5 ms·

This is pretty apples-to-oranges. You see things like this in a lot of less dense U.S. areas as well. But in the crash example, it's right in the middle of an i

This is pretty apples-to-oranges. You see things like this in a lot of less dense U.S. areas as well. But in the crash example, it's right in the middle of an interchange, with the lane needing to form and rise quickly. Additionally, the gently rising metal barriers aren't safe in many situations because of their ability to launch cars. That's why they've been replaced by crash attenuators and sand/water barrels. Unfortunately the crash attenuator wasn't replaced after a recent (<1 week ago) accident, ensuring the next accident was fatal. Here's an accurate U.S. analogue to your example: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0286482,-102.1517159,3a,75y,232.39h,77.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scBIOlp1Wc_R9nN9y3vN9ew!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0286482,-102.1517159,3a,75y,... Meanwhile, here's a Dutch example: https://www.google.com/maps/@51.9305956,4.4371182,3a,75y,66.5h,68.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sY4bBOC0sxpUHHPmR3re_4A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@51.9305956,4.4371182,3a,75y,66.... Turns out sometimes you need crash attenuators because space isn't infinite. Also, there's no grass in sight here. Here's another example: https://www.google.com/maps/@51.9239112,4.4203482,3a,67.8y,262.97h,77.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sle4g58-jOVO3_p38sV4GdA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@51.9239112,4.4203482,3a,67.8y,2... No sloping barriers, because they're not always safer.

crote 8y ago
Well, yes and no. First, your counter-example is, ironically, pretty apples-to-oranges, as it is literally in the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile, the municipality where my interchange is located has a population density 1.5x that of Mountain View. About the A20: it was built around 1970, inspired by American designs. Something like this would probably not be built today. Meanwhile, the specific ramp where the accident occurred, was constructed around 2006. I do agree that safety measures should be adjusted according to their location, there is indeed no one-size-fits-all solution here.
- hexane360 8y ago
  You're right that my first example is in the middle of nowhere, but there's a good reason for that. American and Dutch city designs differ so much to make them incomparable. Even NYC has 0.63 vehicles per household (http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-v...), and San Jose (the closest to Mountain View I could find) has 2.12. There's a lot more traffic to deal with, and a lot more sprawl, meaning less space for interchanges and long ramps.
Kiro 8y ago
Why are roads in the US so post-apocalyptic? Even your good example here looks horrible.
- workinthehead 8y ago
  Hmm, perhaps something to do with there being more road miles in the US than in all of Europe combined?
  - koyote 8y ago
    The European road network is actually slightly larger than the US one (~6.5 million km vs ~7 million km).
    - hexane360 8y ago
      Which makes the point just fine, when you compare the U.S's 326 million to the EU's 508 million.
      - workinthehead 8y ago
        Well, 741 million, I don't believe the road network figures were restricted to EU members only.

crote 8y ago

Well, yes and no. First, your counter-example is, ironically, pretty apples-to-oranges, as it is literally in the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile, the municipality where my interchange is located has a population density 1.5x that of Mountain View. About the A20: it was built around 1970, inspired by American designs. Something like this would probably not be built today. Meanwhile, the specific ramp where the accident occurred, was constructed around 2006. I do agree that safety measures should be adjusted according to their location, there is indeed no one-size-fits-all solution here.

hexane360 8y ago
You're right that my first example is in the middle of nowhere, but there's a good reason for that. American and Dutch city designs differ so much to make them incomparable. Even NYC has 0.63 vehicles per household (http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-vehicles-by-city-map.html http://www.governing.com/gov-data/car-ownership-numbers-of-v...), and San Jose (the closest to Mountain View I could find) has 2.12. There's a lot more traffic to deal with, and a lot more sprawl, meaning less space for interchanges and long ramps.

Kiro 8y ago

Why are roads in the US so post-apocalyptic? Even your good example here looks horrible.

workinthehead 8y ago
Hmm, perhaps something to do with there being more road miles in the US than in all of Europe combined?
- koyote 8y ago
  The European road network is actually slightly larger than the US one (~6.5 million km vs ~7 million km).
  - hexane360 8y ago
    Which makes the point just fine, when you compare the U.S's 326 million to the EU's 508 million.
    - workinthehead 8y ago
      Well, 741 million, I don't believe the road network figures were restricted to EU members only.