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Most Worthless Control Cities

Started by paulthemapguy, March 13, 2016, 12:36:15 AM

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SD Mapman

SDDOT likes to use the immediately adjacent towns as control cities at exits; this leads to silliness like this:

Ah yes, the bustling metropolis of Vivian! At least Kennebec is the county seat...
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton


kphoger

And I see northbound gets Vivian as well, yet nothing at all for the eastbound direction.

US Route meets Interstate:  who needs a control city?
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Flint1979

Winner makes sense. It's the county seat of Tripp County and also the administrative center of neighboring Todd County, which does not have its own county seat.

Vivian is the one that makes zero sense.

Rothman

Quote from: Flint1979 on April 22, 2022, 01:44:02 PM
Winner makes sense. It's the county seat of Tripp County and also the administrative center of neighboring Todd County, which does not have its own county seat.

Vivian is the one that makes zero sense.
I just got back from a trip through the area.  I don't mind control cities like these given where the town centers are actually located.

Actually took a detour into Ong, NE because of a control city sign and wouldn't have without it.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Flint1979

Quote from: Rothman on April 22, 2022, 05:46:59 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on April 22, 2022, 01:44:02 PM
Winner makes sense. It's the county seat of Tripp County and also the administrative center of neighboring Todd County, which does not have its own county seat.

Vivian is the one that makes zero sense.
I just got back from a trip through the area.  I don't mind control cities like these given where the town centers are actually located.

Actually took a detour into Ong, NE because of a control city sign and wouldn't have without it.
That's the kind of town I love pulling into.

US 89

Quote from: Flint1979 on April 22, 2022, 01:44:02 PM
Winner makes sense. It's the county seat of Tripp County and also the administrative center of neighboring Todd County, which does not have its own county seat.

Vivian is the one that makes zero sense.

Funny thing is of those three towns, Vivian is the only one I've heard of. Why? It's where the largest hailstone both by diameter (8.0 inches) and weight (1.9375 pounds) fell in a 2010 storm.

hobsini2

Quote from: tolbs17 on March 17, 2022, 05:27:25 PM
Like there is no Raleigh on the right sign

https://goo.gl/maps/uEaSowh2Ta7kM5Rq5
But Martinsville does make sense since that is where I-73 will go. And you have not gone through the heart of Greensboro yet. I got no problem with no Raleigh on THAT sign. However, it could read "Greensboro - Raleigh / Martinsville".
I knew it. I'm surrounded by assholes. Keep firing, assholes! - Dark Helmet (Spaceballs)

Flint1979

Quote from: US 89 on April 26, 2022, 12:12:30 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on April 22, 2022, 01:44:02 PM
Winner makes sense. It's the county seat of Tripp County and also the administrative center of neighboring Todd County, which does not have its own county seat.

Vivian is the one that makes zero sense.

Funny thing is of those three towns, Vivian is the only one I've heard of. Why? It's where the largest hailstone both by diameter (8.0 inches) and weight (1.9375 pounds) fell in a 2010 storm.
LOL Vivian is so tiny.

SD Mapman

Quote from: US 89 on April 26, 2022, 12:12:30 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on April 22, 2022, 01:44:02 PM
Winner makes sense. It's the county seat of Tripp County and also the administrative center of neighboring Todd County, which does not have its own county seat.

Vivian is the one that makes zero sense.

Funny thing is of those three towns, Vivian is the only one I've heard of. Why? It's where the largest hailstone both by diameter (8.0 inches) and weight (1.9375 pounds) fell in a 2010 storm.
Why am I not surprised we have that record... the weather out here is insane nonsense.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

CtrlAltDel

Quote from: CtrlAltDel on January 14, 2022, 06:54:42 PM
Malvern? Where the hell is Malvern?



Malvern is now where I am.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!  :-D

(I'm at the Super 8 for the night. It's okay.)
Interstates clinched: 4, 57, 275 (IN-KY-OH), 465 (IN), 640 (TN), 985
State Interstates clinched: I-26 (TN), I-75 (GA), I-75 (KY), I-75 (TN), I-81 (WV), I-95 (NH)

hobsini2

Quote from: CtrlAltDel on June 14, 2022, 12:56:13 AM
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on January 14, 2022, 06:54:42 PM
Malvern? Where the hell is Malvern?



Malvern is now where I am.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!  :-D

(I'm at the Super 8 for the night. It's okay.)

