City with the worst design flaws?

[Nebulous]

What city has the worst design flaws and why?

 

[+paradox]

probably new orleans, and i'm sure everyone knows why...

 

[Jazzy]

Although one of the most beautiful cities in North America, it could be argued that Boston has one of the worst urban designs of any city in America. This is due to the fact that it's America's first city, and roads were rudimentary at best. Buildings were plopped wherever the owner wanted and built along cattle and horse trails. And as the city expanded the roads were kinda developed around them. That's why the downtown area has so many narrow and winding roads. Which could also be said adds to the aesthetic, making it one of N. America's most beautiful cities.

 

[DrLeftover]

Let's see, of the ones mentioned that I've DRIVEN in, and a few others....

Boston is a nightmare all its own, but worst? I'm not sure I'd give it that one. Bad? Oh, Yeah.

New Orleans. Something could be said for that one and no mistake. ALL of the roads are one way, and most are one way THE WRONG WAY! But Worst? Again, I don't know.

NYC. There's no hope for New York. At all. I've driven through it. Twice. In the middle of the night both times. Never again. But worst? I'll put it in at maybe three. You CAN get in and out, you can. But that's it.

Washington DC is probably the worst one for sheer lunacy of the traffic patterns. Stop Signs are useless and MOST of the stop lights are ignored, at least the ones that haven't been shot out. But, there is a point to the layout of the streets, and if you keep moving, I mean, red light, no left turn, whatever, KEEP MOVING, you might survive.

Philadelphia. About the same traffic scene as DC. But other than the immediate downtown, it's not TOO bad. The trick is to get off 95 or 76 as close as possible to your destination, and try NOT TO make eye contact with ANYBODY.

Atlanta. Again, it grew up before anybody thought about making sense of the roads, even after that bit of a fire back during the War Between The States. And traffic? Oh yeah, they've got traffic. They've ALWAYS got traffic. I've been stuck in serious traffic jams there at 3 AM.

Dallas. One question. Why in the HELL is everybody in a hurry in Dallas? It's simply unreal. They all go out on the streets AT ONCE, and drive like a bat out of hell around town for awhile, then go back where they started and fight over parking spaces.

Baltimore. You saw the show "the Wire". They're not kidding. If the British fleet shelled the place during rush hour now, nobody would even notice. Down in the Inner Harbor area the only time traffic makes any sense is during the Indycar Grand Prix when they have all the streets closed for a race circuit. Other than that, skip it.

Chicago. The Loop is the same story as Baltimore and the others, the old part of town was built as a trading post. It still is, only with taxi drivers waving at each other now while going sixty in a 35 and talking on a cell phone.

St. Louis. It's not TOO bad once you get away from the river. But then again, once you get away from the river, you might as well be in Syria right about now.

Memphis. Same story design wise as St. Louis. It started life as a town of narrow streets butted up against the river. But now, the music is better. Park you car someplace and WALK to the Beale Street bars, you'll get there faster.

Orlando. The CITY part isn't too bad. Most tourists avoid the business district of the town, but once you get out on International Drive, forget about it. Some minivan full of a youth group from Memphis is trying to find Sea World, and they need the WHOLE DAMNED ROAD to do it.

Norfolk - Hampton Roads. It wasn't designed as a town. It couldn't have been. Some angry ancient god of the Atlantic barfed up a nightmare of twisted roads, insane signage, overpopulated everything, and terrible weather on the peninsula down there. Worst? maybe top 5, but worst? I dunno.

Mobile. Here's a hint for going downtown in Mobile. When you get where you're going, just put your car in park and leave it in the street. People will think you're a townie.

Indianapolis. Same trick as Philly. Figure out where you are going, and which is the closest exit off one of the howevermany interstate highways run RIGHT DAMNED THROUGH THE MIDDLE of Indy. Otherwise, you'll never get in and out. Until about 3 AM. Indy isn't Atlanta, people there do sleep at least once in awhile.

Cincinnati. Another river town. Wherever you are going is UP HILL and probably a left turn from a dead stop. Do Not bring a Manual Transmission to this town unless you are REAL DAMNED GOOD at making an uphill left turn from a standstill.

I've got it.

The WORST LAID OUT CITY for motor vehicle traffic, bar none.

Breezewood, Pennsylvania.

Breezewood wasn't designed. It just Happened. It is where I-70 meets the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It is NOTHING BUT gas stations, lousy restaurants, over priced bedbug ridden motels, truckstops, and tourist traps. You have an endless parade of semi-trucks and buses mixed in with panic-stricken soccer moms who can't read highway signs (and even if they did, some of the signs make no sense at all even if you know where you are going), a HORRIBLY tight turn where the skidmarks on the concrete barrier tell their own story, and the single worst designed intersection for traffic lights in the civilized world, all there, ready to be experienced, 24 hours a day. It, like Atlanta, never slows down.

Go to Google Maps, find the town, select "Street View" and enjoy a trip through the place WITHOUT risking a close encounter of the expensive kind.

 

[CommanderMadi]

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[WHO IS SERAFIN]

Guayaquil a city stuffed with 3 million people designed for people living in it over a 100 years ago. Its is why every street has people who stay on the sides of roads all day to help guide you to park and protect your car for a tip. It is why no one uses lanes when driving and how two lanes could have five cars side by side with a motorcycle in there somewhere carrying four people in some way I can never figure out how it is done. You are a brave individual driving there for the first time if you give it a try.

This one only had three.

Imagine this road one there widest right in the middle of downtown during rush hour. Insanity!

 

[Nebulous]

Guayaquil a city stuffed with 3 million people designed for people living in it over a 100 years ago. Its is why every street has people who stay on the sides of roads all day to help guide you to park and protect your car for a tip. It is why no one uses lanes when driving and how two lanes could have five cars side by side with a motorcycle in there somewhere carrying four people in some way I can never figure out how it is done. You are a brave individual driving there for the first time if you give it a try.

This one only had three.

Imagine this road one there widest right in the middle of downtown during rush hour. Insanity!

Crazy weird town there.

Interesting pics though.