Fortunately or unfortunately, there are no major road junctions or complex intersections in Belarus. Everything is more or less logical and simple. Many people say that it is difficult to pass the current roundabout on Bangalore Square in Minsk. Do you think so too? After reading our rating today, you will probably change your mind. We have collected the ten most complex and confusing transport hubs in the world. This includes large junctions, strange intersections and even a checkpoint where motorists pay tolls.
"The Magic Carousel" (Swindon, England)
The famous bunch of rings in the British city of Swindon will make any tourist refuse to travel along this site. Drivers move here clockwise, taking turns passing through small circular junctions (there are five of them). They say, local residents They are used to driving along this “carousel”, but visitors do not always understand how to drive along this set of rings the first time.
The interchange was built in 1972 and immediately became one of the most confusing in the world. The large ring consists of five small ones with special markings on each of them. At the junction there are 16 stop lines and no traffic lights. But there are small islands separating the streams. Mini-rings are indicated exclusively by markings, which adds to the difficulty in overcoming this junction. Many visitors to Swindon are put off by this place, although there are enthusiasts who decide to drive along the “Magic Roundabout” to test themselves.
Judge Harry Pregerson Junction (Los Angeles, USA)
If you have traveled on major unfamiliar cities according to your navigator, you probably know the situation when you accidentally miss the right turn at a large transport hub. At the Harry Pregerson Interchange in Los Angeles, missing your exit means losing half a day. The four-level structure was built in 1993 at the intersection of major freeways I-105 and I-110. There is also a metro line passing through the interchange (on the second level). This road crossing is considered the most difficult in the world.
By design, drivers should pass through this interchange without stopping or having to give way to anyone, regardless of where they are coming from or where they are going. By the way, there really are practically no traffic jams here, and if you know where to turn, then there shouldn’t be any problems. This outcome was captured in one of the scenes of the film “Speed”. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock made their crazy bus jump with a bomb here.
Roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe (Paris, France)
In the heart of Paris lies one of the busiest roundabouts in the world. Of course, we are talking about the ring around the Arc de Triomphe. Accidents are common here. Some French insurance companies refuse to compensate for damage if an accident occurs at this junction (the corresponding clause is stated in the contract). 12 streets (including one-way ones) intersect here at once, including the central street of Paris - the Champs Elysees.
The situation is complicated by the lack of markings (there are about 8-9 lanes here). The ring is not the main road, and drivers actually decide for themselves who will go in what order. Add to this the countless number of scooters that don’t seem to care about traffic rules at all, pedestrian tourists and rental cars parked near the arch (Ferraris and Lamborghinis are often rented here). In general, anyone who has traveled around Triumfalnaya does not laugh at Bangalore.
Meskel Square (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
Have you ever watched an anthill for more than one minute? Thousands of ants move millimeters from each other at a relatively high speed and manage not to collide, each diverging in its own direction. A similar movement was organized near Meskel Square in Addis Ababa. All over the world, motorists are amazed at how they can get through this uncontrolled intersection without hitting a car, a cyclist, a motorcyclist, or a pedestrian.
In fact, many Asian countries have a similar driving style - honk the horn, wave your hand and drive off. This is how they drive in Afghanistan, Vietnam and even Turkey. But the Ethiopian crossroads is striking in its scale. Eight lanes in one direction! Maybe we should put a traffic light there? Although, judging by the video, it is likely to aggravate the situation - city residents can easily manage without flow regulation.
Runway crossing roadway (Gibraltar Airport)
A barrier at the intersection of a roadway and a railway is a common thing for us. Drawbridges are also not such a curiosity, when motorists are forced to wait until a ship passes and the road is returned to its place. But it’s unlikely that an ordinary Belarusian driver has ever been stuck in a traffic jam because of a landing plane! Airports where the runway intersects with a regular, “civil” roadway are a rarity. One of them is located in Gibraltar.
