Okkayyyy I think I hit a nerve with some of you. :o

Quote from ajp71 :

:talktohan

TL;DR

Quote from Kalev EST :

Eh? Clearly you´ve never been to Eastern Europe. Especially Estonia and Poland. The roads are very bumpy. It´s mainly down to poor build quality, rougher winters than Western Europe (freezing and defrosting wrecks roads) and in Poland´s case very high load on the roads. Every other vehicle in there seems to be a huge truck.

And if you want examples of really bad roads. Look at this "highway" in Russia. (Ok, Russia may be evil but it´s still relatively developed compared to most Asian, African and South American countries.)

I said developed, ()since Russia is in no way developed, and Poland, Estonia, etc etc still feel it neccesary to emmigrate to the UK and steal our jobs, I can't imagine they're very developed either.

Quote from pb32000 :

Ever been to America? They have FAR worse roads than us. Think about it, cost per head to build the amount of road they need...

UK can be bad, but they are nothing like those in the States.

No, I haven't been to America. If I had of had the opportunity to go, I would have stayed. ._.

Quote from Electric Eye :

Mhh.... UK roads are brilliant where the hell does s14 live?

Will say that I've probbably been on every single majori(ish) road in Berkshire and North Hampshire (around where I live,) on my bike and have found the general quality to be shit. Obviously, in your RR or Maybach you won't have the same sensations, but a bike transfers much more of the road surface through the bars and your body, so can feel the imperfections more.

Some have been ok, but none have been good. Best quality road surface was probbably a stretch along the amazing riding road, the A34.

Anyway, I guess it was rather judgemental to say that UK roads are worse than US roads, however anyone who thinks UK roads are 'fine' needs their head testing, or haven't been outside of their secluded little village.

Quote from durbster :

Sorry, but that sounds like a comment from somebody who's never driven abroad. UK roads are fine.



The only roads I've driven on that are consistently excellent are French toll roads but you have to pay to use them so they bloody well should be.

Funnily enough, I also went to France a couple of years ago. We stayed off the motorways to enjoy the scenery and nearly all of the roads were fantastically smooth. Nevermind just the tolls..

This is probably why roads in America are worse than the UK.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

No, I haven't been to America. If I had of had the opportunity to go, I would have stayed. ._.

I loved living there but in the end I didn't stay

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Anyway, I guess it was rather judgemental to say that UK roads are worse than US roads, however anyone who thinks UK roads are 'fine' needs their head testing, or haven't been outside of their secluded little village.

"Fine" is a relative term. Having driven almost every major road in England, Wales and Northern Ireland I can affirm that, compared with the major roads I've driven in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, Connecticut, Missouri, Wisconsin and Nebraska, I'd say that UK roads are indeed fine. Relatively speaking, compared with US roads

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Funnily enough, I also went to France a couple of years ago. We stayed off the motorways to enjoy the scenery and nearly all of the roads were fantastically smooth. Nevermind just the tolls..

I've not driven much in France recently, but I've clocked up about 7,000 miles in last 3 years on the continent, and I'd say that the roads in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Holland, Czech Republic, Poland and Austria are all "fine" compared with US roads too.

Yes, as said earlier I was prejudgemental in the comparison between the US and the UK, UK roads still suck compared with the 'majority' of everyone elses'.

But sounds like a right road-trip Sam, something I'd like to do in the future

But, how about Poland and CzR compared to the UK? More interesting in my eyes, since it's possible to do a tour around Europe on your bike and be back within a week, where as you cannot simply ride across the Atlantic Ocean and get back within a reasonable timescale.


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Quote from flymike91 :

This is probably why roads in America are worse than the UK.

I think the UK in your map might actually be way too big.

It's also important to note the difference in climate, which has a massive effect on road surfaces. The UK simply doesn't suffer the wild extremes that much of the US does. The freeze/thaw effect means that roads in the US have a much shorter life expectancy.

Quote from Scrabby :

huh i thought Belgian roadworkers were the slowest :O

My friend, I can see you never went to Portugal then.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

Yes, as said earlier I was prejudgemental in the comparison between the US and the UK, UK roads still suck compared with the 'majority' of everyone elses'.

Actually that's my point, the UK roads are I'd say directly comparable with continental ones, generally. We simply don't have gaping holes in our main roads, and they don't in Europe either. However, they do in the US occasionally, and a lot more often than we do in the UK or the EUcontinent. I know we think they're bad or worse than other countries', but the truth is they're no worse than anyone else's and a lot better than some.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

But sounds like a right road-trip Sam, something I'd like to do in the future

I'm just getting started! I've been planning Route 66 the last couple of years.. should be doing that next year or the year after. Also planning a trans-Continental journey, headed for Hong Kong. That's gonna be a few years away yet though, and it will depend on political climates at the time

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

But, how about Poland and CzR compared to the UK? More interesting in my eyes, since it's possible to do a tour around Europe on your bike and be back within a week, where as you cannot simply ride across the Atlantic Ocean and get back within a reasonable timescale.


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I got from Zurich to Amsterdam on just over half a tank of diesel

Poland's roads ain't bad from what I've seen, I have to say. Nor are the Czech Republic's. I've seen some colossal road development projects in Czech Republic (and former GDR) to cover some of the broader gaps (that upset my GPS no end) so where it falls short, improvements are clearly under way. The only shortfall there, I'd say, is the lack of highway infrastructure but that seems to be coming.

I'd recommend a trans-cultural roadtrip to anyone and everyone. Mine genuinely do me the world of good. I never did the backpacking when I was a student, and I've always regretted it. Now I'm making up for it. I would say that the best road-trips that I've been on are the ones that don't have a "be back by" attached to them. If you need to get back, you don't spend a minute of your trip without feeling the elastic tug of responsibility to return home.. and it destroys your trip from the get-go. Plan to go for a week, but be able to stay for twice as long at least. It really is worth it.

I'd love to know why S14 Drift seems to think the UK is in some way better than Poland, Russia and Estonia. Russia is far more developed than you'd think. The main roads in Iran for instance are amazing, as we saw on Charley Boormans thing. The trucks that the Russians, Czechs and the Poles drive generally are in far better condition Trucks than the British anyway, so you can imagine the roads would be pretty closely matched. If not better.

Quote from SamH :

I got from Zurich to Amsterdam on just over half a tank of diesel

In a Volkswagen or Audi I am guessing.

Hmm, when I went to Poland it seemed like they were resurfacing their entire motorway network, they had one side closed for about 50 miles and they were completely re building the whole road, bridges and all.

Also took me a while to get used to sets of traffic lights on motorways!

Overall the roads over in that part of Eastern Europe were pretty bad, but they were all being re-done.

Poland's roads sucks.