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What do visitors say about your area road network?

Started by webny99, January 16, 2018, 09:07:04 AM

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webny99

Quote from: kkt on January 25, 2018, 01:06:43 AM
Moral for all the frequenters of Fictional Highways:  be careful of changing numbers all willy-nilly because people will be getting confused for the next 20 years.

I'm tempted to say those two cannot be used in the same sentence :-D [/dry humor]
With that said, I do wish reducing motorist confusion was a higher priority on the fictional board.


Hurricane Rex

Quote from: webny99 on January 25, 2018, 11:38:58 AM
Quote from: kkt on January 25, 2018, 01:06:43 AM
Moral for all the frequenters of Fictional Highways:  be careful of changing numbers all willy-nilly because people will be getting confused for the next 20 years.

I'm tempted to say those two cannot be used in the same sentence :-D [/dry humor]
With that said, I do wish reducing motorist confusion was a higher priority on the fictional board.
Would you have any suggestions then? Especially for me because of my upcoming posts on there.
ODOT, raise the speed limit and fix our traffic problems.

Road and weather geek for life.

Running till I die.

silverback1065

for the indianapolis area:

"why are all the interstate speed limits 55?"
"there's a shit ton of roundabouts here!"
"traffic is generally not bad"
"downtown is small and compact, easy to walk around"
"the cultural trail is cool"
"carmel is weird"

webny99

Quote from: Hurricane Rex on January 25, 2018, 11:45:21 AM
Quote from: webny99 on January 25, 2018, 11:38:58 AM
Quote from: kkt on January 25, 2018, 01:06:43 AM
Moral for all the frequenters of Fictional Highways:  be careful of changing numbers all willy-nilly because people will be getting confused for the next 20 years.

I'm tempted to say those two cannot be used in the same sentence :-D [/dry humor]
With that said, I do wish reducing motorist confusion was a higher priority on the fictional board.
Would you have any suggestions then? Especially for me because of my upcoming posts on there.

Well, being somewhat new myself, not really. We've had the "fictional vs fantasy" debate, and I think that sums it up, in some ways. Keep it realistic, keep numberings consistent, and if possible, think about things from a non-roadgeek perspective. I personally value logic and consistency above all else.

sparker

In reference to the US 101/I-880 interchange:  "Holy shit!"
In reference to CA 17 in the Santa Cruz mountains:  "Holy fucking shit!"
In reference to trying to get out of town to the north (101, 880, 680) after 3 pm:
    "uhh....isn't there some sort of street we can use instead?"
    (with my usual response "yeah, but it'll be just as bad!")

And that's just for starters!

Finrod

Regarding Atlanta:

"Why are there so many damned roads named Peachtree something?"

"Your interstates are THAT wide and are still a parking lot at rush hour?"

"Why do you call I-285 a bypass when it doesn't really bypass anything any more?"
Internet member since 1987.

Hate speech is a nonsense concept; the truth is hate speech to those that hate the truth.

People who use their free speech to try to silence others' free speech are dangerous fools.

ftballfan

I think Indiana has a rule that all freeways with three or more lanes in each direction have to have a 55 mph speed limit, hence why I-65 isn't three lanes between Indy and Louisville.

Some things about Michigan:
"How are US-23 and I-94 still mostly two lanes?"
"US-31 in Muskegon County is dangerous" (it's been closed at least four separate times for accidents since Christmas)
"Why is M-39 55 mph while I-96 and M-10 are 70?"

tdindy88

Quote from: ftballfan on January 27, 2018, 12:46:38 AM
I think Indiana has a rule that all freeways with three or more lanes in each direction have to have a 55 mph speed limit, hence why I-65 isn't three lanes between Indy and Louisville.

I do not believe there is such a rule. I-65 just south of I-465 for instance has three lanes plus an auxiliary lane and is signed at 65 mph. South of Greenwood, the six-lane wide interstate goes up to 70 mph. I know I-65 around Lebanon is 70 mph and that may extend south toward Zionsville. Likewise, new sections of I-69 that were widened to six lanes from Noblesville to Pendelton should be 70 mph. In short, the speed limits are all regionally based and has nothing to do with the size of the roadway.

webny99

Quote from: tdindy88 on January 27, 2018, 01:19:43 PM
Quote from: ftballfan on January 27, 2018, 12:46:38 AM
I think Indiana has a rule that all freeways with three or more lanes in each direction have to have a 55 mph speed limit, hence why I-65 isn't three lanes between Indy and Louisville.

