Things every roadgeek should know

[Hurricane Rex]

The warmer the climate generally means a higher treeline. Other option is heavy snowfall to support or deny a specific height where trees are.

[formulanone]

Holy mother of Cheetos!

Another thing every roadgeek should know:
This is, without question, the longest single page on the forum 

Hey, Formula One:  when's the pop quiz?

I'm still very much a student at all this...

[webny99]

Surely we have not exhausted this topic yet (aside from formulaone's list )

You may also mention things that roadgeeks should know that are specific to your area. For example, a roadgeek from Rochester should know that the Outer Loop used to be NY-47, and the I-490/NY-590 junction used to be two dangerously close T-junctions.

I also think roadgeeks should know every exit, exit number, and control city in their immediate area by heart.

[inkyatari]

Carl Rogers is a buffoon.

I thought everyone knew that at birth?

[kphoger]

Things every roadgeek should know:

The way it's done in your district/state/country isn't necessarily the way it's done elsewhere, and that doesn't make everyone else "wrong".

[kurumi]

Some sources are better than others, but all sources are fallible. We've seen mistakes in:
* our own recollections
* what other people remember
* maps (typos, road classifications, etc.)
* websites (including mine)
* books
* newspaper articles
* DOT materials

Definitely find multiple sources for a fact if you can.

However, on occasion, something that looks like a typo will turn out to be true. Example: a segment of today's CT 187, shown on an old map as SR 921. Obvious mistake (thought at the time); there are no secret routes in the 900s. In truth, there were and still are.

[CtrlAltDel]

The proper name for each state's route systems (e.g. that it is not Route 32 that you'll find in Kansas City, but K-32, that you won't find Route 9 in Oklahoma but State Highway 9, and that you won't find Highway 128 in Massachusetts but Route 128).

I'm well aware of these differences, although the part of me that likes consistency hates them, and I do not maintain them. That is, if I were talking about the preceding routes, I would refer to them as KS-32, OK-9, and MA-128.

[webny99]

The proper name for each state's route systems (e.g. that it is not Route 32 that you'll find in Kansas City, but K-32, that you won't find Route 9 in Oklahoma but State Highway 9, and that you won't find Highway 128 in Massachusetts but Route 128).

I'm well aware of these differences, although the part of me that likes consistency hates them, and I do not maintain them. That is, if I were talking about the preceding routes, I would refer to them as KS-32, OK-9, and MA-128.

I also am in favor of using the above formatting, as I tend to place a high premium on consistency (especially within a state, but nationwide as well). Remembering all those differences seems like a lot of unnecessary work, although roadgeeks, of all people, should surely learn them by heart anyways 

[jon daly]

What else should every roadgeek know?

How to search....especially on this forum. I cannot stress how many times we see new threads begun on this forum by usually-newer users who ask questions without bothering to see if there was a previous thread with the answer they were looking for.

Ironically enough, that is one of the reasons I started this thread. That is also one of the reasons that I recommended this thread get a sticky tack.

I'm sort of a newbie; signing up years ago but only recently becoming active. I thought that I read somewhere here that we shouldn't dredge up old threads and pst in them. (Maybe this one is too old.) What If we have something new to add to a topic?

[hotdogPi]

What else should every roadgeek know?

How to search....especially on this forum. I cannot stress how many times we see new threads begun on this forum by usually-newer users who ask questions without bothering to see if there was a previous thread with the answer they were looking for.

Ironically enough, that is one of the reasons I started this thread. That is also one of the reasons that I recommended this thread get a sticky tack.

I'm sort of a newbie; signing up years ago but only recently becoming active. I thought that I read somewhere here that we shouldn't dredge up old threads and pst in them. (Maybe this one is too old.) What If we have something new to add to a topic?

If it's an update on a road project, it's always better to revive the old thread than to start a new one, even if the thread is several years old.

[webny99]

I'm sort of a newbie; signing up years ago but only recently becoming active. I thought that I read somewhere here that we shouldn't dredge up old threads and post in them. (Maybe this one is too old.) What If we have something new to add to a topic?

You probably read that here.

This thread certainly isn't too old to revive - I started it only last December. We've had threads "bumped" five years later or even longer. Feel free to add whatever you want to this discussion; we have covered a lot of the bases, but it's not an exhaustive topic.

[kphoger]

I'm sort of a newbie; signing up years ago but only recently becoming active. I thought that I read somewhere here that we shouldn't dredge up old threads and pst in them. (Maybe this one is too old.) What If we have something new to add to a topic?

