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California Cities Offer the Bumpiest Ride

Five California cities have made the Top 10 list of bumpiest rides in America. The ranking from The Road Information Program uses state and federal data to analyze the smoothness of rides as good, acceptable or unacceptable

by Staff
May 27, 2003
2 min to read


Five California cities have made the Top 10 list of bumpiest rides in America.
The ranking from The Road Information Program uses state and federal data to analyze the smoothness of rides as good, acceptable or unacceptable.

"California's urban roads are so battered by commercial and commuter traffic that they provide overwhelmingly unacceptable rides," says Bert Sandman, chairman of Transportation California. "This translates into a de facto 'bad road tax' on motorists who pay a steep price in repairs, poor gas mileage and added wear and tear. For most Californians that amounts to an extra $600 to $700 a year."
Los Angeles and San Jose are tied at the top of the national list with 67% of their major roads delivering unacceptable rides. Close behind are San Diego and San Francisco-Oakland, tied at third and fourth with 61% unacceptable. Sacramento is sixth on the list with 50% unacceptable. New Orleans, Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City and Oklahoma City also are in the Top 10 list.
The national average shows 25% of major urban roads are unacceptable, 43% have acceptable ride quality, and 32% are good. The study included interstate highways, freeways and other main arterial routes. The Top 10 list is of cities with a population above one million.
"At current levels of use, our roads are only going to get worse," Sandman says. Urban travel by large commercial trucks increased by 46% over the last decade while overall urban vehicle travel increased by 30%. Heavy truck travel nationally is anticipated to increase by 49% by the year 2020.
For on online version of the study, go to .
Transportation California is a coalition of contractors, unions, local transportation planning agencies and other organizations concerned about the future of California transportation systems.

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