Wednesday 23 January 2013

A bad road?

We all love posting about some of the great roads we have ridden. But what about the worst road?

A road may be straight, it may be boring, or it may be dangerous. What is your worst road and why?  I challenge you to find a road worse than this.....

This is mine. It is very close to where I live and is only wide enough for a single car at a time. Often wet, both sides of the road have horrendous potholes and the middle is full of loose stones. In short, this public road is really dangerous on a motorcycle, so I am forced to avoid using it.

Share your worst road near you.

East Herts Council, you should be ashamed of this....



9 comments:

Trobairitz said...

That looks like a back country driveway not a public road.

Me thinks we are spoiled with our roads in this country.

Canajun said...

Have I got a road for you. Don't let the name California Road fool you - it doesn't go to California USA but rather California Ontario, a small subsistence farming community from the 1800s that now consists of 1 house I believe. So I'll take your challenge and try to dig out some photos from prior rides on the road. I can't do it now because it's under 2 feet of snow and ice.

Richard said...

There are many roads round here, leading to tiny hamlets, which are in a poor state of repair. I treat them as a bit of unexpected off-roading, but they can be pretty hazardous if you aren't expecting them. The truly worst bit of road, however, is the stretch just south of my driveway and a similar stretch to the north, both within a mile of home. At this time of year they are inches deep in field mud which the farmers (south and north) carry out on their tractor wheels. Not only is it dangerous in the extreme for any two-wheeled vehicle, it makes cleaning the bike pointless. And of course I can't get to work or to town without traversing one or the other. Boo hiss.

Gary France said...

Trobairitz – Having ridden on roads in many countries, I would say that overall, roads in the US are above average. It varies greatly from state to state though. The best quality main roads I have experienced are in Spain.

Canajun – I look forward to seeing the pictures.

Richard – Okay, those roads near you do sound very bad indeed. I love the line “I treat them as a bit of unexpected off-roading...”

Arkansas Patti said...

It is the road I live on. It is twisty which would be fun but it is also a road gravel trucks travel daily so on each sharp turn is a carpet of loose gravel that spill from the trucks. I would white knuckle each turn. Other wise, most Arkansas Mountain roads are delightful.

redlegsrides said...

Gary

Such roads and the need to see what's at the end of them are what have led me to be on thee wheels most of the time.....dropped my two-wheeled steeds too many times before that. But you're not asking about mountain pass roads are you? The worst roads for us here in Colorado are the ones with grooved pavement in my opinion.....depending on your tire thread pattern, you can feel your motorcycle wiggle sideways.....not a great feeling.

Anonymous said...

Cleveland Forest Road (aka Tenaja Truck Trail), runs from Murrieta, CA to El Cariso Village, close to Hells Kitchen biker bar at Ortega Highway). I don't have photos, but it's all paved, and full of holes, rocks, only wide enough for one lane, a few places it dips into the stream, plenty of blind curves, and 20 miles of no cell phone coverage.

Dan Diego said...

Great post!

Oh, man, have I been on some bad roads! Mostly I go looking for bad roads that my dual sport can tame. But when I'm out cruising the asphalt on a big street bike--say a Harley Road Glide--I don't want dirt and sand or mud.

Well, that's what happened to me. See my unfortunate ride report from Florida this past October.


http://www.ineverfinishanyth.blogspot.com/2012/10/fear-and-loathing-in-north-tampa.html

Rex J. Covington said...

Great Post Gary!
08/23/2003 My first long distance trip, On my way to Arizona, I stopped in Big Bend National Park. On my way out of the Park, I decide to take "Maverick road", which is a gravel road for the shorter route back. This was a mistake. I got stuck in sand two times and had to dig to get my bike out. Had work my way around rocks the size of my wheels. It ended up taking me three times as long to get out of the Park!
Sad to say I did not take any photos or video of that road. Also lost my gloves somewhere on that road!
BTW: Big Bend National Park is a fantastic place to ride (Been There 3 times now), just don't take Maverick road unless you have a off road bike.