[M_Six]

Heard on NPR today that California ranked 49th out of 50 for road quality. I always figured with all the slammed California cars I see that the roads must be pretty smooth. Guess not, eh? Any of you California drivers agree with the ranking?

Roads here in central IL aren't bad as far as potholes and such, and we don't have many manhole covers, but we have nasty expansion joints and rough tar-and-gravel roads. Still, I'm reminded how bad roads can really get every time I go home to Boston.

[Kensta335]

Yeah, they're pretty bad. The freeways are getting worse. No potholes but a lot of uneven roads.

[Synergy]

Originally Posted by Kensta335

Yeah, they're pretty bad. The freeways are getting worse. No potholes but a lot of uneven roads.

plus there's always construction. fucking everywhere

but definitely not 49th of 50 lol

[Feyd]

So happy I moved from there....

That's one of the 3 billion things that sucks about that state. From the 9.5% state tax I was paying to the $580 vehicle registration they stole from me for the 135, you'd think that they could fix a road now and again, but apparently not.

Before anyone jumps on the California is awesome band wagon I will say that there are a few positives.

1. Its warm year round
2. Some of the most beautiful places I've seen in the world exist in California
3. The girls are attractive.
4. There are cool cars roaming the streets that you don't get to see elsewhere


The only problem with all that is that EVERYTHING ELSE SUCKS.



I can only speak to the LA area, but here are some examples.

• Homes are expensive
• Rent is expensive
• Food is expensive
• Flying in/out of LA is expensive because its at the edge of the country
• Car ownership is expensive (gas/insurance, etc.)
• The traffic is terrible
• Its dirty as hell
• The police are a total fucking joke
• I have never been around so many self centered, egotistical people in my life
• The roads are total shit
• The summers are just too damn hot
• The beaches are crowded and dirty as hell (sometimes so dirty that you can't even swim in the ocean)
  

It really does go on and on... I lived in LA for 4 years. I'm happy that I did, I had some really good times there. But, I'm not upset that I left in the slightest.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Feyd

So happy I moved from there....

That's one of the 3 billion things that sucks about that state. From the 9.5% state tax I was paying to the $580 vehicle registration they stole from me for the 135, you'd think that they could fix a road now and again, but apparently not.

Before anyone jumps on the California is awesome band wagon I will say that there are a few positives.

1. Its warm year round
2. Some of the most beautiful places I've seen in the world exist in California
3. The girls are attractive.
4. There are cool cars roaming the streets that you don't get to see elsewhere


The only problem with all that is that EVERYTHING ELSE SUCKS.



I can only speak to the LA area, but here are some examples.

• Homes are expensive
• Rent is expensive
• Food is expensive
• Flying in/out of LA is expensive because its at the edge of the country
• Car ownership is expensive (gas/insurance, etc.)
• The traffic is terrible
• Its dirty as hell
• The police are a total fucking joke
• I have never been around so many self centered, egotistical people in my life
• The roads are total shit
• The summers are just too damn hot
• The beaches are crowded and dirty as hell (sometimes so dirty that you can't even swim in the ocean)
  

It really does go on and on... I lived in LA for 4 years. I'm happy that I did, I had some really good times there. But, I'm not upset that I left in the slightest.

Like all places, you take the good and the bad and if they balance out for you, it's all good. Chicago is a great place, too, yet it has lots of downsides. Same with the area I live in downstate. Cheap as hell to live here and no traffic at all, but it can be boring as Jello sometimes. Good and bad. Like that everywhere.

[Feyd]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Cheap as hell to live here and no traffic at all, but it can be boring as Jello sometimes. Good and bad. Like that everywhere.

I certainly know how that can be. I was raised on a grain farm 7 miles outside of Salem, IL.



I also lived in NY for 4 years before I moved to LA. I'd like to think that I've got a good idea of good and bad, but you're right and it really does come down to what people are used to/willing to accept. For the moment... I'm loving Chicago. People are nice, the air is clean, the tax rates are low (for now)... and it only cost me $75 to register my car. LOL.

[FStop7]

The roads here are not great, but 2nd worst? New York easily has the worst I've seen. Michigan has crap roads, too. Any state that gets a lot of snow.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Feyd

I certainly know how that can be. I was raised on a grain farm 7 miles outside of Salem, IL.



I also lived in NY for 4 years before I moved to LA. I'd like to think that I've got a good idea of good and bad, but you're right and it really does come down to what people are used to/willing to accept. For the moment... I'm loving Chicago. People are nice, the air is clean, the tax rates are low (for now)... and it only cost me $75 to register my car. LOL.

Ah, so you know downstate. Boring, but livable.

[montreal red]

wait till u cali boys come to quebec... its like a third world nation here.

[bigslickak]

Originally Posted by montreal red

wait till u cali boys come to quebec... its like a third world nation here.

