“Like driving over waves”: Zagreb resident complains about new asphalt on busy road

New asphalt on part of Selska Road near a Zagreb school left one resident feeling less like he was driving on a smooth surface than over gentle waves.

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Honestly, I do not know which company carried out the work, I would have to look into it more closely, but last night I drove along this newly asphalted section of Selska near the school and I have to admit it was not flat at all.

The resident described passing the newly paved section in the evening and being surprised that it was not flat. He said he was not referring to an occasional bump, which can be expected on urban roads, but to a surface that appeared “slightly wavy.” He asked whether other drivers had noticed the same problem or whether it was only his impression.

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I passed by today. I saw that new asphalt was being laid and expected a smooth transition, but then the wheels started drumming and making small jumps.

Several Reddit users joined the discussion with their own observations. One commenter said the wheels began “drumming” and making small jumps after the car reached the new asphalt, despite expecting a smooth transition. Another offered a possible technical explanation, saying that a road roller can create a ridge in front of itself if it travels too fast, then roll over the material it has gathered and leave a bump behind. A third commenter summed up the impression in a short phrase: “Like driving over waves.”

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If it is wavy, then the roller was driving too fast. The roller gathers material in front of itself, but if it moves too quickly, it rolls over what it has gathered and a bump remains.

The conversation soon moved beyond Selska Road and toward the broader condition of Zagreb’s paved streets. One user said the quality “varies greatly, from case to case,” praising the underpass near Vjesnik as an example of well-executed work while criticizing some other sections. Another said neighborhood street paving was “mostly criminal” and argued that road construction deserved closer attention because defects there are especially visible and noticeable.

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Like driving over waves.