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Are Barrie roads the worst? Voting opens for annual CAA campaign

Barrie streets no stranger to dubious list; Essa Road, Huronia Road, Duckworth Street and Lockhart Road have all made recent appearances
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A large pothole on Collier Street, near Bayfield Street in downtown Barrie, is shown in a file photo.

CAA is once again looking for Canada’s worst roads and voting starts today (March 27).

Barrie has around 1,600 kilometres of roads.

In 2022, four Barrie streets made it onto the Worst Roads list in the campaign’s central region — Essa Road, Huronia Road, Duckworth Street, and Lockhart Road.

In 2021, it was Huronia near Lockhart, Bell Farm Road (since reconstructed) and Essa near Highway 400, where the overpass/underpass is being reconstructed and replaced.

CAA’s Worst Roads campaign has measured public sentiment on the state of highways and non-highways since 2003. In Ontario, the campaign allows consumers to vote daily at caaworstroads.com. Voters also have the option to upload photos and explain why the road doesn't meet their standards.

Nominations for the worst road can be cast until April 19. 

"Our research shows that 65 per cent of members don't feel enough is being done to fix the roads," Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice-president government and community relations, CAA SCO, stated in a news release.

"This is causing a variety of concerning driving behaviours, including swerving to avoid potholes, slowing down for bad spots, and some even changing their route altogether to avoid a bad road," she added. "We encourage all Ontarians to vote for their Worst Roads and join the community of drivers, cyclists, transit riders and pedestrians committed to improving and actively working to help make our roads safer for all."

Once voting is closed, CAA uses the data to compile a list of the Top 10 Worst Roads in Ontario, and the worst roads in regions across the province. 

CAA says its research shows that over 84 per cent of members are worried about the state of the roads and 42 per cent have had a vehicle damaged due to road conditions.

A pothole can cause $500 to over $2,000  in damage to a vehicle, with the average repair of people surveyed being $852, according to the new release.