Hahahaha, I totally understand. I was in Montreal in August. To say the roads suck is an understatement. Most of the newer autoroutes like the one going that heads north towards Mirabel airport are in good shape, but man, the roads in the area I was in, near the airport in Dorval, were just horrible. Of course I was in a rental, so no worries there, but I saw more than my fair share of potholes and construction. Of course, Quebec has a good excuse, due to the harsh winter weather...California meanwhile has little excuse besides overpopulation and the sheer amount of highways.

[ragingclue]

Wow.

I lived in SD for 7 years (until '08), and I remember hitting a pothole. I remember it because it seemed so odd to me that there would be a pothole in a road there. I must say the roads seemed worse in the LA area, but I wonder wtf anyone was smoking to say the roads over there would be 49th out of 50. I've never been to the SF/Oakland urban area and anything north of that, but I've been to SD, LA, Fresno/Sequoia/Sacramento, San Jose and back a couple times, and I remember how good the roads are, especially since I moved to Chicago after that.... The roads here will swallow your car. I don't know how many times I've had to check to make sure I don't have chipped teeth after hitting potholes in my 335i. In Cali, I had an E36 M3 slammed on PSS9's and lower profile tires than I have now, and I never thought twice about it except when entering the crazy parking structures in downtown SD.

And, as far as construction goes.... Grew up in Michigan and I live in Chicago now.... I know firsthand of two states I would never even consider as having better roads than Cali, and the shitty thing is, the major construction projects go on a rotation where there is always at least one or two entire interstates in some sort of project that causes infrastructure paralysis.

I'm thoroughly floored that Cali would be anywhere near the bottom. What am I missing???

[M_Six]

Here's the link if anyone cares to read it.

NPR

[kyleb350]

Originally Posted by Feyd

I certainly know how that can be. I was raised on a grain farm 7 miles outside of Salem, IL.



I also lived in NY for 4 years before I moved to LA. I'd like to think that I've got a good idea of good and bad, but you're right and it really does come down to what people are used to/willing to accept. For the moment... I'm loving Chicago. People are nice, the air is clean, the tax rates are low (for now)... and it only cost me $75 to register my car. LOL.

and I was going to complain how bad it was in Chicago

[Heinzftw]

Definitely not as many potholes but, my cars lowered 2.5inches and its jaring. The roads aren't necessarily bad, but extremely uneven and have this sort of 1/2inch curved bumps like a transition from cement to concrete. Hope that makes sense.

[Inspired]

Originally Posted by Heinzftw

Definitely not as many potholes but, my cars lowered 2.5inches and its jaring. The roads aren't necessarily bad, but extremely uneven and have this sort of 1/2inch curved bumps like a transition from cement to concrete. Hope that makes sense.

pics of your car or ban..

my car is 2 inch from the ground and I live in SF. Surprisingly I rarely scrape my front lip. Only on the freeway where there is a sudden uneven surface I end up scraping my exhaust and lip.

[Kensta335]

Originally Posted by Bryan0102

405 is trashed in irvine

The 10 East coming from LA to San Gabriel Valley is worse. Stupid uneven patches everywhere.

[RENN Spec]

60 freeway east coming from LA. HELLLLOOOO RALLY JUMP BUMP!

Seems like the main posters on this thread are from CA or IL.

[Pink Taco]

Yeah I hate the roads here... especially with all these crappy constructions that never really finishes. I had it... I use to have my car slammed and flush. But now I am back to normal...

[S_M]

Haha, you guys need to come take a ride on the cross bronx...

NY is an absolute joke.

[evoi19]

seems like the people who pave or repair roads here in CA don't use a level or something. It's like they just eye it and say it's even. lol

Roads in N. CA are horrible for the most part. And when the rainy season comes, the potholes open up too.

[M_Six]

This morning I passed an ILDOT road crew "patching" holes in the interstate. One of these days I need to get a picture of it. They have a truck with a big hose which sprays pea-sized gravel with a very little bit of tar mixed in. They create an area about 4 or 5 feet across just to patch a 6" crack. If you're anywhere near another vehicle when you drive by the area, you get hammered with gravel. I really want to meet the moron who thought up that process. He must drive a shitbox.

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by M_Six

This morning I passed an ILDOT road crew "patching" holes in the interstate. One of these days I need to get a picture of it. They have a truck with a big hose which sprays pea-sized gravel with a very little bit of tar mixed in. They create an area about 4 or 5 feet across just to patch a 6" crack. If you're anywhere near another vehicle when you drive by the area, you get hammered with gravel. I really want to meet the moron who thought up that process. He must drive a shitbox.

All the construction projects I've ever seen in the area are the most poorly-planned and poorly executed ones I've ever come across. ILDOT must not drug test anyone.