After receiving thousands of suggestions from Ontario motorists about which roads in the province were the most deplorable to travel on, the Canadian Automobile Association has narrowed the list down to the 10 worst of the worst.
According to the CAA, for a sixth year, Dufferin Street in Toronto made the list, but it "outperformed" prior years, as it's officially been dubbed Ontario's Worst Road for 2012. The agency originally called for nominations for the worst road rankings last month.
Of those who cited Dufferin Street for its wretched conditions, 88 per cent complained about teeth-rattling potholes and crumbling pavement.
In a not-so-distant second was Bunting Road, which is located in St. Catharines, followed by Burlington Street in Hamilton.
Faye Lyons, government relations specialist, said that these roads are something Ontarians have to deal with every day and they have finally been able to make their annoyances known.
"Voters from across the province have expressed their frustrations about the condition of the roads in their community," said Lyons. "Whether it is congestion, potholes or traffic lights, the public wants to see improvements made to these roads by local municipalities."
Other roads that made the infamous list were Stanley Avenue in Niagara Falls, Kraft Creek Road in Timmins, Lawrence Avenue East in Toronto and Carline Avenue in Ottawa. Finch Avenue West, Kingston Road and Bayview Avenue - all located in Toronto - rounded out the top 10 worst.
CAA indicates that it will present this year's list to provincial and municipal governments, in the hopes that their conditions can be addressed and improved.
In the meantime, however, some Canadians have been saving themselves frustration and money on auto insurance premiums by taking their bike into work more often. Provincial officials have tried to make that a bit easier with the community biking program BIXI Toronto, which just reached its one-year anniversary.
Since its launch in May of last year, 5,000 members have joined the bike-sharing program with nearly 50,000 casual riders. Alain Ayotte, CEO of urban solutions at the Public Bike System Company, said the program has exceeded expectations.
"BIXI Toronto is a big success," said Ayotte. "We are extremely pleased that Torontonians have embraced this alternative mode of transportation and that bike sharing is starting to become a part of their daily lives."
He added that participation in BIXI Toronto could reach new heights in the coming year.