When planes take off or land, the movement of cars and pedestrians is stopped here with the help of traffic lights and barriers. True, this is not big problem: The airport serves only about three dozen flights per week. The reason for this strange decision is the tiny size of Gibraltar itself, which occupies the territory of a small peninsula with an area of 6.5 square meters. km.
Signalized intersection in the city center (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
Remember the uncontrolled intersection in Addis Ababa? So, in the Vietnamese city of Ho Chi Minh City there is a controlled intersection, the traffic on which is no less impressive than on the Ethiopian square. Even in order to simply drive straight on green, you need to try, because those turning left do not intend to wait for the flow of traffic to end (it is, in fact, endless).
The video below shows the central intersection of Ho Chi Minh City. The easiest way is to turn right there, but this does not guarantee that some scooter rider will not drive right under your wheels. When you see such road conditions, you understand why the Vietnamese love mopeds.
Kennedy Interchange (Louisville, USA)
In order to connect the I-64, I-65 and I-71 highways in the American city of Louisville, a complex interchange was built in 1964, named after John F. Kennedy (his memorial bridge is located nearby). Although locals call this transport hub a “spaghetti intersection”. If you look at the interchange from a bird's eye view, it becomes clear where the name came from. Cook spaghetti at home, remove six pieces from the pan and casually throw them on a plate. You'll likely end up with a smaller version of the Kennedy interchange.
The author of the idea to build this interchange was Henry Ward, a member of the Louisville Chamber of Commerce. Design began in 1958, and the first brick of the “spaghetti intersection” was laid in the spring of 1962. Later it became clear that the denouement was a big mistake. It is located in the very center of the city, which causes serious damage to its ecology. In addition, the hub is designed for a flow of 100 thousand cars per day, and today up to 300 thousand cars pass through here. Due to the complex system of exits and entrances, accidents often occur here (about 260 accidents per 100 million miles of total mileage on the interchange, which is 172% more than the US average). The US authorities have already allocated $1.1 billion for the reconstruction of this complex facility. Work should begin in 2017.
South Bay Interchange (Boston, USA)
Another American interchange that often ranks among the most confusing is located in Boston. This overpass is part of the Great Boston Tunnel, which is an 8-lane highway (by the way, the most expensive project in US construction history). The design of the interchange began in the early 1990s, but the project was completed only in 2003. Although, thanks to the competent sequence of construction, the work was carried out without serious damage to traffic.
Traffic jams are the bane of any modern metropolis. In order to save city residents time and distribute traffic flows, design engineers sometimes resort to amazing solutions, which we will talk about in our material.
One of the world's most intricate road structures, combining passenger transport routes, the Harbor Transit Road and the Los Angeles Metro Green Line, opened in 1993. This tricky tangle of roads, located at the intersection of I-105, which leads from El Segundo to Norwalk, and I-110, which goes from San Pedro to Los Angeles, bears the name of federal judge Harry Pregerson for a reason. Like the famous lawman who managed to navigate the jungle of the legal dispute over the construction of I-105, the highway interchange masterfully resolves endless traffic flows. In just one day, this labyrinth, which allows you to turn in any direction on all sections of the route, crosses more than 500 thousand cars. There is only one problem - if you miss that one right turn, and the miracle of engineering will turn into endless tape Moebius.
Photo: grandstroy.blogspot.com
Government support for cyclists in the Netherlands has led to amazing results: recent years Most of the country's population prefers to use environmentally friendly and economical two-wheeled transport in everyday life. For the convenience of those who chose to give up cars, special infrastructure began to be created - for example, the unique road junction The Honvering in Eindhoven. Suspended over a busy transport hub, this circular steel bridge allows traffic to be bypassed. The amazing structure is held on a central 70-meter pole using metal cables, and for reliability it is also reinforced concrete columns. The creators of The Hovering claim that the future lies with such technologies, eliminating traffic accidents and decorating landscapes with unusual futuristic designs.
