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Roman Roads (2017)

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Re: Roman Roads (2017)

#81

Post by kbolino »

palata wrote: post #20
behnamoh wrote: post #10

Sometimes I wonder if we've regressed in terms of attention to quality. Here in the US, I see lots of potholes on the streets and sidewalks. Meanwhile, the ancient cobblestone roads are still functional to this day.

> Sometimes I wonder if we've regressed in terms of attention to quality. In a way we have, yes! In our modern society we optimize for profit. Always, everywhere. The reasons our roads won't last thousands of years is precisely that it would be less profitable.

The Romans hadn't invented the exact forms of the joint-stock company and limited-liability corporation yet, but they certainly had greed and short-sightedness.

Re: Roman Roads (2017)

#82

Post by kbolino »

readthenotes1 wrote: post #42
behnamoh wrote: post #10

Sometimes I wonder if we've regressed in terms of attention to quality. Here in the US, I see lots of potholes on the streets and sidewalks. Meanwhile, the ancient cobblestone roads are still functional to this day.

Bad roads are safer. We design our roads to be driven much faster than anyone should. Potholes and rough areas slow us down

Controlled-access freeways (interstates, motorways, autobahns) have much lower accident rates per mile than other roads with lower speed limits and more distractions.

Of course, the two broad categories of road largely serve different purposes, so one can't go around replacing side streets with freeways, either.

Re: Roman Roads (2017)

#83

Post by chewz »

xandrius wrote: post #52
wongarsu wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

About 30km/18 miles per day is a common value used in Europe. On a single day you can easily do twice that if you don't carry too much and are used to walking long distances, but it would be difficult to sustain. Also the number allows for time to set up camp (and tear it down in the morning), prepare meals, etc.

Saying that 60km "can be easily done" is quite a stretch. After 30-40km, even on flat, most people wouldn't do it easily at all. And I walk about 10km daily in one session and often do 30+km hikes.

When I was a boy scout (so 16 -18 yo) we were walking as a team 50-70 km per day and could sustain that for 2-3 days. More perhaps, but there was nowhere to go any further. We were wearing 20 kg in rather uncomfortable backpacks.

On forced marches we could keep 7-8 km/h speed. And sometime we have practiced legionary walk which is alternating 200 steps jogging and 700 steps walking.

One of the badges was for walking 100 km in a day and lot of my friends got it.

But back then we were generally walking a lot, day by day, every year.

Good shoes and good motivation.

I am not doing this anymore.

Re: Roman Roads (2017)

#84

Post by jonmon6691 »

I don't know if "Genava" is the same as modern day Geneva CH, but if it is, then how is can it be correct to show Vienna to the west of it? I get that a subway map abstracts the physical layout, but surely this is a mistake in the topology??

Re: Roman Roads (2017)

#85

Post by beerandt »

busyant wrote: post #47

Pretty cool. My parents grew up in small villages that are adjacent to one of these ancient roads (via Tiburtina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Tiburtina ) and the road basically still exists as a modern road. I remember driving near Pescara with my parents in the 1990s--they had not been back to Italy in 35+ years and they were trying to find their way back to their home towns. We stopped the car on the side of…

Newer but similar thing with Old Spanish Trail through the southern US (and similar historic trails).

So many roads named after something or named some nostalgic but generic thing, that no one realizes when they are actually driving on the modernized version of the real thing.

Among other things, it seems most expect there to be a route 66 style or (american) rail-row insitu abandoned artifact of these roads (which do sometimes exist in stretches of realignment) but don't realize that un-abandoned places generally aren't going to abandon their roads.

ETA: Old Spanish Trail went from the Atlantic coast of Florida to the Pacific along the Gulf Coast then continued west. But the places with continuous use to today from Texas east are now more often excluded from 'Old Spanish Trail' maps.

Re: Roman Roads (2017)

#86

Post by ipsi »

jonmon6691 wrote: post #84

I don't know if "Genava" is the same as modern day Geneva CH, but if it is, then how is can it be correct to show Vienna to the west of it? I get that a subway map abstracts the physical layout, but surely this is a mistake in the topology??

I believe the Vienna on the map is, today, Vienne, a French Commune: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienne,_Is%C3%A8re

Re: Roman Roads (2017)

#87

Post by [deleted] »

beerandt wrote: post #85
busyant wrote: post #47

Pretty cool. My parents grew up in small villages that are adjacent to one of these ancient roads (via Tiburtina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Tiburtina ) and the road basically still exists as a modern road. I remember driving near Pescara with my parents in the 1990s--they had not been back to Italy in 35+ years and they were trying to find their way back to their home towns. We stopped the car on the side of…

Newer but similar thing with Old Spanish Trail through the southern US (and similar historic trails). So many roads named after something or named some nostalgic but generic thing, that no one realizes when they are actually driving on the modernized version of the real thing. Among other things, it seems most expect there to be a route 66 style or (american) rail-row insitu abandoned artifact of these roads (which d…

[deleted]

Re: Roman Roads (2017)

#88

Post by alephxyz »

jonmon6691 wrote: post #84

I don't know if "Genava" is the same as modern day Geneva CH, but if it is, then how is can it be correct to show Vienna to the west of it? I get that a subway map abstracts the physical layout, but surely this is a mistake in the topology??

The current city of Vienna was Vindobana in Roman times. The Gaul Vienna on this map is now https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienne,_Is%C3%A8re

Re: Roman Roads (2017)

#89

Post by reaperducer »

xandrius wrote: post #78
reaperducer wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was in elementary school, we would do charity walks every year to raise money for the poor. They were 20 miles. It took us all day, but if a bunch of kids between fourth and eighth grades and their nun teachers can do it, I'm surprised how many adults on this web site think it's too far.

Was it nicely paved and mostly flat? And how did you feel at the end of it? Would you do it again the next day?

Mostly paved, but absolutely not flat. Some of the hills I wouldn't tackle on my bicycle.
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