Road

Remains of the Appian Way in Rome, near Quarto Miglio

A road is an open way for vehicle travel that is over 50 inches wide. One of the earliest surviving roads is the Appian Way, built by the Romans in the third century B.C.

Motorways of the Netherlands and Switzerland[edit]

See also: Motorways of Switzerland

Europe’s best roads, those found in the Netherlands and Switzerland, are also among the world’s finest. The Global Competitiveness Report 2019, published by the World Economic Forum ranked 141 countries based on their performance in a variety of different categories. The Netherlands was ranked as having the best roads in Europe and Switzerland was ranked as having the second best roads in Europe.^[1]

Road in Switzerland

The world's fastest and slowest roads[edit]

The United States, Canada, Germany, Australia and several other countries have faster roads than the UK according to the International Monetary Fund.^[2]

United Kingdom's road repair crisis[edit]

See also: United Kingdom's road repair crisis

The United Kingdom (UK) website Fife Today reported in on July 27, 2022 on UK's road repair crisis: "Over 1.5 million potholes were reported across the country, but the AA says the actual number is likely to be much higher as the figure does not include pothole on motorways and major roads, and many go unreported."^[3]

In 2018, UK roads ranked were ranked 27th in the world which was a ranking below Chile and Cyprus.^[4]

In 2013, the breakdown service Britannia Rescue reported that potholes now “take up a total area of 295 square miles (764 square km) in Britain – more than twice the size of the Isle of Wight”.^[5]

Notes[edit]

1. ↑ Road quality in Europe: the best and worst roads in Europe, viborc.com website, 2022
2. ↑ Where Are the World’s Fastest Roads?, International Monetary Fund blog, June 15, 2022
3. ↑ Fife worst in Scotland for potholes, Fife Today website, July 27, 2022
4. ↑ UK roads ranked worse than Chile and Cyprus in global survey, Motors.co.uk
5. ↑ POTHOLE PANDEMIC COSTING BRITISH TAXPAYER £MILLIONS, WheelWright