Photo: engineering-ru.livejournal.com
The construction of a tangled, thread-like road junction in Birmingham took four years. Many technological problems and engineering snags stood in the way of the designers, who were forced to combine two railway lines and 18 road routes into one network, from the highway of national importance The A38, leading from Cornwall into Northampshire, to narrow country roads with no name, and spanning three canals and two rivers. To provide the best bandwidth and good stability, the builders were forced to re-lay almost 22 kilometers of road surface and install 59 columns, placing the highway at five levels of different heights. WITH light hand local newspaper reporter, the result of hard work, which appeared to the world in May 1972, received the playful nickname “Spaghetti Denouement.” This frightening design is painfully reminiscent of “a mixture of a plate of pasta and an unsuccessful attempt to tie a Staffordshire knot.”
Photo: unb-facts.blogspot.com
Even those who know the “rules of the game” and have been moving along the Tagansky streets and alleys for a long time often get lost on the Garden Ring. What can we say about those who for the first time found themselves at the intersection of the busiest roads in Moscow, located in the heart Central District capitals. Where the Bolshoi Krasnokholmsky Bridge connects with Zemlyanoy Val Street, chaos always reigns. Some highways, leading from Nizhnyaya and Verkhnyaya Radishchevskaya, Goncharnaya, Marxist, Vorontsovskaya, Taganskaya, Narodnaya Street and numbering six or more lanes, teeming with endless rows of cars. The incessant noise of passing traffic is cut through by sharp signals, and traffic jams during rush hours have no end in sight. The colorful picture of one of the worst road junctions in the world is completed by two Moscow metro stations, a bus stop and an almost complete absence of signs.
Photo: raskalov-vit.livejournal.com
The brilliant French city planners who gave Paris the Square of the Star probably did not have the gift of foresight. Over the past centuries, the “patch” near the famous Arc de Triomphe, lively even by the standards of the 19th century, has turned into a real hell for motorists. Despite the fact that from the central city parade ground, like the rays of a star, 12 straight and wide avenues diverge in different directions, and several metro lines, RER, bus routes and highways converge, there are no traffic lights or priority signs. It’s no wonder that even Parisian taxi drivers, who drive around the area a hundred times a day, sigh sadly when they receive an order for Charles de Gaulle Square. Neither intuition nor good knowledge of the rules traffic, nor many years of driving experience can save you from the horror that happens here during rush hour: at the interchange, which is ranked as the most difficult route in the world, several accidents happen per hour.
Car intersections are traditionally considered the most difficult junctions in major cities. Fortunately, with the advent of automated traffic control systems, which include traffic monitoring cameras, all possible traffic detectors and automatic traffic lights. But with the increase in car traffic, the situation in large cities is getting worse every year. This is especially true at complex intersections, where even an experienced driver can get confused and confused. We offer you the worst intersections in the world, where it is better not to interfere and try to choose detours.
10) Knight St Bridge and SE Marine Dr, Vancouver, Canada
This is the worst intersection in Canada. The fact is that, according to this intersection, about 300 car accidents involving pedestrians, trucks, cars and motorcycles are recorded annually.
The intersection is located in the Victoria-Fraserview area and is recognized by authorities as the most treacherous in the country.
9) Taganskaya Square, Moscow, Russia
Taganskaya Square is the merger of two historical squares: Verkhnyaya Taganskaya and Nizhnyaya Taganskaya squares. Taganskaya Square was formed in 1963 after the merger of the above Squares. As a result, all car traffic gathers in the middle of Taganskaya Square. This is the most difficult intersection in the city of Moscow. Despite the presence of all the necessary road signs, markings and traffic lights, 90 percent of drivers get lost at this intersection of a large number of roads. Unfortunately, even experienced drivers get lost in this place, since even knowing perfectly at the Tagansky intersection it is difficult to drive according to all the rules. It is not uncommon for drivers, confused on Taganskaya Square, to drive off in the wrong direction, confusing the correct route. It is noteworthy that this happens even when the route is laid out in the navigator.
So for guests of the Capital this road junction is not best place, especially considering that Moscow is one of the busiest cities in the world.
