One thing people seem to overlook about Atlanta (how much, home)

[myspoonistoobig]

Just came back from a weekend back home in NYC. Now back in Atlanta. While I was up there, I noticed how much crappier the roads were than here in Atlanta. Idk if it's because Atlanta's a "newer" city than NYC, but damn it feels good to be back in Atlanta where Peachtree st is like driving on marshmallows compared to some streets in NYC

[gerrythesnake]

Those expensive tolls roads do not pay for the roads?

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by myspoonistoobig

Just came back from a weekend back home in NYC. Now back in Atlanta. While I was up there, I noticed how much crappier the roads were than here in Atlanta. Idk if it's because Atlanta's a "newer" city than NYC, but damn it feels good to be back in Atlanta where Peachtree st is like driving on marshmallows compared to some streets in NYC

The reason why the roads are so much crappier in Northern cities and states like New York and the like is because of the much-colder winter weather which necessitates the use of extremely-heavy amounts of ice-melting materials (particularly rock salt) to keep the roads clear and drivable and leads to much freezing and thawing, elements which can be very-destructive to road surfaces in areas with extreme cold winter weather.

The less-frequent occurrence of extreme winter weather (very-heavy snow, much-heavier ice storms, sub-zero temperatures, etc) makes the maintenance of road surfaces much easier in Sunbelt states and warmer climes than in Northern states.

[myspoonistoobig]

Originally Posted by gerrythesnake

Those expensive tolls roads do not pay for the roads?

My gf (who's from Atlanta and came to visit NY with me) said that when we paid the $13 toll to go to staten island or however much it was lol

Who knows what they do with the toll money

[gerrythesnake]

Originally Posted by myspoonistoobig

My gf (who's from Atlanta and came to visit NY with me) said that when we paid the $13 toll to go to staten island or however much it was lol

Who knows what they do with the toll money

I would require whoever I was seeing in Staten Island to help me pay for a portion of the toll lol

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by gerrythesnake

Those expensive tolls roads do not pay for the roads?

LOL, it's not just the expensive tolls, but also the much-higher fuel taxes that pay for the roads in Northern states.

But even with the substantially-increased revenues they collect from the expensive tolls and the much-higher fuel taxes, Northern cities and states have to spend much more on road-clearing equipment and materials (snow-plows, road salt, etc) and road-patching materials (to patch up the huge potholes caused by the winter weather) than Southern states with less-inclement weather.

The much more-frequent inclement winter weather also means that Northern cities and states have to spend money to rebuild roads much more frequently than Southern states where inclement winter weather and extreme cold occurs much less frequently.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

The reason why the roads are so much crappier in Northern cities and states like New York and the like is because of the much-colder winter weather which necessitates the use of extremely-heavy amounts of ice-melting materials (particularly rock salt) to keep the roads clear and drivable and leads to much freezing and thawing, elements which can be very-destructive to road surfaces in areas with extreme cold winter weather.

The less-frequent occurrence of extreme winter weather (very-heavy snow, much-heavier ice storms, sub-zero temperatures, etc) makes the maintenance of road surfaces much easier in Sunbelt states and warmer climes than in Northern states.

NYC does not get THAT much snow. It just has crappy roads.

There are many places north of the "snow belt" that have decent enough roads. The snow and ice thing is mostly an excuse.

[gerrythesnake]

I know if someone wanted me to see them and I had to pay $13 for the toll rd I would tell them to kiss my ___!

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

NYC does not get THAT much snow. It just has crappy roads.

Well, compared to other places in New York State (places like Buffalo which averages just under 100 inches of snow yearly, and Syracuse which averages nearly 130 inches of snow yearly), NYC does not get much snow.

But when compared to Southern cities like Atlanta, New York City gets quite a bit of snow on average as with a yearly average of just under 27 inches of snow yearly, NYC averages more than 13 times the amount of snow that Atlanta gets with its yearly average of only 2 inches of snow.

And that's just keeping in mind that the 27 inches of snow figure for NYC is JUST an average as NYC has received as much as 75 inches of snow (during the winter of 1995-96) and recently received 62 inches of snow during the winter of 2010-11 during an exceedingly-snowy winter season that came to be known by the media as "Snowmageddon 2011".

Also, keep-in-mind that is not just the snow (and the ice), but also the constant variation in temperatures (the constant thawing and refreezing) along with the excessive de-icing (with salt, brine, etc...materials that eat through roads and vehicles) and the increased moisture (particularly in areas with higher relative humidities like the Great Lakes, areas on/near the Northeastern Atlantic Coast, and the Ohio Valley) during the course of a winter season that takes its own toll on roads (pun intended) throughout Northern climes.

The increased snow and ice and freezing and thawing from wider variations in temperatures (not just in winter, but also in summer as many places up North also get heat and humidity that is just as severe as in the South) that is the reason why places like New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, etc, may have much-larger road maintenance budgets than places like Georgia, which doesn't have to spend anywhere near as much on snow removal, road surface de-icing, pothole patching and road surface replacement.

Originally Posted by Newsboy

There are many places north of the "snow belt" that have decent enough roads. The snow and ice thing is mostly an excuse.

It's not an excuse as anyone who has lived up North through rough winters knows that extreme winter weather brutalizes road surfaces (and tires, wheels, rims, racks, axles and automobile bodies in general).

[Clark Park]

It's not just the amount of snow ... it's the cycles of freezing and thawing that ruin road surfaces.

Some places may have worse roads, but better public transportation. Other places may have crummy roads, mediocre public transit, but excellent schools, parks and libraries. Different communities have different priorities.