I do not believe there is such a rule. I-65 just south of I-465 for instance has three lanes plus an auxiliary lane and is signed at 65 mph. South of Greenwood, the six-lane wide interstate goes up to 70 mph. I know I-65 around Lebanon is 70 mph and that may extend south toward Zionsville. Likewise, new sections of I-69 that were widened to six lanes from Noblesville to Pendelton should be 70 mph. In short, the speed limits are all regionally based and has nothing to do with the size of the roadway.

Good to hear, because that would indeed be an extremely foolish rule if it was one  :crazy:

webny99

An alternative way to frame the question:
What do you tell visitors about your areas road network?

And not necessarily the obvious things like "traffic is bad", but rather features or patterns not well documented or readily visible on Google Maps.

plain

Metro Richmond:

I really don't hear many visitors talking about our road network itself, which is probably a GOOD thing. The only negative I've heard is about traffic (of course still not as bad as DC or Hampton Roads, and how many places are as bad as DC anyway??), which seems to have been growing at a pretty good clip. Even in this case most of the problems still stems from the painfully outdated I-95/I-64 duplex.

Most of what I hear is about Downtown Richmond itself.

- It's so hard to park! (as if every major city doesn't have this issue :-D... this is mostly a problem during weekdays.. weekends not so much except VCU Medical Center)

- Why are the pedestrian signals so noisy? (helps with the blind apparently)

- How do I get back to the Highway? (basically I-95, and it could be tricky given the fact that there are "breaks" in several downtown streets)

- Where's the restrooms around here? (slightly off topic, but if you're just riding around and exploring then umm.. good luck!!)


A few more outside downtown:

- Why is that bridge so high? (VA 895 over I-95 & the James River, and the reason was because of ships, when Richmond was still an actual seaport)

- Is it Po-White or Pow-hite? (VA 76 Powhite Pkwy, and it's Pow-hite)
Newark born, Richmond bred

Beltway

Quote from: plain on May 29, 2019, 03:57:48 AM
Metro Richmond:
- Why is that bridge so high? (VA 895 over I-95 & the James River, and the reason was because of ships, when Richmond was still an actual seaport)

The port continues to operate, although I can't seem to find how many large ships dock there.

http://www.richmondgov.com/PortOfRichmond/index.aspx
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

wanderer2575

Quote from: ftballfan on January 27, 2018, 12:46:38 AM
"Why is M-39 55 mph while I-96 and M-10 are 70?"

The comparable section of M-10 in Detroit (no left shoulders) also is 55 mph.  Given the frequent multi-mile southbound backups at M-8 and the left exits/entrances at I-94, that's probably appropriate.

What I don't understand about I-96's split express-local stretch is that the local lanes are 70 mph while the local lanes are 55 mph, even though the rest of that urban freeway between I-275 and I-94 is 70 mph with the same frequency of exits and entrances.

plain

Quote from: Beltway on May 29, 2019, 07:02:06 AM
Quote from: plain on May 29, 2019, 03:57:48 AM
Metro Richmond:
- Why is that bridge so high? (VA 895 over I-95 & the James River, and the reason was because of ships, when Richmond was still an actual seaport)

The port continues to operate, although I can't seem to find how many large ships dock there.

http://www.richmondgov.com/PortOfRichmond/index.aspx

The last ship docked there in 2012. I have read somewhere recently that there might be a chance ships will return, I have to go back and find that article. But for now the barge service to the Hampton Roads ports is keeping the Port Of Richmond busy, which is very positive.
Newark born, Richmond bred

frankenroad

"It's so confusing with all the interstates starting with 7."