8) Magic Roundabout Interchange, Swindon, UK
This spiral intersection scares all tourists in Swindon. So if you ever come to this British city, we advise you to avoid this place. Firstly, this interchange connects five highways. These roads come together above the sixth mini-ring road, along which traffic flows counterclockwise. A very difficult intersection to understand, it most likely has the name “Magic Roundabout” for the reason that in this complex place, despite the confusion, traffic magically occurs without hindrance.
7) Any intersections in Beijing, China
Many motorists who have visited Beijing say that it is a city of traffic jams. The fact is that even on weekends and at night there are traffic jams. Especially at all road intersections. More than 5 million cars are officially registered in the city. Plus, every day about 2.5 million more cars come to the city from remote regional areas of Beijing. So don't expect Beijing's major intersections and highways to be clear. If you visited this city as a tourist, we do not recommend that you rent a car to enjoy the surroundings while driving a car. Believe me, you will only waste your nerves and time. Choose alternative transport for transportation.
6) Intersection of Flamingo Road and Pines Boulevard, Pembroke Pines, Florida
According to Florida crash statistics, there have been 357 crashes at the intersection of Boulevard and Flamingo over the past 2 years. Such an emergency situation at this intersection is not due to the poor quality of the road, road infrastructure or insufficient traffic regulation. The reason for the high accident rate is the congestion of this junction. Approximately 200,000 vehicles pass through this area every day.
5) Times Square, New York
It is one of the busiest cities on the east coast of the United States. More than 8 million people officially live in the city. According to statistics, each family has about 2.5 cars. So you can imagine how many vehicles are registered in the city. But thanks to a competent road infrastructure and a long length of roads, the city can cope with an incredible amount of traffic.
But of course there are “hot spots” in the city where terrible traffic jams often form. One of these points is Times Square. It's a 24/7 destination for chaos of entertainment, dining and shopping. That is why it accumulates in this place around the clock.
So even an experienced driver will find it difficult to navigate any road intersections in this place.
4) Porta Maggiore, Rome, Italy
Rome is not particularly known for its traffic, but its historical appeal is. Every year this city is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists, many of whom rent cars, hoping to visit all the most beautiful historical sights of Rome in a short time. But unfortunately, the city with a population of 2.8 million people cannot cope with road traffic since the infrastructure of Rome is built among ancient Roman ruins. Therefore, it is not possible to improve the traffic situation in the city by expanding roads.
Porta Maggiore is considered the busiest place in Rome. This is the busiest place in Rome. This place is the most inconvenient and most dangerous intersection in the city.
3) Arc de Gaulle, Paris, France
Since the creation of the Arc de Triomphe, the intersection in this place of Paris has become a real automobile madness. Every day, thousands of cars, trucks and motorcycles participate in a dangerous carousel, driving in different directions at the same time. If you, having visited Paris, rented a car and decided to drive through the Arc de Triomphe de Gaulle, then get ready to experience a lot of unpleasant minutes driving through one of the busiest places in Paris.
2) Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo, Japan
This is one of the most difficult intersections in the world. In this place (Shibuya area), not only a huge number of vehicles cross the road, but also hundreds of thousands of pedestrians cross the road in this place every day. But the most amazing thing is that despite such a busy intersection, everything works with incredible mathematical accuracy. Surprisingly, there are not many accidents in this place.
1) Hanoi Crossroads, Vietnam
At this intersection in Vietnam you need to forget not only the road markings, but also forget that there are adequate road signs. There is an intersection in Hanoi, which, according to traffic rules, essentially does not exist because the traffic on it is chaotic. In order to pass this place you only need courage and the desire to pass this place without an accident. You don't need to know the traffic rules at this intersection.
Detailed Description and photos of crazy intersections. 10 road junctions that frighten and beckon at the same time. It’s interesting: the rating also includes a copy from Russia!
10. London Circle, Canberra, Australia
These are road rings around the Australian Parliament building complex. The inconvenience here is that getting to the center is a non-trivial task. You chose the wrong lane - and it will take a lot of time and gasoline to correct this mistake. According to the “tradition” of such places, road signs here only confuse drivers.
