Korean Job Discussion Forums

pest2 · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Im going to break my usual trend here and point out something good about Korea. Even though the design of roads and highways here is often moronic and illogical/inefficient, the asphalt is surprisingly smooth and even. Last year, when I lived in France for a little while, I was shocked at how many potholes, ruts, and bumps the roads there have. It was even worse when I visited Czech Republic and Poland... the only place in Europe that had comparable smoothness was Germany. The USA, while better than France and Eastern Europe, does not have the same quality asphalt as Korea.

Roch · Joined: 24 Apr 2003 Location: Seoul

pest2 · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada

pest2 · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada

ah see, you think this is like some kind of sarcastic thing about trying to appear positive... but actually the smooth asphalt thing is a big deal for me because I like to ride my road bike a couple of hours each day... My butt gets saved alot of grief here... I just hope i dont get flattened by a bongo, taxi, or darth vader-visor-wearing ajuma along the way.

Lao Wai · Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Location: East Coast Canada

Hey,

I have to agree. I've lived in Korea, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. All three places had roads that were in excellent condition. Furthermore, it seemed that road repairs were taken care of quickly. I've been back home for about 2.5 months. A road crew tore up a main road about 2 months ago, filled it with some gravel and it's sat that way ever since.

I live in Eastern Canada and feel like I'm constantly driving over railroad tracks. They only patch the roads here and poorly at that.

I have to bite my tongue when people here speak of Asian cities as being little backwaters with thatched roof huts. Hey, at least Shenzhen had more than one starbucks. The only Starbucks we have where I live is attached to a Chapters bookstore.

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

I've hit my fair share of awful potholes and manholes that weren't flat enough and sometimes made a strange sound like they weren't closed properly.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

pest2 · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada

Alyallen · Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:43 am Post subject:

I don't drive here so I don't have the same perspective but compared to the Bronx. where the roads are constantly under construction and crappy, the roads here ARE quite smooth...The traffic and driving on the other hand Confused

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

The roads are generally pretty good. It's mostly in the big cities that they get a bit dodgy.

But I have one problem with them. It's that stupid paint they put down on speed bumps and other places that acts like ice as soon as water gets on it. Just a few weeks ago I went down a steep hill with traffic lights at the bottom, and pulled to a stop on my bike at the back of the line. As I was waiting for the lights to change a delivery guy came up behind me, tried to slow down, but went into a skid as he tried to brake on the stupid painted speed bump. He rear ended me, fell off his bike and slid down the hill a ways. I was just a little shocked and not knocked over. I had to pull my bike over and help him lift up his Magma because he wasn't strong enough to do it by himself haha.

The manholes also suck too. I used to ride a scooter and they have much smaller wheels than a bike.. hitting a manhole at 60k was very 'exciting' if you didn't see it coming.

Cheonmunka · Joined: 04 Jun 2004

The freeway ashfalt is fine. My complaints would be towards design.
Sometimes it's hell when you come to an off-ramp that suddenly goes into a chicane and you have all these others cars merging from the lane that you have to get into, at the same time the expected speed is no less than 80k while doing it. Case in point: Danger points red:

It gets really dangerous when the council suddenly decides to do some road works and block some of the lanes.

Have you ever driven west bound past Chongno 5 Ga on the main Chongno road? See where the road branches off the right going to somewhere but you have to swerve left to go straight. Well, not all the cars stay in their lanes so that's hell. I think the road designs here suck. Because they have to work around all the buildings and subway stuff, sure, I understand that. But, it's shocking sometimes, and who needs a shock when you are travelling fast - can't just drive slow though because you'd have cars rear ending you. Especially taxis.

mikekim · Joined: 11 Aug 2006

I'm especially surprised that the country roads are so well maintained. That and the fact the buses here are so good, its so easy to sleep on them I can't remember ever being woken up by a bad stretch of road.