Countries with Best Roads, Infrastructure

[4K8KW10]

Hi there,

Well, I have visited many countries including the UK, the US, The Netherlands, Germany, Czech Slovakia, Austria Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Turkey...

I have noticed that the roads in some NATO member states which tend to ne under very strong US policy influence, for instance Western Germany (in particular east of the Dutch-German border, around Frankfurt-am-Main, Darmstadt), Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria are in quite poor condition, holes in the asphalt layer, rusty mantinels everywhere, etc.
In others, like Austria and Hungary, the roads are relatively good.

The best roads I saw in The Netherlands, something like these:




So, what is the reason that some governments don't spend resources for proper infrastructure?
Why would it be some nations policy the relatively low priority for this basic society need?

 

[Lopéz]

If you get onto minor roads and rural areas, the road quality in Hungary is generally quite poor. Badly lit and badly signposted too.

 

[esoteric]

Certainly isn't the UK. Some of my local roads look like the moon, it's get patched up and before you even realise it the patches fail and we're back to square one.

 

[4K8KW10]

If you get onto minor roads and rural areas, the road quality in Hungary is generally quite poor. Badly lit and badly signposted too.

This.
Especially dangerous at nights without full Moon or snow, and in rainy and foggy conditions, at these times, it gets nearly impossible to drive safely. The lights from the coming in the opposite direction cars make matters even worse

 

[FishFluff]

Transport infrastructure in general in the Netherlands is great. Particularly how they've spent the last 40 years funding segregated cycleways for people like me to ride on that haven't been ruined by busses and HGVs!

 

[Raymond Lin]

Japan.

 

[Thekwango]

i've always found the roads in france to be excellent (for the most part). that said, I am comparing them to 3rd World Northern Ireland roads so maybe take my opinion with a pinch of salt!

 

[bartledvd]

Here in the uk i think they have given up because if they bother trying to sort it country goes mental about traffic jams and delays and when they don't fix it country still mental about the condition. I agree the roads i travelled on in the Netherlands where perfectly smooth no holes

 

[4K8KW10]

i've always found the roads in france to be excellent (for the most part). that said, I am comparing them to 3rd World Northern Ireland roads so maybe take my opinion with a pinch of salt!

Can you please share photos of roads in 3rd World Northern Ireland?

 

[Rroff]

Quite a few things shape the quality of roads - some countries have relatively low population while access to higher levels of income per person than others which always helps to maintain infrastructure especially if they are some shape of social democracy, etc. then things like cultural mindset and so on come into it.

They've just resurfaced the roads around me and in the process of doing the rest of the town (though layout, etc. is still lacking) it will be interesting to see how it turns out in the long run - looks like they've actually used decent materials this time - the last time after just a few months the surface looked like the moon.

 

[4K8KW10]

Quite a few things shape the quality of roads - some countries have relatively low population while access to higher levels of income per person than others which always helps to maintain infrastructure especially if they are some shape of social democracy, etc. then things like cultural mindset and so on come into it.

Decent and quality transport infrastructure is a requirement for working economy, it is not only a consequence of high standard and high incomes.
Countries where strongly invest in quality, have much bigger chances for economic growth.

They've just resurfaced the roads around me and in the process of doing the rest of the town (though layout, etc. is still lacking) it will be interesting to see how it turns out in the long run - looks like they've actually used decent materials this time - the last time after just a few months the surface looked like the moon.

Can you please share photos of then and now?

 

[Rroff]

Can you please share photos of then and now?

Unfortunately google street view jumps between 2011 and 2016 so not easy to show it.

 

[hughtrimble]

Japan.

I have never seen roads so well maintained.

The pavements are the same. There was a slab being repaired, and there were two workers at each end with lit batons directing pedestrians, barriers all the way along and two working on the pavement itself. More warning workers than actual workers!

I'm not saying it's necessarily an economically sensible use of funds, but it's not hard to understand why unemployment rates are so low there.

 

[jamoor]

Japan, UAE.

 

[ttaskmaster]

So, what is the reason that some governments don't spend resources for proper infrastructure?

You mentioned Germany....
I understood they spent an absolute fortune on their infra. Certainly all the Germans we have here tell stories of how all the utilities must be laid in the correct positions (ie gas down the left, water down the right, telecoms down the middle sort of thing) and there are serious fines for getting it wrong. They also spend stupid money fixing even the slightest of Grade 2 cracked pipes, where we wouldn't touch it at least until it hit Grade 5 (ie had fallen flat)...!!

 

[4K8KW10]

You mentioned Germany....
I understood they spent an absolute fortune on their infra.

Germany no longer spends money on infrastructure. Try travelling from The Netherlands to Germany and once crossing the virtual border, you will fall in second tier, second quality second world territory. I said rusty mantinels everywhere, roads with asphalt holes in major cities like Darmstadt, etc.

Certainly all the Germans we have here tell stories of how all the utilities must be laid in the correct positions (ie gas down the left, water down the right, telecoms down the middle sort of thing) and there are serious fines for getting it wrong. They also spend stupid money fixing even the slightest of Grade 2 cracked pipes, where we wouldn't touch it at least until it hit Grade 5 (ie had fallen flat)...!!

This how it has to be.
But the roads system in the UK in general looks more sophisticated than in Germany.

Let's try to put the countries in different tiers:

First tier: The Netherlands, Japan, UAE, South Korea;
Second tier: The UK, France, Austria, Switzerland;
Third tier: Germany, Hungary*, Czech Republic, Russia, Greece
Forth tier: Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia.

*Hungary has very good highways and very good asphalt in cities and towns. Outside of Budapest, roads to smaller villages and places for leisure are of lower quality

So, do you think this standings is right?

 

[Thekwango]

Can you please share photos of roads in 3rd World Northern Ireland?

you'd need to come visit to understand what I mean. photo's would do them justice!

 

[4K8KW10]

you'd need to come visit to understand what I mean. photo's would do them justice!

This is a photo of a road to a hotel in South - East Europe where many UK tourists go every winter

 

[kwerk]

Japan has heated roads for winter!

 

[arknor]

switzerland seems obsessed with underground parking, every apartment block seems to have a massive carpark underneath so there's not tons of cars cluttering up the streets.