What a mess

The recent announcement that CAA has named Bloor Street East the worst road in the region came as a surprise to none.

The road – especially between Simcoe and Ritson – has more than its share of potholes. A trek down the road, especially during busy times, is made even longer when the road is cut in half, and both lanes of traffic are in what would be the two westbound lanes.

Comments left by voters on the CAA website said the road makes them concerned their car won’t be able to handle the rough terrain and that something is going to break.

But one thing to keep in mind is that the construction on Bloor isn’t just wreaking havoc on motorists’ suspensions – it’s also wreaking havoc on businesses on that stretch.

Last year, many businesses on Bloor complained that their numbers were way down. Customer traffic was low, sales were low…everything was low. And of course it was, considering many a driver avoids Bloor in order to avoid the terrain that would be more at home in a rally race than a city street.

It would be safe to say that these businesses will face a similar summer now that construction season is in full gear once again.

Susan Siopis, the region’s director of transportation and field services, says that while the road is bad, it won’t be much longer and the work will be completed by mid-summer.

We can only hope that the time table Siopis has laid out stays true as many Bloor Street East businesses – and the cars and trucks that drive on the road – won’t be able to wait much longer.