to potholes and poor road surface. Oftentimes, the public nominates roads that cause traffic congestion or have no sidewalks or bike lanes.
Hamilton Takes First for Fifth Year
For the second year in a row, Hamilton’s Aberdeen Avenue has taken first place, with Barton Street E. Coming in second. According to a CAA news release, Aberdeen took first again due to “frustrations with potholes and poor road maintenance have kept this road in the number one spot.”
Barton Street East held the worst road distinction in 2022 and 2023. In 2017 and 2018, Hamilton also took the number one spot with Burlington Street East. Since then, Burlington has fallen off the list. Hamilton’s director of transportation, Carolyn Ryall, told CBC that the city is aware of public concerns regarding these roads and suspected they may be on this list.
“We recognize the importance of the report, and we understand why it’s a reflection of public concern. It’s something we take very seriously,” Ryall told CBC Hamilton. In Hamilton alone, the city maintains fixing the roads, filling 70,000 to 90,000 potholes per year.
Aberdeen Avenue is a “Work in Progress”
Particular intersections on Aberdeen Avenue that were flagged as particularly bad include Longwood Road South, Locke Street South and Queen Street South. On Barton Street East, Gage Avenue North and Ottawa Street North were two intersections that were complained about more than others.
According to Ryall, the city is looking to fully reconstruct Aberdeen Avenue in hopes of making it better for walking, cycling and driving. This, however, will take some time. This is due to it requiring consultation and infrastructure below the surface, such as water and waste systems.
In Hamilton, the worst roads this year, according to the campaign’s list, include:
- Aberdeen Avenue
- Barton Street East
- Main Street West
- King Street East
- Main Street East
Proof that the CAA’s Worst Roads in Ontario campaign works
The number one spot in 2021, Victoria Road in Prince Edward County, completely dropped off the list for the year. Since then, other notoriously bad roads such as Burlington Street have fallen off the list. Teresa Di Felice says it is a testament to the impact the campaign can have. “We know the campaign works. People vote in the annual CAA Worst Roads Campaign because it gives Ontarians a platform to continue putting pressure on various levels of government to understand what roads they believe are in urgent need of repair.” She further asserts, “The campaign has been able to demonstrate that decision-makers are paying attention to the results, which has prompted municipal officials to move up infrastructure projects in their communities.”
“These campaign success stories are because governments are prioritizing infrastructure through multi-year capital investments,” said Ms. Di Felice. “The results this year show us that Ontarians are relentless in using the campaign to advocate for roads they believe are in urgent need of repair, which is why we have seen Barton Street bubble up to the top spot and roads like Eglinton Avenue continue to garner attention.”
Since 2003, CAA’s annual Worst Roads in Ontario campaign has influenced change. As a result, re-paving and repair work have been done on many of the roads on Ontario’s Worst Roads list, with more to come. Hopefully, we will see some improvement on next year’s list! For now, remaining diligent when driving remains important to making you and those around you safe. In the meantime, make sure your insurance is up to date! Don’t hesitate to contact us at isure or request a quote today!
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