9. Gravelly Hill Interchange, Birmingham, UK
Like the Atlanta interchange, this one is also nicknamed "spaghetti" by Birmingham residents. According to eyewitnesses, after many years of living in this city, many people still get confused in this noodle of overpasses, and signs and indicators seem to only add confusion to the movement along this interchange.
8. Interchange between Highways 9 and 6, Tokyo, Japan
In this denouement, the devil himself will break his leg, and here also all the signs are made exclusively in Japanese. The design of the interchange itself also adds problems: for greater seismic stability, sections of the overpasses are connected by large “joints” made of dense rubber. If a car enters such a rubbery area, it begins to bounce and twitch in a very unusual way, which does not help you at all in finding the right road.
7. Denouement Tom Moreland, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Locals simply call this huge interchange “spaghetti.” It was built two years after the Birmingham Interchange (second to last on our list). Each entrance very soon splits into two roads, so you have to think very quickly here. One wrong turn and you will have to cut for several miles to finally turn around and get on the right road.
6. Julio Avenida 9, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina gave the world racing legend Juan Manuel Fangio, as well as millions of his ardent fans and followers who filled the country's roads. The national thirst for speed and risk is best seen on this street, the widest in the world. You need nerves of steel to decide to cross all of its fourteen lanes filled with cars of hot Argentine guys.
5. Place Charles de Gaulle (Place des Stars), Paris, France
The picture shown, taken early in the morning, is deceptive: during the day, and especially during rush hours, it is pure hell going on here. There are no signs defining road priorities, and there are no traffic lights either, so everyone crosses the square as they please. Minor accidents happen here at least every hour.
4. Taganskaya Square, Moscow, Russia
For a first-time visitor, car traffic in this place seems like complete chaos. Several roads of six or more lanes each converge here, every centimeter of the area is filled with cars, there are no signs, and it seems that no one is paying attention to the traffic lights.
3. The Magic Roundabout, Swindon, Wilts, UK
This ending is called magical, but the magic here is somehow evil. The merging of six roads forms a tight interweaving of traffic rings around the islands. Around the small islands the movement goes clockwise, and around the large central one - vice versa.
2. A9 Junction, Shanghai, China
In China, it is not easy for a foreigner to drive a car; it is easier to take a taxi. However, this is still no guarantee against stress: Chinese taxi drivers are real daredevils. Eyewitnesses say that sometimes they are even ready to drive sideways onto the median concrete blocks to avoid a traffic jam or accident scene.
1. Interchange of I-710 and I-105, Los Angeles, California, USA
The endings in London, Rome and Paris are mere children compared to this monster in Los Angeles. Make the wrong lane and in five minutes you will find yourself God knows where. Above each entrance there are a lot of signs and designations that are extremely difficult to understand.
Frankfurt, Germany
When arriving in Frankfurt, we recommend that you sit at the portholes on the starboard side. This way you have a better chance of seeing the Frankfurt Cross, the busiest junction Western Europe. The A3, A5, and B43 highways converge at the “cross,” and two railway tunnels are built under the large “clover.” Construction of the interchange began in 1933, but due to the war it was completed only by 1957. Now 320 thousand cars pass here every day.
Los Angeles, USA
The interchange was built in 1993 and named after Harry Pregerson - in honor of the famous and oldest federal judge in the United States, who also led the trial on the construction of the interchange itself. Highways 105 and 110 intersect at right angles here. Like almost all roads in Los Angeles, one goes from north to south, the other goes from east to west, towards the coast. Pacific Ocean and Los Angeles International Airport. For tens of kilometers around there are the square-clustered suburbs of one-story America.
Atlanta, USA
Cutting directly into Atlanta, Highways 75 and 85 merge into one fourteen-lane road - the Downtown Connector, with daily traffic of more than 230-270 thousand cars. During its construction in the mid-20th century, a piece of the historical center of Atlanta was razed to the ground. And in the place where the connecting highway crosses Highway 20, the Labyrinth interchange appeared. We would rename it “Framed Labyrinth”: notice how it fits into the rectangle of ordinary streets typical of American cities.
