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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
More Underground, Underwater and Other Wonders of the World
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7 Abandoned Wonders of the European Union
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68 Comments
December 4th, 2007 at 8:18 am
There is also similar ‘magic roundabout’ located elsewhere in the UK at Hemel Hempsted!
December 4th, 2007 at 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 proÄ‘en” or in english “let me pass”.
December 4th, 2007 at 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.
December 4th, 2007 at 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
December 4th, 2007 at 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
December 4th, 2007 at 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.
December 4th, 2007 at 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?
December 4th, 2007 at 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.
December 4th, 2007 at 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.
December 4th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Those were very cool pics, thanks for sharing.
December 4th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Excellent Blog and Posts …Fit for Bookmarking
December 4th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Our town is finally putting in round-abouts. I love them - thought not as elaborate as that one.
December 5th, 2007 at 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.
December 5th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
nice pics……….
December 6th, 2007 at 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.
December 6th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
The smallest (most narrow) street in the world is actually in the Red Light District in Amsterdam.
December 7th, 2007 at 11:14 am
The longest street at 35km? Make me laugh! Yonge Street is 1,896 kilometers long.
December 7th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Thats unbelievable! I used to have a car racing game that had tracks like that to drift on!
December 8th, 2007 at 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.
December 8th, 2007 at 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.
December 8th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
@anon: 35kms, can’t be, i live in a longer stret in belgium so what the fuck are you talking about?
December 8th, 2007 at 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!
December 9th, 2007 at 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!!
December 9th, 2007 at 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.
December 10th, 2007 at 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/.....b29242.jpg
December 11th, 2007 at 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.
December 12th, 2007 at 9:06 am
Aguante Buenos Aires carajo!!! i see 9 de julio from my house!
December 13th, 2007 at 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.....0568b5ea29
Closer look: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/arti.....60,00.html
December 19th, 2007 at 9:32 am
My Cousin has a restaurant on Young Street in Toronto. That road IS never-ending.
December 24th, 2007 at 3:08 am
Nice
January 11th, 2008 at 7:20 am
IT LOOKS LOKE ALL THESE PICTURES WERE TRANSPOSED
TO LOOK LIKE STREETS.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
They’re all photoshopped, especially that roundabout… they are TOY CARS can’t you see!!!!!
hehehehehehe
January 30th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
There’s also a place which is made entirely of roundabouts in the UK; it’s called Milton Keynes.
April 27th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
absolutely breath taking as much as i hate roundabouts
May 8th, 2008 at 6:49 am
i am surprised that the trans Canada highway isn’t on the list as
the worlds longest highway 7,821 kilometres
[ young street is over 1,896 kilometres long ]
November 10th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Swindon’s Magic Roundabout is awesome. It would be the last place I’d want to come by, if I were a driver :)
January 16th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
What an awesome post…Swindon’s Magic Roundabout is just insane - I mean, WHY would you build something like that?
January 20th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
lombard street is NOT the curviest road in the world. vermont street in san francisco is actually curvier, lombard street just happens to be prettier. check your facts!
January 27th, 2009 at 12:24 am
U.S. route 66 was 2,488 miles (3,940km) before being replaced by the interstate highway system. Although U.S. 66 is a highway and not a street, it sounds like Young Street is a highway as well.
As far as round abouts go, I love them. It is really annoying though in Texas where they have them (shops at La Cantera in San Antonio) and people treat them just like it is a 4-way stop intersection.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
You didn’t mention the “singing roads” in japan!
February 16th, 2009 at 8:56 am
the race on lombard street looks fun…
February 19th, 2009 at 1:13 am
I’ve seen steeper streets in Puerto Rico. way steeper..
March 7th, 2009 at 2:05 am
I JUST WANTED TO SAY “WOW’”
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