7 Urban Wonders of the World: Amazing and Record-Setting City Roads and Streets

Crookedest Street in the world

Everyone hates traffic, but how about trying to wind around 8 switchbacks in one city block, crossing 12 lanes at a single intersection or parking on a 38 degree incline? The latest in the ever-popular 7 Wonders Series, here are the scariest, steepest, longest, widest, narrowest, most confusing and most crooked urban streets in the world!

Most Winding Street in the World

San Francisco, United States is perhaps an unsurprising place to find the so-called world’s most crooked road on a downhil angle. Lombard Street is best known for the one way section on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, in which the roadway has eight sharp turns. Crazy races (see video above) down the road are not unheard of.

Scariest Intersection in the World

Most Confusing Intersection in the World

Swindon, England is the perhaps unfortunate location of the world’s most confusing intersection. To be fair, once understood this intersection is amazingly functional and actually designed to reduce overall congestion. However, it is certainly an urban wonder and highly perplexing to the uninitiated.

Steepest Street in the World

Dunedin, New Zealand features the steepest street in the world. As with many other parts of Dunedin, and indeed New Zealand, streets were laid out in a grid pattern with no consideration for the terrain, usually by planners in London. In this case the result was a dizzying incline. More of the world’s steepest roads can be found here.

Widest Street in the World

Buenos Aires, Argentina, features the widest avenue in the world. At over 300 feet wide, 9 de Julio Avenue occupies a gap of an entire block in the city grid, hence its incredible width. Crossing the avenue at street level often requires a few minutes, as all intersections have traffic lights. Under normal walking speed, it takes pedestrians normally two to three green lights to cross its twelve lanes of traffic.

Narrowest Street in the World

Exeter, England is home to the narrowest street in the world. Parliament Street is a 50m long street in Exeter, England, which links the High Street to Waterbeer Lane and dates from the 14th century. It was formerly called Small Lane and was renamed when Parliament was derided by the city council for passing the 1832 Reform Bill. The street is approximately 45″ at its widest and less than 25″ at its narrowest.

Oldest Paved Street in the World

Giza, Egypt has the oldest paved road in the world. Built over 4,600 years ago, this route connects an ancient basalt quarry to a lake adjoining the Nile. The basalt being transported was used in the construction of the great pyramids of Giza. Ancient Egyptians may have anticipated the pyramids lasting forever, but they might be surprised that this road still exists.

Longest Street in the World

Toronto, Canada can claim just one part of Yonge Street, the longest street in the world. Canadians were concerned with having military access routes in case of conflict with the United States. Construction was begun in the late 1700’s and performed, in part, by local farmers and convicted drunks. Today, the street is a hub of activity in Toronto.

Want more? Be sure to check out the scariest streets in the world as well as other articles in the WebUrbanist 7 Wonders Series including, 7 Abandoned Wonders of the World, 7 More Deserted Wonders of the World, 7 Underwater Wonders of the World, 7 Underground Wonders of the World, 7 More Underground Wonders of the World, 7 Island Wonders of the World, 7 Engineering Wonders of the World

Want More? Check Out These Great Related Articles:

Posted by Urbanist December 3rd, 2007
Travel, Urban, Urban Images, Urban Videos, Various
Comments: 46

Comments

Comment from Robustion
Time: December 4, 2007, 8:18 am

There is also similar ‘magic roundabout’ located elsewhere in the UK at Hemel Hempsted!

Comment from croat
Time: December 4, 2007, 8:31 am

that street in exeter is not narrowest in the world. in Split (croatia) there is smaller street. it is called “pusti me da prođen” or in english “let me pass”.

Comment from K Stone
Time: December 4, 2007, 10:47 am

I live in a place with lots of roundabouts and I love them. I don’t know why folks get so scared of them. If you miss your turn off you just keep going. Or if you’re feeling kinda kooky you can just drive around a few times for fun. What I wouldn’t like is that 38 degree parking space. That sux, especially if there is snow etc.

Comment from Anon
Time: December 4, 2007, 12:22 pm

Hey, the longest street in the world is also in Buenos Aires, called Avenida Rivadavia and it runs for 35 kms.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenida_Rivadavia

Comment from the lost_poet
Time: December 4, 2007, 1:15 pm

Great site. Amazing pictures. Nice content. I am blogrolling you. Hope you don’t mind. Came here from

http://www.ryumaou.com/hoffman/netgeek/?p=1343

kudos to you.

Regards,
the lost_poet

Comment from Carl J
Time: December 4, 2007, 3:28 pm

Yonge St. used to be the longest street in the world at 1,896 kilometres, that was until it and Highway 11 were seperated in the 90’s.

The Guinness Book of World Records hasn’t recognized it as the longest since 1998.

Comment from Reader
Time: December 4, 2007, 4:35 pm

Your “Steepest Street” one is wrong, and it says so in the very link you provide. Did you even read that link?

Comment from Mike Chartier
Time: December 4, 2007, 4:40 pm

You should add the street with the most lanes. I believe this is I-80 on the east side of the san francisco bay bridge. 26 lanes I think.