I would have had Hot Springs instead of Malvern even though you have to go 15 miles off I-30. A bit more of an important destination.
I knew it. I'm surrounded by assholes. Keep firing, assholes! - Dark Helmet (Spaceballs)

roadman65

Yes, these days control cities are getting too conformed IMO.  They should  see what the needs are for local folks and figure out what they would like to see as a control destination. Yes uniform signs are consistent, but in some cases they do not help. US 11 & 15 in Enola, PA is one for sure.  You have Harrisburg as NB I-81 in which locals NB on the US routes have no use for it as you already passed it on the route. You are in its metro area as well. Hazleton, should now be used as it's next on the list and nearby Wertzville Road should also be changed to that as well as PA 581 ( as that is useless to use anyhow) should be Hazleton as well.

Then again we're talking about PennDOT, the same agency that used Trenton from US 1 in Langhorne for I-95 north until I-295 took over for them to remove it.  Plus how long did it take to remove US 1 signs from its now business route in Bucks County to the completed freeway between Oxford Valley and Morrisville? 1990 or 1991 is finally when I-95 guides showed US 1 on the freeway and US 1 Business on its old route when the switch was done in 1987.  For those three or four years the Oxford Valley Cloverleaf had US 1 as numberless and Business US 1 was signed for Trenton despite the freeway as being faster.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

kphoger

Quote from: roadman65 on June 15, 2022, 03:46:00 PM
They should  see what the needs are for local folks

I disagree.  Control cities are important more for out-of-towners than for locals.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

1995hoo

From another thread:

Quote from: 1995hoo on March 03, 2014, 10:57:42 PM
Norwood, Maryland. Even the people who live there hadn't heard of it until it appeared on a BGS.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

kirbykart

White River Junction from I-89 ramps onto I-91 north. When I see the White River Jct. control on I-91 I think "I-89 junction". So using it as a destination on the ramps from I-89, when WRJ is like less than a mile away, really doesn't make sense; just use St. Johnsbury! Many people on I-89 who want to get to WRJ will use the prior exits anyways.

roadman65

https://goo.gl/maps/VaKN6c9dR9gSyExA9
Waltham really?  Who ever heard of that city?  I think Providence would be best for here.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Chrysler375Freeway

On some I-5 signs at interchanges on the route I-5 intersects with in California, the northbound control city is simply Portland, omitting nearby Oregon locales such as Medford or Grants Pass (where it and US 199 intersect), or even the southernmost large Oregon city along the route (Eugene), among other California localities, even when northbound signs in Oregon show locales such as Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass before switching to Portland in Grants Pass (although at some junctions signs will show other cities such as Eugene.).

roadman65

Quote from: Chrysler375Freeway on December 18, 2022, 01:25:25 AM
On some I-5 signs at interchanges on the route I-5 intersects with in California, the northbound control city is simply Portland, omitting nearby Oregon locales such as Medford or Grants Pass (where it and US 199 intersect), or even the southernmost large Oregon city along the route (Eugene), among other California localities, even when northbound signs in Oregon show locales such as Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass before switching to Portland in Grants Pass (although at some junctions signs will show other cities such as Eugene.).

Tulsa appears in St. Louis on I-44, yet leave St. Louie and Rolla, Springfield, and Joplin appear before you see Tulsa again.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

kphoger

I drove past these three signs on Saturday, and I've got to say, I wasn't exactly thrilled with their choice for the second line.  Not really a control city, but still.

Also, the math doesn't seem quite right...

https://goo.gl/maps/duCDy3HJPZHgAYmC7
https://goo.gl/maps/6VGctjNEW2gYdcmn6
https://goo.gl/maps/L4Xn8PgUYqBzXSP78

On the other hand, here's a legit control city at an exit I took five days earlier, and I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out how Ciudad Mier seemed like a better idea than Apodaca or Cadereyta or China or Reynosa or any other town that isn't eighty miles away from highway 40, in another state, and back in the opposite general direction of the traffic facing the sign.

https://goo.gl/maps/Sf3HjyrE8bBfgism6
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

hobsini2

Quote from: roadman65 on December 18, 2022, 03:25:11 PM
Quote from: Chrysler375Freeway on December 18, 2022, 01:25:25 AM
On some I-5 signs at interchanges on the route I-5 intersects with in California, the northbound control city is simply Portland, omitting nearby Oregon locales such as Medford or Grants Pass (where it and US 199 intersect), or even the southernmost large Oregon city along the route (Eugene), among other California localities, even when northbound signs in Oregon show locales such as Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass before switching to Portland in Grants Pass (although at some junctions signs will show other cities such as Eugene.).

