Ritson Road tops list as worst in GTA

 

 

      
Ritson Road tops list as worst in GTA
September 2, 2009

By Katie Strachan
The Oshawa Express

Ritson Road is currently holding second place in the “Worst Road Campaign”. This is up from last year, when it nabbed 16th place in the Canadian Automobile Association’s (CAA) Worst Road Campaign. Now in its seventh year, the CAA invites its members and the general public to vote for the GTA’s top 20 worst roads in a contest that ends in a couple of weeks. Voters log on to www.caasco.com to cast their ballots and many let out their frustrations.

“This has been the worst road in Oshawa for over 10 years now, bad patch jobs, very bumpy, has to be driven at low speeds, shakes your car so bad you feel like your damaging your car,” writes one frustrated driver. And damaging your car is right. The average vehicles alignment
will run you about $100. To replace the tires it’ll cost between $75 and $100 bucks.

The average suspension repair is $85. If you’re unable to dodge the big craters and those rims get bent, it’ll set you back between $100 and $700 for new ones, according to CAA’s website. And to boot, those costs don’t include labour. The average hourly rate for labour across Ontario is $85 or more. In addition, potholes can lead to traffic congestion, which puts added strain on brakes -- again, costing you. Brake pads for the average vehicle are $100 each, same goes for the calipers and rotors.

“I just recently bought a new car and am afraid to drive on Ritson, so I plan alternate routes to save my car and its suspension,” says another fed-up driver. The Worst Roads Campaign is aimed at bringing the terrible roads to the attention of the local municipalities in the hopes of getting them repaired properly.

Many who voted for Ritson Road compare it to off-road terrain. Dozens say they have personally had rims damaged or pressure cracks in their windshield. One even compares it to third-world like conditions. Another frustrated driver even challenges Mayor John Gray to drive the road regularly.“Where are my tax dollars going?

I'd love to see Oshawa's mayor drive his brand new, taxpayer funded, Camaro up and down this stretch of so-called pavement five days a week, week after week, month after month, like I have to,” they write. Voting for the Worst Road Campaign will wrap up at the end of September – it may make a difference. In the past years, nearly 90 per cent of the Top 20 Worst Roads listed have been or are in the process of being repaired, says CAA.
 

 

 

  
     
     

 
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