If you are adding meaningful content to the thread, then resurrecting it is OK.
If your post isn't all that meaningful, then it's better to just leave the thread in the grave.

That being said, everyone on here knows the search feature takes a lot of getting used to.  It's possible there's already a thread about what you want to say, but you can't find it.  So don't worry if people hassle you for not doing due diligence in searching for an existing topic; those folks are usually just the ones who've gotten halfway good at searching the forum and want to show off their mad skillz.

[formulanone]

I've found that the search feature works best by starting at the main forum page, so it searches all sub-forums. If you get the maximum number of results (30), then you'll have to click on a forum category or sub-forum to narrow down results. You can also search through a particular thread, if you begin your search while reading that same thread.

[MCRoads]

What else should every roadgeek know?

How to search....especially on this forum. I cannot stress how many times we see new threads begun on this forum by usually-newer users who ask questions without bothering to see if there was a previous thread with the answer they were looking for.

Ironically enough, that is one of the reasons I started this thread. That is also one of the reasons that I recommended this thread get a sticky tack.

I'm sort of a newbie; signing up years ago but only recently becoming active. I thought that I read somewhere here that we shouldn't dredge up old threads and pst in them. (Maybe this one is too old.) What If we have something new to add to a topic?

Well, if you have something to add, add it! Otherwise, your original post isn't very meaningful, and thus, this thread has been reserected for no good reason.

[jon daly]

I did want to second the poster who said that this should be pinned.

[webny99]

I did want to second the poster who said that this should be pinned.

Well, thanks 
I'm glad others found it helpful - I know I would have, had it been around when I joined. I was actually quite surprised to find that a similar thread didn't already exist (at least not that I could find).

[SSR_317]

Things every roadgeek should know:

The way it's done in your district/state/country isn't necessarily the way it's done elsewhere, and that doesn't make everyone else "wrong".

Unless, of course, it's naming an Interstate highway as an "Expressway" rather than a "Freeway". 

[MCRoads]

Things every roadgeek should know:

The way it's done in your district/state/country isn't necessarily the way it's done elsewhere, and that doesn't make everyone else "wrong".

Unless, of course, it's naming an Interstate highway as an "Expressway" rather than a "Freeway". 

Pretty sure they are synonymous...

[hotdogPi]

Things every roadgeek should know:

The way it's done in your district/state/country isn't necessarily the way it's done elsewhere, and that doesn't make everyone else "wrong".

Unless, of course, it's naming an Interstate highway as an "Expressway" rather than a "Freeway". 

Pretty sure they are synonymous...

Some places make a distinction (freeways have a higher standard than expressways), while others don't.

[jon daly]

Is there a roadgeek dictionary? I know that clinching a route means driving or riding the entire distance, but what does it mean to clinch a county?

[kphoger]

what does it mean to clinch a county?

To most county clinchers, it means they've been there.  To others, it means they've visited the county seat.

[US71]

For starters,  Breezewood, PA
What else should every roadgeek know?

Walk on Left, Facing Traffic

[MNHighwayMan]

For starters,  Breezewood, PA
What else should every roadgeek know?

Walk on Left, Facing Traffic

That's something everyone should know, though.

[hbelkins]

what does it mean to clinch a county?

To most county clinchers, it means they've been there.  To others, it means they've visited the county seat.

I think the term "clinch" is misused where visiting counties is concerned. To me, in the county-collecting context, you visit counties and you clinch states when you visit all the counties in a state.

Things every roadgeek should know:

The way it's done in your district/state/country isn't necessarily the way it's done elsewhere, and that doesn't make everyone else "wrong".

Unless, of course, it's naming an Interstate highway as an "Expressway" rather than a "Freeway". 

Pretty sure they are synonymous...

The late Randy Hersh didn't think so. I once posted a question to MTR about the NYC-area freeway system, and Randy never missed an opportunity to be a jerk. He proceeded to lecture me that "freeway" was a California term and they are "expressways" in NYC.

[formulanone]

Things every roadgeek should know:

The way it's done in your district/state/country isn't necessarily the way it's done elsewhere, and that doesn't make everyone else "wrong".

Unless, of course, it's naming an Interstate highway as an "Expressway" rather than a "Freeway". 

Pretty sure they are synonymous...

The late Randy Hersh didn't think so. I once posted a question to MTR about the NYC-area freeway system, and Randy never missed an opportunity to be a jerk. He proceeded to lecture me that "freeway" was a California term and they are "expressways" in NYC.

Not to speak ill of the dead, but there's always going to be some who don't understand that sometimes there's always going to be exceptions to the rules, and sometimes...that the rules might actually be the exceptions.