People in London who have issues with local roads can finally make their voices heard as the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) kicks off its annual Worst Roads Campaign.
The topic of which roads need fixing quickly got reactions from Londoners who talked with us on Wednesday, many naming the same problematic streets.
“Dundas might be the worst road ever,” said Londoner Tyler James. “I’ll definitely vote for it, or any [of the busier] ones where you can’t really avoid the potholes.”
CAA’s Worst Roads Campaign has been around for 23 years, inviting residents in Ontario to nominate roads they find unbearable to drive on. Reasons for these complaints vary, including potholes, bumpy surfaces, or anything else that makes driving dangerous or uncomfortable.
While London hasn’t topped the overall list in past years, local roads have often been recognized as some of the worst in western Ontario.
In 2019, Wharncliffe Road South in London earned first place on that regional list. In 2025, Dundas Street came in at number one while York Street landed at third.
Londoner Ashley La Croix believes Hamilton Road should be highlighted too. That’s where she lost two tires due to a deep pothole last year.
“Definitely Hamilton Road,” she said. “Adelaide has gotten better since they did the underpass; otherwise I would’ve said it gets pretty bad at some points.”
Salim Ismail, a taxi driver, shared several suggestions including Exeter and Wellington Roads.
“So many potholes down there,” he said. “Highbury, too. It’s bad.”
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A city worker fills a pothole on a London street. (Kate Dubinski/CBC)
Mac Rae stated his team takes care of roughly 4,000 kilometers of roadway seriously.
With spring here and pothole season upon us, he mentioned crews are busy responding to an uptick in service requests from around the community.
The city spends about $1.7 million each year fixing potholes according to Mac Rae.
“We keep an eye on CAA’s rankings closely,” he added.
“We certainly pay attention to the list and try our best to interpret that information.”You can provide direct feedback through Service London portal as well; it’s another way for residents like you to submit service requests.” Last year,[we] responded(to)*(31,)000* Service *London *requests,*[and]* about* (5,)600 were* reports* about pot-holes,” *Mac-Rae commented.*“It’s*a great way forthepublictohelpcitycrewsfocusonwhereattentionisneeded.”*
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The City Responds to Public Feedback and CAA Rankings
Highbury Avenue was a common mention among drivers speaking with CBC, something Doug Mac Rae, the City’s director of transportation and mobility, found expected. Mac Rae noted that officials are particularly focused on the freeway section of Highbury running from Hamilton Road to Highway 401. This past Monday, City Council’s Infrastructure and Corporate Services Committee approved a contract aimed at reconstructing that stretch of road. “That’s a big one we’ve been working toward for a few years … to address complaints about poor pavement conditions and potholes causing a very rough ride,” Mac Rae explained. “That public input also supports what we’ve gathered from our annual [road condition assessments].”“We certainly pay attention to the list and try our best to interpret that information.”You can provide direct feedback through Service London portal as well; it’s another way for residents like you to submit service requests.” Last year,[we] responded(to)*(31,)000* Service *London *requests,*[and]* about* (5,)600 were* reports* about pot-holes,” *Mac-Rae commented.*“It’s*a great way forthepublictohelpcitycrewsfocusonwhereattentionisneeded.”*
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