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How good are American roads?

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193 points chmaynard | 8 comments | 20 Nov 24 14:45 UTC | HN request time: 1.583s | source | bottom
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jameshart ◴[20 Nov 24 15:17 UTC] No.42194610[source]▶
This is a great analysis but it does focus exclusively on ‘roughness’, which is obviously important but isn’t the be-all-end-all of road quality.

One area I notice in particular that roads in the northeast US subjectively feel worse than Europe is in quality of road markings. Constant plow scraping and harsh salting seems to destroy markings.

I think it also shows up in the overall fit and finish of road infrastructure - edging and barriers, signage, lighting, maintenance of medians, how curbs and furniture contribute to junction legibility… and of course bridges.

One major reason is that European countries typically have national road agencies and consistent standards across the country (because, generally, smaller and less federal). US’s patchwork of federal, state and local road maintenance leads to vastly different budgets and department priorities across the network.

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1. HdS84 ◴[20 Nov 24 15:42 UTC] No.42194896[source]▶
Just FYI, at least germanies rods are also a patchwork. E.g. there are the Autobahns, which are financed by the federal state. Than there are Bundesstraßen (Yellow markings, typically something like B56) which are also financed by the federal state.

Then there are Landstraßen, which are financed by the Bundesland (state, LXXX). Followed by Kreisstraßen, financed by the Gemeinde (county?`).

Finally there are Gemeindestraßen, financed by the city or town.

There are lots of norms and regulations on how to build these roads, so there is not that much variance except layout. E.g. a bike friendly city like Münster has a dfiferent layout than say Cologne.

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2. ajmurmann ◴[20 Nov 24 16:59 UTC] No.42195893[source]▶
I think your last paragraph is the key one. AFAIK in the US a lot less is regulated on a federal level. Like in Oregon you'll rarely see reflectors on the lane markings whereas they are omnipresent in some other states.
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3. SoftTalker ◴[20 Nov 24 17:14 UTC] No.42196069[source]▶
What are these lane markings you speak of? I must tell our local street department, they will be amazed to hear of it.
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4. ninalanyon ◴[20 Nov 24 17:23 UTC] No.42196176[source]▶
The lack of reflectivity of lane markings in North Carolina made night driving in the rain on the multi-lane roads around Raleigh quite a demanding task.
5. woobar ◴[20 Nov 24 17:35 UTC] No.42196294{3}[source]▶
Probably Cat's Eye

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat%27s_eye_(road)

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6. ajmurmann ◴[20 Nov 24 17:58 UTC] No.42196520{4}[source]▶
Yes. There also is a version that's set into a groove so that snow plows don't scrape them off.
7. SoftTalker ◴[20 Nov 24 18:08 UTC] No.42196609{4}[source]▶
It was meant to be a sarcastic comment. My town's lane markings are so bad they might as well not exist in most places. And when they do repaint them they seem to use the thinnest flat paint they can buy, at night in the rain they just disappear. I know heavy reflective lane marking paint exists because I've seen it elsewhere.
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8. brewdad ◴[20 Nov 24 20:15 UTC] No.42197680{5}[source]▶
Oh man, you want to see what a difference lane markings make? Take a drive on a rainy night to Grants Pass Oregon from Crescent City CA on hwy 199. In CA the lanes light up like a Christmas tree. The moment you cross into OR the lane lines basically disappear and you are mostly driving blind hoping the oncoming traffic doesn't stray across a center line neither of you can see.

It's remarkable that a state where the rainiest months of the year coincide with some of longest winter nights in the lower 48 states uses such horrible road paints.