Favorite things about roads and driving

[CtrlAltDel]

I just modified a bunch of Interstate shields for the 3DI font thread, and that got me to thinking that I really like seeing that Interstate route assembly when I'm merging onto the road, especially when I'm driving in a rural area, after having gotten gas or having done some recreational activity. It's like a welcoming beacon, telling me that a pleasant experience is ahead.

I also like driving through cities at night. I find the lit-up buildings to be scenic, and a nice change from the fields and forests of more rural areas. Also, I like all the lanes and – this is important – not being stuck in traffic. The best routes for this I've found are I-75/85 in Atlanta, and I-71/75 in Cincinnati, especially coming from the south, as the road curves around a hill, revealing the skyline all at once.

And that led me to wonder: What are some of the things you like most about driving or roads?



(I apologize if this had been brought up before. I looked, but I wasn't able to find anything.)

[Max Rockatansky]

I tend to enjoy roads that have a lot of curves, high grades, little traffic and preferably no cell service.  Freeways bore the hell to me to drive on and I'll actively go out of my way to avoid them on road trips. 

[Flint1979]

I love driving on roads that have almost no traffic on them. As I've gotten older I've grown tired of big cities which I use to love now I'm not so much into the big city life anymore so I like small towns now. The big cities are too frustrating to drive in and the small towns are plentiful and peaceful for the most part.

Another thing is I like taking alternate routes rather than taking an Interstate highway unless I'm in a hurry to get somewhere. Like today I went from Saginaw to Detroit and back to Saginaw. I started out taking M-13 south of Saginaw until the end then took Byron Road and got on some back roads to get across US-23 and I-75 and took M-15 south then took I-75 only for 14 miles to M-59 which is a freeway too, took that to Van Dyke and went into Detroit that way. On the way back I took Van Dyke and Shelby Road to Mound Road up to 32 Mile and came across on I-69 to Lapeer and took a back way to Saginaw from Lapeer. It was a lot more entertaining and less stress than taking I-75 the whole way.

[Ketchup99]

I like driving on freeways with lots of lanes, lots of traffic, and high speeds; a la New Jersey.

[TravelingBethelite]

I used to really like Interstates growing up, but now that I'm of driving age and I've got some miles under my belt, I've come to appreciate "the alternate route" myself. In fact, I tend to prefer the back road and the wide-open US Route to the heavily-trafficked Interstate. Pulling out onto an open two-lane road, hundreds of miles ahead of me, on a cool, bright morning, ready for the long haul, is about as good as it gets in my book.

[webny99]

I'm uniquely fascinated by busy, fast-moving rural roads. Truly remote roads with little traffic have their own intrigue, but there's something about other traffic buzzing by and everyone being in it for the long haul that I find magical.

[SkyPesos]

Add me in to the type of person that loves skyline views too. Can't forget the famous I-376 EB approach into downtown Pittsburgh.

Also for Cincinnati, the part of I-71 SB where it looks like you're driving straight into the skyline then enter a tunnel after a turn is fun too.

[kernals12]

I like watching the ballet of cars passing and changing lanes. My favorite roads are controlled access and don't have any office buildings or shopping malls ruining the view. I think my favorite is the 4 lane section of Route 128.

[kphoger]

I like watching the ballet of cars passing and changing lanes. My favorite roads are controlled access and don't have any office buildings or shopping malls ruining the view. I think my favorite is the 4 lane section of Route 128.

Do you ever just go up on a pedestrian overpass and watch the highway down below for a while?

[kernals12]

I like watching the ballet of cars passing and changing lanes. My favorite roads are controlled access and don't have any office buildings or shopping malls ruining the view. I think my favorite is the 4 lane section of Route 128.

Do you ever just go up on a pedestrian overpass and watch the highway down below for a while?

Sometimes.

[ilpt4u]

Add me in to the type of person that loves skyline views too. Can't forget the famous I-376 EB approach into downtown Pittsburgh

Not too far behind is I-279 SB as you come around a hill/mountain, and are immediately approaching downtown Pittsburgh

A shocking one I discovered in the Midwest: IL 15 at the IL 157 interchange in St Clair County, gives you a beautiful shot of the St Louis skyline, as you are on top of a hill, the treeline clears, and the Stan Span Bridge, the Arch, and the rest of the skyline comes into view. I have never had a similar view on I-64 nor I-55/70 thru the Metro East

I like watching the ballet of cars passing and changing lanes. My favorite roads are controlled access and don't have any office buildings or shopping malls ruining the view. I think my favorite is the 4 lane section of Route 128.