Tulsa appears in St. Louis on I-44, yet leave St. Louie and Rolla, Springfield, and Joplin appear before you see Tulsa again.
I have no problem with Joplin. It's a decent sized city at an interstate junction. Using Springfield in St Louis would be confusing with Springfield IL which is closer to St Louis than the Missouri one.
I knew it. I'm surrounded by assholes. Keep firing, assholes! - Dark Helmet (Spaceballs)

hobsini2

Quote from: kphoger on June 12, 2023, 03:21:48 PM
I drove past these three signs on Saturday, and I've got to say, I wasn't exactly thrilled with their choice for the second line.  Not really a control city, but still.

Also, the math doesn't seem quite right...

https://goo.gl/maps/duCDy3HJPZHgAYmC7
https://goo.gl/maps/6VGctjNEW2gYdcmn6
https://goo.gl/maps/L4Xn8PgUYqBzXSP78

On the other hand, here's a legit control city at an exit I took five days earlier, and I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out how Ciudad Mier seemed like a better idea than Apodaca or Cadereyta or China or Reynosa or any other town that isn't eighty miles away from highway 40, in another state, and back in the opposite general direction of the traffic facing the sign.

https://goo.gl/maps/Sf3HjyrE8bBfgism6
Van Horn as a control is terrible but historically, it goes back to the days when I-10 was being built and US 90 was the through route. Van Horn is the only town of consequence west of Ft Stockton until you got to El Paso. So I get it as a secondary but this far away from it, VH should not be signed that consistently until you get to Ft Stockton.
From Junction, Ft Stockton is 196 miles. Van Horn is another 119 miles from there and El Paso is 120 from VH. Texas really should have 3 controls on their mileage signs.
I knew it. I'm surrounded by assholes. Keep firing, assholes! - Dark Helmet (Spaceballs)

roadman65

https://goo.gl/maps/j9CHXcVoMYwXSyMx6
Using Morristown at this location now is worthless. Now with I-287 nearby, that particular freeway is better suited to get you there.

Considering that the next following exit for Pompton Lakes brings you that particular place there via US 202 anyway, just resign “ Morristown “ with Pompton Lakes on the US 202 guide ( removing it from the second exit) and problem solved.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Flint1979

Quote from: roadman65 on July 25, 2023, 08:45:01 AM
https://goo.gl/maps/j9CHXcVoMYwXSyMx6
Using Morristown at this location now is worthless. Now with I-287 nearby, that particular freeway is better suited to get you there.

Considering that the next following exit for Pompton Lakes brings you that particular place there via US 202 anyway, just resign " Morristown " with Pompton Lakes on the US 202 guide ( removing it from the second exit) and problem solved.
I think the point here is that US-202 south does take you to Morristown.

roadman65

Quote from: Flint1979 on July 25, 2023, 08:59:56 AM
Quote from: roadman65 on July 25, 2023, 08:45:01 AM
https://goo.gl/maps/j9CHXcVoMYwXSyMx6
Using Morristown at this location now is worthless. Now with I-287 nearby, that particular freeway is better suited to get you there.

Considering that the next following exit for Pompton Lakes brings you that particular place there via US 202 anyway, just resign " Morristown " with Pompton Lakes on the US 202 guide ( removing it from the second exit) and problem solved.
I think the point here is that US-202 south does take you to Morristown.

Yeah but I-287 is faster.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

PNWRoadgeek

Everything on I-80 in Pennsylvania, it just gets worse as it goes on. Stroudsburg? Bloomsburg? Sharon? What are these places. I understand that they may be for historical reasons. But I had never heard of those towns until I looked up I-80's control cities. It's unfortunate because Pennsylvania is ok on I-90, and for the most part they are mid on I-99 as well(Except for all of that Port Matilda stuff, that's gotta go)

Overall, I feel like Pennsylvania can be good if they want to. The tricky thing with a Control City is that you have to make it a safe distance from the previous city that was signed, as well as that city being a major hub for that state. Even L*mon counts.
I will clinch the Interstate system someday(hopefully)...



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