Unpopular Anything Road-Related Opinions

[Max Rockatansky]

Interstates should be able to have Service Plazas and be tolled.

Interstate standards should either be relaxed slightly or we should de interstate tons of roads.

At least locally in California things like soft interior and narrow shoulders is a primary driver of why certain freeways don't meet Interstate standards. 

[bing101]

Bring back button copy signs.

[Roadgeekteen]

Road Atlases are almost obsolete now with google and GPS.

Bring back button copy signs.

Not unpopular

[Scott5114]

Road Atlases are almost obsolete now with google and GPS.

It's a lot easier to check a route when you're driving alone with an atlas open to the correct page on the passenger seat than it is fishing your phone out of your pocket, unlocking it, hoping some stupid BS notification doesn't pop up, scrolling around and trying to zoom in with one hand on the wheel, etc.

Bring back button copy signs.

Not unpopular

Most of my nostalgia for the button copy era is not so much because of the button copy itself (OkDOT used button copy and reflective sheeting at the same time, which is as bad as it sounds) but because back then OkDOT signage was actually good.

[Roadgeekteen]

The atlas can be useful for seeing the big picture, but it's useless for finding specific businesses/hotels/addresses.

[Scott5114]

That's not what you use it for.

[Roadgeekteen]

That's not what you use it for.

Most people barely look at the map. They just plug in their destination to the GPS and go.

[ran4sh]

The atlas can be useful for seeing the big picture, but it's useless for finding specific businesses/hotels/addresses.

The point was that, when you reach the city where you're looking for an address, places such as gas stations and welcome centers would have city street maps with an index, which is what you would use to find a specific street.

Also, most major establishments actually gave directions for how to reach them from major routes. And if you were visiting a friend's house or something like that, you would ask them for directions.

Most people barely look at the map. They just plug in their destination to the GPS and go.

I understand that you're just a kid, but if you believe that there are no problems with that method (compared to before GPS), then you may be part of the problem.

[Roadgeekteen]

The atlas can be useful for seeing the big picture, but it's useless for finding specific businesses/hotels/addresses.

The point was that, when you reach the city where you're looking for an address, places such as gas stations and welcome centers would have city street maps with an index, which is what you would use to find a specific street.

Also, most major establishments actually gave directions for how to reach them from major routes. And if you were visiting a friend's house or something like that, you would ask them for directions.

Most people barely look at the map. They just plug in their destination to the GPS and go.

I understand that you're just a kid, but if you believe that there are no problems with that method (compared to before GPS), then you may be part of the problem.

I do remember seeing brochures for establishments with directions from nearby major cities.

[kphoger]

The atlas can be useful for seeing the big picture, but it's useless for finding specific businesses/hotels/addresses.

Agreed.  Neither one is useless.

[I-39]

A lot of midwest states have too many freeway or near freeway roads for the population they serve.

[Roadgeekteen]

A lot of midwest states have too many freeway or near freeway roads for the population they serve.

Youngstown Ohio being an example.

The atlas can be useful for seeing the big picture, but it's useless for finding specific businesses/hotels/addresses.

Agreed.  Neither one is useless.

What is useless?

[kphoger]

What is useless?

Men's nipples.

[Roadgeekteen]

What is useless?

Men's nipples.

No, relating to the atlas. As in:

Agreed.  Neither one is useless.

[kphoger]

Road Atlases are almost obsolete now with google and GPS.

The atlas can be useful for seeing the big picture, but it's useless for finding specific businesses/hotels/addresses.

Neither one is useless.

What is useless?

Huh?

I wasn't saying anything was useless.  I was saying that both atlases and Google/GPS are useful.

[Roadgeekteen]

Road Atlases are almost obsolete now with google and GPS.

The atlas can be useful for seeing the big picture, but it's useless for finding specific businesses/hotels/addresses.

Neither one is useless.

What is useless?

Huh?

I wasn't saying anything was useless.  I was saying that both atlases and Google/GPS are useful.

Oh

[SkyPesos]

Here's one typed while I'm on northbound I-26 in NC, I mean WB, right now.

Like US routes, Interstates should be allowed to have a N-S cardinal direction signed for an even number route, or vice versa, in a state if it's clearly aligned that way. This includes I-26 in NC and TN, I-95 in CT, I-94 in IL, and probably some others I'm forgetting.

[Roadgeekteen]

Here's one typed while I'm on northbound I-26 in NC, I mean WB, right now.

Like US routes, Interstates should be allowed to have a N-S cardinal direction signed for an even number route, or vice versa, in a state if it's clearly aligned that way. This includes I-26 in NC and TN, I-95 in CT, I-94 in IL, and probably some others I'm forgetting.

Part of I-69 in Michigan is signed east-west I think.

[JoePCool14]

Here's one typed while I'm on northbound I-26 in NC, I mean WB, right now.

Like US routes, Interstates should be allowed to have a N-S cardinal direction signed for an even number route, or vice versa, in a state if it's clearly aligned that way. This includes I-26 in NC and TN, I-95 in CT, I-94 in IL, and probably some others I'm forgetting.

No, I think that's a terrible idea. After a while, you just get used to understanding which way is which. I live North of Chicago, and we've all become accustomed to east corresponding to inbound, west as corresponding to outbound (or to Milwaukee).

[vdeane]

Here's one typed while I'm on northbound I-26 in NC, I mean WB, right now.

Like US routes, Interstates should be allowed to have a N-S cardinal direction signed for an even number route, or vice versa, in a state if it's clearly aligned that way. This includes I-26 in NC and TN, I-95 in CT, I-94 in IL, and probably some others I'm forgetting.

No, I think that's a terrible idea. After a while, you just get used to understanding which way is which. I live North of Chicago, and we've all become accustomed to east corresponding to inbound, west as corresponding to outbound (or to Milwaukee).

Given that the reason I've heard as to why I-41 has that pointless overlap with I-94 is so WI can sign an interstate with a north-south banner on that corridor, it might not be as bad an idea as one would think.  While we don't want things to swap willy-nilly with seemingly every curve, there are places where an interstate spends large amounts of time oriented perpendicular to its signed directions - sometimes through entire states (such as the already mentioned I-26 in NC and TN, or I-95 in CT).

[crispy93]

I don't miss diagrammatical signs but I do miss the old way of signing option lanes like [regular white down arrow] [exit only arrow]. APLs are huge and don't work everywhere. NYSDOT has replaced those types of signs with a single EXIT ONLY arrow and unless you notice the dinky supplemental signage, you're led to assume it's a one-lane exit. Like recently I saw someone trying to get on 278 West from the Grand Central Parkway and there was no indication that it's a two-lane exit so he slowed to almost a stop to get into the right-most lane. I don't blame him.

If you stop in a traffic circle, you should be automatically at fault if someone rear-ends you. Unless you can blatantly prove that the other driver cut you off, the rear-ender is almost always at fault.

[TXtoNJ]

Signing cardinal directions is generally more trouble than it's worth, and any navigational benefit would be exceeded by a more thoughtful implementation of control cities.

[SkyPesos]

Signing cardinal directions is generally more trouble than it's worth, and any navigational benefit would be exceeded by a more thoughtful implementation of control cities.

If only ISTHA uses Milwaukee instead of Wisconsin for NB, I mean WB, I-94, that would be more useful. I-90 also goes to Wisconsin from Chicago, in a different direction.

[Bickendan]

We should use the international speed limit signs - the red bordered white circle with just the number in it.

[SkyPesos]

We should use the international speed limit signs - the red bordered white circle with just the number in it.

Does that require switching to the metric system or not? As much as I like a switch, the US in general seems too lazy to do so.