why are there bends in roads?

Question

why not just have em straight i live in the uk

but be for the buildings there was bends and you cant turn on a road

Answer 1

Ok, here's a serious answer because while I've never been to the UK, I believe that when you compare your roads to those of more rugged areas you actually wish an answer.

It requires less effort to go around something even if it is farther than it is to go up and over. A good example is the way stairwells in a tall building zig sag back and forth. If they didn't, you'd need a ladder and have to climb straight up. If you've ever climbed a ladder very much, you know how strenous it is.

Highways in the US mountains are usually 5-6% grade and seldom exceed 10% grade. Any steeper and heavily loaded trucks and underpowered cars couldn't make it up or would have to be in low gear to do it. Since a lot of mountain slopes are 30-50%, back and forth is the only way to keep the grade of the road at an acceptable amount. While possible to go up and over, sometimes the construction cost is less expensive in the long run to dig a tunnel through the mountain rather than the value of the extra fuel needed for millions of cars to go over. The Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado is a good example. On top of that, it's expensive and hard work to move lots of dirt and rock and therefore is less expensive to go around a mountain of valley than to cut through it, fill it up or build a bridge across it.

And yes, in the US, expecially the west and southwest, asthetics are taken into consideration when building roads. Curves are more pleasing to a person's eye and do reduce boredom when driving. A sweeping vista is going to attract tourists and their dollars while a boring straight line road doesn't. And no, they don't put curves in them for bikers.

Answer 2

You are a genius my friend. If we got rid of bends think of the money we'd save and.... if I left my house and travelled 50 miles in a straight line NW I could be in Ballyraffery East!! but I would have crossed 2 rivers, driven through a forest, numerous fields, a military defence enclosure, a couple of housing developments, a school and a quarry. WOW. Why dont we have straight roads going out like a star from every place !! And if we did have to change direction, what about 90degree changes of direction only. What a great question.

Answer 3

seriously...it's because britain is a lot smaller than say, America, where they have all the room they want to build the biggest, widest roads, with little physical deterrants. but obviously canyon roads are twisty- simply because it's easier to build around a mountain/canyon than through it.
it also helps to stop drivers falling asleep- long straight roads are boring and that's when accidents happen.
it's also the reason sports bikes are popular in this country- because here in britain we can make the most of them on the way to work.

Answer 4

Roads started hundreds of years ago as tracks through forests or over fields. Sometimes they had to bend around a pond or a swamp. They sometimes bent around the home and grounds of an important person. If the ground was soft, people would pick their way on the hardest parts. They sometimes had to bend to reach the easiest or cheapest place to cross a river. Sometimes the easiest place to travel would be along a river valley or along a ridge. When the routes were established, many of them became bridleways or roads.

Answer 5

Shortly after the turn of the century, when motorcycles began to be readily available and many roads were straight, the earliest motorcycle clubs decided straight lines were boring.
The clubs had some rallies and came up with a plan, they identified the city and county planners, civil engineers and dept. of transportation officials in their areas.
When the time was right, the bikers pulled these officials out back ,behind the pub. They roughed them up and told them" We hate these straight roads and want miles of sweet twisties!"
The engineers and officials were quaking in their boots and for their own well being agreed to build a certain amount of twisty, curvy roads to keep the bikers happy.
It's been that way ever since.

Answer 6

maybe because people thought it would be more fun to make chicanes so people could have some fun instead of just going in a straight line.
seriously tho i think it is something to do with what land they have to clear and what actually is in the way like hills, houses etc and which is easier for construction. I've always wondered this but i guess its how the lie of the land is - trees, and things like that.

Answer 7

Many of the contributors must be correct in their theories of historical and geographical situations which caused roads to bend.

However, I refer you to a famous poem by G.K. Chesterton. He had the very same question as you do! His explanation was more simple than mountains, rivers, bogs, property lines and the like: "The rolling English drunkard built the rolling English road". (Go on, look it up on the Web. It's very funny.)

People who paint yellow, red and white lines on our streets must be their direct descendants!

Answer 8

It's easier to build a road that goes around a hill than over it. Also, it's easier to travel on that kind of road. And of course sometimes there are other considerations like private property that has to be worked around, or patches of unsuitable ground to be avoided. And once you have a few roads going in odd angles to each other, you need to curve them to make them match up at intersections.

Answer 9

Originally a lot skirted around land owned by various people.
Or to avoid hills, streams etc.
Now there's compulsory purchase and go straight through or under, whatever makes it cheaper.

Answer 10

1. To go up and down hills.

2. To avoid lakes.

3. To go around private land

4. To stop you getting bored

5. To make kids in the car - car sick.