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What are the most difficult U.S. cities to drive in and/or to own a car, due to density, narrow streets, small amounts of parking space, etc.?
Philadelphia is up there too.A large majority of residents don't own a car(that could be too that they've been entrenched here their entire lives also)
The streets are a joke,if you want to call them that. They're more like alleys!
Similar to Pittsburgh,they still have some 'cobblestone,horse-and-buggy,streets here that if you have an old car you'd better check it after driving here. I think the Alaskan highway is a better ride
But some will call it 'historic'. Whatever.
And parking,well that's a given...even in the residential neighborhoods. What a joke.
I hate driving through Detroit just because of all the pot holes and decayed streets.
In the east, the worst city in this regard is Baltimore. I swear, I take years off my car's life every time I drive in the downtown area in Charm City.
I think many of the cities mentioned already (New York or more specifically Manhattan, Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington, and Philadelphia, in that order) are a pain in the butt to drive around in.
Philly- I 76 is a 4 lane highway (2 north, 2 south) an is always packed or screwed from an accident; the streets are in bad shape and many are based on old horse trails so they go in all directions and change names suddenly; there aren't many alternatives to the interstates due to the dangerous neighborhoods alternative streets run thru. The old New England addage "Ya' can't get there from here" totally applies to the streets here-my Thompson Guide is well worn.
Oh and the I476 is called The Blue Route because it took so long to build, a dashed blue line represented its eventual path.
Last edited by leighland; 02-25-2008 at 03:24 PM..
Reason: added 476 stuff
Philly- I 76 is a 4 lane highway (2 north, 2 south) an is always packed or screwed from an accident; the streets are in bad shape and many are based on old horse trails so they go in all directions and change names suddenly; there aren't many alternatives to the interstates due to the dangerous neighborhoods alternative streets run thru. The old New England addage "Ya' can't get there from here" totally applies to the streets here-my Thompson Guide is well worn.
Oh and the I476 is called The Blue Route because it took so long to build, a dashed blue line represented its eventual path.
I know I make sure I listen to KYW 1060 AM for the traffic report every time I drive to Philadelphia to determine if I can take the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) or have to take an alternate route to get to the stadium complex, University City, etc. Probably 90-95% of the time I take an alternate route because the Schuylkill is almost ALWAYS congested, including on weekends and off-peak hours during the day on weekdays. I think the only time the road isn't congested is very late at night/overnight, and even then it isn't a given it will be alright.
I've driven down Lancaster Avenue a few times as an alternate, and I'm just thankful I've never broken down somewhere between the middle of Overbrook and about 36th or 37th Street, in part because of the rough street (surface-wise) but mainly because of the rough neighborhood.
I lived in Boston and refused to own a car. It just seemed to difficult with the traffic and parking. I hate driving in or near NYC. I always take a train to both of those cities. It may be better now but I thought Atlanta had a ton of traffic. I avoid the beltways in DC and Baltimore during rush hours which last for most of the day.
For a city as large as Chicago, I actually think it is easy to drive in.
Philly- I 76 is a 4 lane highway (2 north, 2 south) an is always packed or screwed from an accident; there aren't many alternatives to the interstates due to the dangerous neighborhoods alternative streets run thru.
Oh and the I476 is called The Blue Route because it took so long to build, a dashed blue line represented its eventual path.
Yea that's PA for ya,slow progress
As for 76 alt routes,it's also hard to get around it because it winds along the river and Fairmount Park.
San Francisco - the hills make it so most are afraid to drive there with a manual... it's rather shocking to some with an auto, even. You spend more time looking for a place to park than you did actually getting there, many apartments don't provide parking at all, making you have to fend for yourself on the streets. Residents also need to budget a "street tax" since it's not an if, but a when you get a parking ticket for street cleaning... Let's see, gas is on average more expensive, and the fact that it's a mostly freeway-less city, yet one of the densest (i.e. all that traffic down on surface streets) makes it a pretty awful car city.
Narrow streets and one ways- Philly, Pittsburgh, Boston, Cincinnati
Potholes and bad roads (from my experience)- Detroit, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Buffalo
Worst cities to own a car because....
it's merely impractical- New York, San Francisco
of traffic- Houston, D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles
of parking- New York, San Francisco, D.C.
you might not be owning it long- Detroit, Baltimore
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