Gravelly Hill, UK
In the suburb of Gravelly Hill near Birmingham, two rivers meet, two canals diverge, and a double-track runs past. railway. When engineers decided to connect the M6 motorway with the A38(M) highway here, journalists dubbed the project the “Spaghetti Interchange” - because you don’t come up with something like that on purpose. Until you figure out who is going where, you can go crazy or go in eighteen directions, counting the numerous local exits. The interchange was built in 1968-1972, installing 559 reinforced concrete supports, the highest of which reach 24.4 meters.
Atlanta, USA
The Tom Moland Interchange is named after the chief engineer of the local transportation department. It was built in 1983-1987, twenty kilometers northeast of Atlanta at the intersection of radial highway 85 and ring road 285 - an analogue of the “Big Concrete Road” near Moscow. The interchange includes 14 bridges and overpasses, the highest of which rises 27 meters above the ground. Three hundred thousand cars pass through the interchange every day. And some poor people also live below.
Shanghai, China
The Huangpu River, which flows into the Yangtze several kilometers from the sea, not only divides Shanghai in two. There are ten bridges across the river within the city, but for Shanghai with a population of 24 million this is not much. One of them, the Nanpu cable-stayed bridge, is interesting for the design of the western approach - the Puxi Viaduct. Three highways connect here and rise thirty meters in a three-level spiral to reach the level of the bridge. The navigable span of the bridge can accommodate a sea vessel up to 48 meters high.
Putrajaya, Malaysia
The city, born to be the capital, has been built since 1995, two dozen kilometers from Kuala Lumpur. Like St. Petersburg from the time of Peter I, Putrajaya was specially designed to move away from the dissatisfied electorate and place all the fur storage facilities and government residences in an elite village. The main difference between Putrajaya and St. Petersburg is that there are almost no straight streets here; all the roads carefully follow the terrain. And several streets around a 50-meter hill form an oval (0.85-1.29 km in diameter), which is considered the largest roundabout in the world.
Paris, France
Until 1970, Place Charles de Gaulle had a more appropriate name - Place des Stars, or Place de l'Etoile. This place is known to pedestrian tourists as the square with the Arc de Triomphe, to Parisian drivers - as a place where the police do not come, to tourist drivers - as a place where the navigator in a mocking tone commands: “Take the ninth exit.” There have never been any markings on the 40-meter roadway, and at rush hour this circle looks like an anthill, where everyone drives along arbitrary trajectories. True, Paris is not Moscow, and if you are stupid and don’t know which way to turn, no one except Arabs, Parisians, motorcyclists and bus drivers will teach you about life.
Swindon, UK
Fortunately, there are markings at the Magic Circle in Swindon, but even with them it is difficult to understand how to drive here, because there is only one great circle five small ones are arranged. Six small streets converge at the junction, and best option for a beginner - turn left at the entrance. However, the British are already used to it: in the 1970s, the scheme was popular in Great Britain, and similar types of interchanges were built in several cities. There are also “light versions”, where there are not five small circles, but, for example, two.
Osaka, Japan
Osaka coastline - endless quay walls in the shape of origami figures. The coastal areas are almost entirely unfilled; there is no extra space on the lands reclaimed from the sea. Therefore, the Bayshore toll highway is laid on the “second floor” above residential and port areas. And to ensure that the bridges across the harbors are of sufficient height, spiral roads lead from the streets to the overpasses.
Newark, USA
Newark International Airport is the second of three airports serving New York City and the surrounding area. It opened back in 1928, but traffic grew quickly, as did motorization in New Jersey. In 1952 they built here complex outcome of five highways that not only carry transit traffic, but also serve as access roads to the giant airport.
Kansas City, USA
A small six-kilometer ring connects nine highways and is called the “Alphabet Loop.” Inside is downtown Kansas City, and the 23 exits on both sides of the loop are numbered sequentially, starting with 2A and ending with 2Y. If the Americans build three more congresses, they will have a complete Latin alphabet.