Do you ever just go up on a pedestrian overpass and watch the highway down below for a while?

I like eating a meal at the ISTHA Over-the-tollway Oases, basically for that reason: Watch the highway down below

[Rothman]

When it comes to driving, although I do love seeing complicated infrastructure in urban areas, I love rural interstate highway driving where there's a rhythm to the dashed line passing and background tire noise -- just feels like a relaxing flow.

[Flint1979]

This is my favorite view of downtown Cincinnati.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0955243,-84.522029,3a,26.1y,56.52h,93.51t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFxjK3XpYVfs68d_cPBYs2Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[CtrlAltDel]

I like watching the ballet of cars passing and changing lanes. My favorite roads are controlled access and don't have any office buildings or shopping malls ruining the view. I think my favorite is the 4 lane section of Route 128.

Do you ever just go up on a pedestrian overpass and watch the highway down below for a while?

I like eating a meal at the ISTHA Over-the-tollway Oases, basically for that reason: Watch the highway down below

I like doing that, too.

[SEWIGuy]

I like taking two-lane highways to places I have never been before.  I have had the opportunity to travel by car for work, and when I have the time, have used that opportunity to try new routes and see new things.

[JayhawkCO]

I used to really like Interstates growing up, but now that I'm of driving age and I've got some miles under my belt, I've come to appreciate "the alternate route" myself. In fact, I tend to prefer the back road and the wide-open US Route to the heavily-trafficked Interstate. Pulling out onto an open two-lane road, hundreds of miles ahead of me, on a cool, bright morning, ready for the long haul, is about as good as it gets in my book.

Similar story for me.  I only really got into roadgeekery because of interstates, and while I still enjoy them and their efficiency of getting people around the country, I like the quiet backways now. 

My favorite things are winding, barely traveled roads.  Most of my favorite routes in Colorado fit this bill as well as most of the roads on my highway bucket list.  I like extremes, so give me the Northernmost, Southernmost, Least Traveled, Most Remote, etc. over anything that's "popular".

Chris

[zachary_amaryllis]

I like driving on freeways with lots of lanes, lots of traffic, and high speeds; a la New Jersey.

do it while listening to angry industrial music. closest i can get to that is denver... but i lived in nj when i was a kid.

[index]

I love to see things break "the rules". Except if it's dumb like I-99 or I-3. Unpaved routes, non-standard Interstates, suffixed routes that AASHTO doesn't want, dinky routes that don't deserve major designations relative to their size (WV 72, US 266, NC 400, etc) yes please. Tons of little useless factoids and rule-breaks is what makes this hobby what it is.

I also think bridge support types are an underrated point of discussion in roadgeek circles. Some look great, some look terrible. The aesthetics/visual appeal of road designs/DOT standards is also something I don't think gets discussed enough, there's a wonderful, almost beautiful aesthetic to FDOT's standards and projects as well as GDOT's modern standards as well as WSDOT. Doubled up RRPMs on a double center line look great. Single ones between the double lines look ugly and lame. 6 inch markings look great, 4 inch markings look ugly. I also really, really like FDOT sign moutns and the way they look...I could go on for a while about what I find aesthetically pleasing and what I don't on roads.

FDOT and GDOT are probably my favorite DOTs based on the aesthetic appeal of their current standard of work. Some of the worst imo for that category are the New England DOTs, SCDOT, and MDT.

[epzik8]

BGS and freeways in general, high speeds, concrete surfaces, and sometimes low-traffic roads.

[kphoger]

I like a silky-smooth, brand-new blacktop highway.  I like a gravel road that's so well graded that it might as well be paved.  I like a bridge abutment that's so level you don't even really notice the transition.

[interstatefan990]

It may be the polar opposite of what some people like, but one of my favorite things is long-distance freeway driving. I love just setting the cruise control and reading the names of the cities, places, and roads on exit signs as I pass them by, watching the terrain change, driving through occasional bouts of rain, hitting state lines, seeing different types of warning/regulatory signage, and more. There is just something magical about getting to your destination, hopping out of the car and stretching, and knowing you've just traveled hundreds of miles.

Also, something about driving in Florida makes me happy.

[kurumi]

Many years ago, I would take a weekend away after Christmas and drive somewhere new in California to explore, take pictures, and try out local taqueria/bbq/sandwich places. This was usually during the last week of NFL season, so: vacation food, new route numbers, and listening to score updates from all the games, most with playoff implications. Nice way to relax after work, the Christmas season, etc.