Comment from WebUrbanist
Time: December 4, 2007, 5:10 pm

@Reader: If you follow the link and read the full article, there is an explanation and resolution of the controversy over its steepness: “Nevertheless, the Guinness Book officially recognizes Baldwin Street as the world’s steepest street”

@Others: Thanks for the suggestions! Those might be integrated into a future post, and feedback is always welcome.

Comment from James
Time: December 4, 2007, 5:45 pm

Those were very cool pics, thanks for sharing.

Comment from TechDune
Time: December 4, 2007, 7:28 pm

Excellent Blog and Posts …Fit for Bookmarking

Comment from Suzanne
Time: December 4, 2007, 9:01 pm

Our town is finally putting in round-abouts. I love them - thought not as elaborate as that one.

Comment from Stan
Time: December 5, 2007, 6:06 am

As Robustion says there is a similar junction at Moor End in Hemel Hempstead but that has six mini roundabouts and a river running through it. Nice blog by the way.

Comment from franz27
Time: December 5, 2007, 3:26 pm

nice pics……….

Comment from rashomon
Time: December 6, 2007, 6:11 pm

I’m not so sure that is the steepest street. There are some in Echo Park / Silverlake [Los Angeles] that are just as steep but perhaps not as long.

Comment from Devion
Time: December 6, 2007, 11:28 pm

The smallest (most narrow) street in the world is actually in the Red Light District in Amsterdam.

Comment from Es
Time: December 7, 2007, 11:14 am

The longest street at 35km? Make me laugh! Yonge Street is 1,896 kilometers long.

Comment from Nike SB
Time: December 7, 2007, 6:25 pm

Thats unbelievable! I used to have a car racing game that had tracks like that to drift on!

Comment from Austin
Time: December 8, 2007, 11:46 am

There is NO WAY I’d park my car in one of those hills! I could see it just roll down on its own.

Comment from Jes
Time: December 8, 2007, 12:19 pm

@Devion: I’ve been to Amsterdam and know exactly where you’re talking about. I don’t recall it having an official street name though.

Comment from Stijn
Time: December 8, 2007, 1:54 pm

@anon: 35kms, can’t be, i live in a longer stret in belgium so what the fuck are you talking about?

Comment from Kevin
Time: December 8, 2007, 6:58 pm

Yonge St. actually isn’t the longest street in the world. After only 50k, it turns into Highway 11, then you have to turn onto Old Yonge St., and only then does it resume Yonge after the highway.

But anyway, a highway is not a street: there are many longer highways than Highway 11!

Comment from Di
Time: December 9, 2007, 7:44 am

You forgot Lima, Peru. I went there to visit and thank God I didn’t have to drive the entire time i was there. I have NEVER seen such madness!!

Comment from Barend
Time: December 9, 2007, 10:42 pm

The longest street is incorrect.
In the Netherlands is a town called Sprang Capelle, and is the longest town in Europe (18km). Wich is part of the Langstraat, this is a street, connected to towns reaching from ’s Hertogenbosch to Breda 40 miles futher.

So scratch that one.

Comment from jochem
Time: December 10, 2007, 1:13 am

ehm barend, believe me, in the netherlands we wont have te longest friggin street in the world, as the netherlands is just 300 kms big…

and that street in the redlightdistrict is cool, becauser of the hookers on both sides (H)

oh and in Den bosch, in the netherlands also, is a very confusing intersection…
it has 7 entries and 6 roads leaving, when you want to go left, you have to go right, all that kind of shit…
its calles heetmanplein…
her is an overvieuw from google earth: http://images.imgme.nl/midpic/a7541d92c2919851386f29a98273eeb446e8ff5625d6b2c4386c17af8fa28b29242.jpg

Comment from Anonymous
Time: December 11, 2007, 2:37 pm

Yonge Street: 1178 miles (1896 km) You can start at No.1 by the lake and take is it all the way to the Yukon. It is called Hwy 11, just as Dundas is Hwy 5 and many others. It is most certainly contiguous and a road.

Comment from Pablo
Time: December 12, 2007, 9:06 am

Aguante Buenos Aires carajo!!! i see 9 de julio from my house!

Comment from jo
Time: December 13, 2007, 7:45 am

The narrowest street in the world is now (2007) in Reutlingen, Germany. This is near Stuttgart. Read it up here:
http://www.start-reutlingen.de/index.php?id=255&L=1&tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1192915429&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=35&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=254&cHash=0568b5ea29

Closer look: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2458760,00.html

Comment from C-lo
Time: December 19, 2007, 9:32 am

My Cousin has a restaurant on Young Street in Toronto. That road IS never-ending.

Comment from Spore
Time: December 24, 2007, 3:08 am

Nice

Comment from LEONA
Time: January 11, 2008, 7:20 am

IT LOOKS LOKE ALL THESE PICTURES WERE TRANSPOSED
TO LOOK LIKE STREETS.

Comment from Milander
Time: January 28, 2008, 3:15 pm