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All I'm saying is that for the next few decades all the roads being built now with EU money will need to be maintained, and that will cost money, money that won

All I'm saying is that for the next few decades all the roads being built now with EU money will need to be maintained, and that will cost money, money that won't come from the EU anymore but will need to be provided locally, presumably from taxes. Yes, that national or regional road that was modernised or enlarged using European money will most probably prove to be an worthy investment and money will be found to keep it in shape, but what about all the secondary roads or even smaller inner-village streets that have now been modernised and which will not bring any extra economic value whatsoever? Because using a gravel-road to connect 5 or 10 village houses is as as good as any asphalt-road, and, more importantly, is a lot cheaper to maintain in the long run. And when asphalt roads go bad they go really bad, with craters instead of the actual road, I've not witnessed the same phenomenon with gravel roads (they do get sort of bad but not on the same magnitude).

Mediterraneo10 6y ago
Where are you living in Romania that minor village roads get paved? I have a lot of cycling around Transylvania adding road-surface data for OpenStreetMap, and I have found that usually only the village’s main thoroughfare gets paved while the side streets remain unpaved. Still, even the paving of village ways may have positive economic value. Throughout Cluj county one finds that once asphalt is laid in a village, that village becomes an attractive place to buy a home for commuters who are now priced out of Cluj itself.
- paganel 6y ago
  Lots of villages in Teleorman, this part of Constanta county [1] (an area which is really, really beautiful), or, across the Danube, in villages like this one [2], just as the Baragan plain ends. I have a personal side-project where I'm photographing old village mills and posting those photos online [3], and as such I've visited lots of villages in Southern and Southern-Eastern Romania (plus a few in Southern Transylvania). [1] https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0999208,27.6257843,15378m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0999208,27.6257843,15378m/da... [2] https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2123091,27.4520726,3a,75y,358.32h,78.56t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2a2kZ2G28Y98tQS4WFSp5w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2123091,27.4520726,3a,75y,35... [3] https://mori-din-romania.blogspot.com/ https://mori-din-romania.blogspot.com/
taurath 6y ago
One could argue that roads have a lot less value in Europe than in the US, where trains just have to go much longer distance and have very little ability to get to even second stage towns, whereas in Europe the towns are more dense and better served by rail.
- Mediterraneo10 6y ago
  Romania’s rail infrastructure is notoriously outdated, and journeys across the country are often faster by road (bus or your own car) than even the “express” trains.
- nec4b 6y ago
  Where does this idea that in Europe somehow all villages are connected with railways comes from? Europe depends on roads as much as the USA.
  - taurath 6y ago
    Honestly, I claim no expertise here at all, just my experiences driving around Northern Europe have informed this idea that there are far fewer suburbs and sprawl. Maybe it’s not at all close to reality
- pjmlp 6y ago
  Unless you are talking about big cities like district capitals, or train paradises like Switzerland, better have a car handy.

Mediterraneo10 6y ago

Where are you living in Romania that minor village roads get paved? I have a lot of cycling around Transylvania adding road-surface data for OpenStreetMap, and I have found that usually only the village’s main thoroughfare gets paved while the side streets remain unpaved. Still, even the paving of village ways may have positive economic value. Throughout Cluj county one finds that once asphalt is laid in a village, that village becomes an attractive place to buy a home for commuters who are now priced out of Cluj itself.

paganel 6y ago
Lots of villages in Teleorman, this part of Constanta county [1] (an area which is really, really beautiful), or, across the Danube, in villages like this one [2], just as the Baragan plain ends. I have a personal side-project where I'm photographing old village mills and posting those photos online [3], and as such I've visited lots of villages in Southern and Southern-Eastern Romania (plus a few in Southern Transylvania). [1] https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0999208,27.6257843,15378m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0999208,27.6257843,15378m/da... [2] https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2123091,27.4520726,3a,75y,358.32h,78.56t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2a2kZ2G28Y98tQS4WFSp5w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2123091,27.4520726,3a,75y,35... [3] https://mori-din-romania.blogspot.com/ https://mori-din-romania.blogspot.com/

taurath 6y ago

One could argue that roads have a lot less value in Europe than in the US, where trains just have to go much longer distance and have very little ability to get to even second stage towns, whereas in Europe the towns are more dense and better served by rail.

Mediterraneo10 6y ago
Romania’s rail infrastructure is notoriously outdated, and journeys across the country are often faster by road (bus or your own car) than even the “express” trains.
nec4b 6y ago
Where does this idea that in Europe somehow all villages are connected with railways comes from? Europe depends on roads as much as the USA.
- taurath 6y ago
  Honestly, I claim no expertise here at all, just my experiences driving around Northern Europe have informed this idea that there are far fewer suburbs and sprawl. Maybe it’s not at all close to reality
pjmlp 6y ago
Unless you are talking about big cities like district capitals, or train paradises like Switzerland, better have a car handy.