The World's Most Boring Roads

I have a new theory. The world's most interesting roads are in mountainous areas and the most boring roads are in areas which are very flat.

My theory is based on two interactive maps which show where the world's straightest and bendiest roads are. How Straight or Bendy are the Roads and tortuOSMity both use OpenStreetMap data to calculate the relative straightness of roads. Each map uses a different formula to calculate road straightness (the tortuOSMity formula), but seem to produce similar results.


Both maps also seem to show that elevation plays a big part in determining the straightness of roads. On both maps the most bendy roads seem to be mainly in mountainous areas. This makes sense as you would expect mountain roads to contain a lot of switchbacks and relatively few straight sections.

My boringness theory of roads obviously equates long, straight roads with tedious drives and curvy roads with excitement.