Road-related term proposals

[wxfree]

Let's add to the road glossary.  I propose the following terms:

WTF Point: A point at which a two-way road ends at a freeway frontage road that also ends at that point, while the frontage road is one-way toward the ending road.  The only legal maneuver is a U-turn.  I pronounce this as "dubya-tee-eff point," not in a more rude way, but that's subject to interpretation.  More description and examples are here: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=14178.0

Dead Lane: A lane that ends at an intersection with no legal movements available.  Example here: https://www.google.com/maps/@32.346943,-97.412457,3a,75y,5.09h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFAYcwCWTNQ7OdOkPWcnJfA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en  The right lane turns right, the left turn lane turns left, and the middle lane goes nowhere.  There is no sign or pavement marking closing the lane.  Occasionally a car ends up in the dead lane and has to make an illegal turn.  I named this after a dead ball in football.

Sandwich Interchange: An interchange in which the main through lanes are at the top and bottom.  With the through lanes generally being straight and the widest roads, they form the bread with the other components in between (maybe I'm the only one who sees that).  An example is at US 75 and President George Bush Turnpike: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.0040261,-96.7082559,405m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en  There may be a need for another term for any interchange with through lanes at the top level.

Hard Split/Soft Split: A hard split is a point at which one or more lanes split from other lanes when each lane follows one path to one roadway.  A soft split is a split in which one lane has the option to follow one of two paths to different roadways.  In a multi-lane split, I'm not certain if only that one lane performs the soft split or if the whole split is soft because of that one lane's characteristics.  I think the former is more useful, as one could say "the second lane from the left soft splits."

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram used the term "toll jacked" to describe the situation in which one is charged for a longer piece of toll road than one uses, in a barrier toll system, such as when one drives only from an entrance to the next exit, but is charged for the distance all the way to the next major intersection.  I'd never heard that term before.

In the discussion about five-level interchanges, I thought that there should be a special sub-category for the more rare form of interchange that has five levels of access-controlled roads, and not a level of only frontage roads.  There may be a better term, but one I think of is "Super-5."  That seems a bit dramatic-sounding, so maybe there's a better, more moderate, term.

What are some other new terms you've thought of or heard?

[vtk]

WTF point: so, basically, anywhere a one-way road transitions to two-way without a side street?

Dead lane: I like this term.

Sandwich interchange: this makes sense, and is compatible with "hamburger interchange", examples of which are usually built like a sandwich interchange.

Now my own contribution...

Ramplet: a channelized right turn at an intersection. Not to be confused with "porkchop", which is the small, roughly triangular island between the ramplet and the intersection corner.

[wxfree]

The WTF point is where a two-way road and a one-way road end at the same place, with one direction of the two-way traffic having nowhere to go.  The one-way road is going toward, not away from, the two-way road.  The name expresses the frustration of a driver who has no legal option but to turn around and go back the way he came.  Examples are given in the other discussion linked to.

Dead lane is my favorite one of my suggestions.

I like ramplet and pork chop.  I especially like terms that describe features with a practical effects on drivers or pedestrians.  These two items affect the way drivers deal with pedestrians and the way pedestrians cross streets.

[english si]

is compatible with "hamburger interchange", examples of which are usually built like a sandwich interchange.

They are nearly all two-levels (though hamburger roundabouts are more common).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-30775167
http://www.cbrd.co.uk/dictionary/#h

[vtk]

is compatible with "hamburger interchange", examples of which are usually built like a sandwich interchange.

They are nearly all two-levels (though hamburger roundabouts are more common).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-30775167
http://www.cbrd.co.uk/dictionary/#h

It seems I was a bit off regarding the hamburger.

[roadfro]

Let's add to the road glossary.  I propose the following terms:

WTF Point: A point at which a two-way road ends at a freeway frontage road that also ends at that point, while the frontage road is one-way toward the ending road.  The only legal maneuver is a U-turn.  I pronounce this as "dubya-tee-eff point," not in a more rude way, but that's subject to interpretation.  More description and examples are here: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=14178.0

I would say a WTF point wouldn't necessarily need to involve frontage roads, but would be any similar situation to that described in which there is no forewarning of the situation.

Hard Split/Soft Split: A hard split is a point at which one or more lanes split from other lanes when each lane follows one path to one roadway.  A soft split is a split in which one lane has the option to follow one of two paths to different roadways.  In a multi-lane split, I'm not certain if only that one lane performs the soft split or if the whole split is soft because of that one lane's characteristics.  I think the former is more useful, as one could say "the second lane from the left soft splits."

What you describe as a "soft split" kinda already has a recognized term: Option lane. Although I can see the soft split idea being used more where two overlapping routes diverge to two separate mainlines (whereas an option lane can exist at practically any regular service interchange, or even on surface street intersections).

[Tarkus]

I've recently started using the portmanteau "flellow" (flashing yellow) to refer to the FYAs that are absolutely ubiquitous out this way.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I would say a WTF point wouldn't necessarily need to involve frontage roads, but would be any similar situation to that described in which there is no forewarning of the situation.

Indeed. I know an example of a WTF point which doesn't involve a frontage road. But at least there is a forewarning.

I have coined two road-related terms for my mother language. One is 'Semáforo trampa', which can be translated into 'trap traffic light' (even though is not much of a trap), which refers to those traffic lights with speed detectors located at the entrance of villages. They stay red if you are over the speed limit, and only change to flashing yellow when you get below that limit.

The other one is 'Puilatos', with no translation avalaible as it is taken from the name of a 'new town' built in the 50s and had to be demolished only twenty years later due to a sinkhole. It was located here. By this term I refer to any road that goes through a sinkhole, which causes it to sink repeatedly, even when repaired. Much like the A-23 expressway in the area I linked.

[wxfree]

I would say a WTF point wouldn't necessarily need to involve frontage roads, but would be any similar situation to that described in which there is no forewarning of the situation.

I really didn't intended for it to be restricted to frontage roads.  I wrote it that way because the only ones I know of involve frontage roads, so I just had that in mind.