Northfield Drive wins inauspicious title of region’s worst road

Franklin Boulevard in Cambridge is no longer the worst road in the west.

According to the Canadian Automobile Association’s annual online survey of the worst roads in Ontario, Franklin is now ranked fourth-worst in the west region, an area that encompasses Brant, Huron, Middlesex, Norfolk, Oxford, Perth County, Waterloo Region and more.

It’s not perfect, but it’s an improvement over last year’s first-among-the-worst west region ranking for a regional road that features six new roundabouts.

Two years ago, Franklin ranked second-worst in the west.

“The reality is the roundabouts have turned out to be pretty good,” said Cambridge regional councillor Karl Kiefer on Thursday, regarding Franklin’s improved standing.

“People who were dead set against the roundabouts in the beginning are now finding that they’re pretty effective and things are working pretty smoothly in terms of moving traffic along.”

Taking Franklin’s place atop the list of the worst west region roads? Northfield Drive West in Waterloo, where light rail transit construction was a source of driver frustration the past two years.

“It was a tough go for a while,” said Sean Strickland, a regional councillor for Waterloo. “The good news is that construction is pretty well complete. And there is some money in the capital budget the next few years to help fund some Northfield Drive improvements.”

Placing third on CAA’s west region worst roads list is Weber Street East in Kitchener.

So Waterloo Region had three roads — Franklin Boulevard, Northfield Drive West and Weber Street East — among the Top Five worst roads in the west region.

“The three roads that you mentioned, the vast majority of concerns related to crumbling pavement and/or potholes,” said Ray Chan, government relations specialist for CAA South Centre Ontario. “It’s a common theme we’re seeing.”

Chan said 3,000 roads were nominated in the online survey www.caaworstroads.com, up from 2,000 roads being nominated in 2014. About 80 per cent of the complaints about roads provincewide zeroed in on poor pavement and potholes, he said.

Burlington Street East in Hamilton ranked as the worst road in Ontario. Dufferin Street in Toronto came in second. Lorne Street in Sudbury was third. No Waterloo Region roads were bad enough to make the overall provincial worst 10 list.

The annual CAA list is compiled by asking drivers, cyclists, transit riders and pedestrians which roads they dislike the most.