In fairness, we do have three (71, 74, 75).
2di's clinched: 44, 66, 68, 71, 72, 74, 78, 83, 84(east), 86(east), 88(east), 96

Highways I've lived on M-43, M-185, US-127

Beltway

Quote from: plain on May 29, 2019, 12:01:38 PM
Quote from: Beltway on May 29, 2019, 07:02:06 AM
Quote from: plain on May 29, 2019, 03:57:48 AM
Metro Richmond:
- Why is that bridge so high? (VA 895 over I-95 & the James River, and the reason was because of ships, when Richmond was still an actual seaport)
The port continues to operate, although I can't seem to find how many large ships dock there.
http://www.richmondgov.com/PortOfRichmond/index.aspx
The last ship docked there in 2012. I have read somewhere recently that there might be a chance ships will return, I have to go back and find that article. But for now the barge service to the Hampton Roads ports is keeping the Port Of Richmond busy, which is very positive.

They make it sound like they are still handling ships --

"The Port handles containers, temperature-controlled containers, breakbulk, bulk, and neo-bulk cargo."
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

Super Mateo

Quote from: ftballfan on January 27, 2018, 12:46:38 AM
I think Indiana has a rule that all freeways with three or more lanes in each direction have to have a 55 mph speed limit, hence why I-65 isn't three lanes between Indy and Louisville.

That isn't true.  I-94 is three lanes per direction from the I-80 split to the Michigan border.  It's signed at 70.

Quote
for the indianapolis area:

"why are all the interstate speed limits 55?"
"there's a shit ton of roundabouts here!"
"traffic is generally not bad"
"downtown is small and compact, easy to walk around"
"the cultural trail is cool"
"carmel is weird"

For me (a visitor to the area), driving through Indianapolis on I-465 (usually the US 52 overlap), it's, "Why is this always backed up?"

Coelacanth

Quote from: webny99 on January 24, 2018, 01:40:01 PM

Learn something new every day. That's funny, because in the Twin Cities, locals definitely use the suffixes for I-35E and I-35W.


This is far from universal. Many people just say 35 knowing that the listener will know from context which one you mean.

webny99

Quote from: Coelacanth on May 29, 2019, 09:35:47 PM
Quote from: webny99 on January 24, 2018, 01:40:01 PM
Learn something new every day. That's funny, because in the Twin Cities, locals definitely use the suffixes for I-35E and I-35W.
This is far from universal. Many people just say 35 knowing that the listener will know from context which one you mean.

Or maybe they're referring to just plain I-35.
In the Lakeville area I've usually heard it specified. Obviously it's much more important to specify in the northern and southern 'burbs than it is in the eastern and western ones.

TheHighwayMan3561

Quote from: webny99 on May 29, 2019, 10:06:54 PM
Quote from: Coelacanth on May 29, 2019, 09:35:47 PM
Quote from: webny99 on January 24, 2018, 01:40:01 PM
Learn something new every day. That's funny, because in the Twin Cities, locals definitely use the suffixes for I-35E and I-35W.
This is far from universal. Many people just say 35 knowing that the listener will know from context which one you mean.

Or maybe they're referring to just plain I-35.
In the Lakeville area I've usually heard it specified. Obviously it's much more important to specify in the northern and southern 'burbs than it is in the eastern and western ones.

No, people within the core metro do it too. It always annoyed me as a kid.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

webny99

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 29, 2019, 10:07:36 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 29, 2019, 10:06:54 PM
Quote from: Coelacanth on May 29, 2019, 09:35:47 PM
Quote from: webny99 on January 24, 2018, 01:40:01 PM
Learn something new every day. That's funny, because in the Twin Cities, locals definitely use the suffixes for I-35E and I-35W.
This is far from universal. Many people just say 35 knowing that the listener will know from context which one you mean.

Or maybe they're referring to just plain I-35.
In the Lakeville area I've usually heard it specified. Obviously it's much more important to specify in the northern and southern 'burbs than it is in the eastern and western ones.
No, people within the core metro do it too. It always annoyed me as a kid.

I guess in the cities themselves it's pretty obvious, as there's clearly the one branch of I-35 serving each. Not so much in Lakeville or Forest Lake (or anywhere beyond).

Ben114

Quote from: frankenroad on May 29, 2019, 01:06:07 PM
"It's so confusing with all the interstates starting with 7."

In fairness, we do have three (71, 74, 75).
In Massachusetts we have 4 that start with 9 and nobody gets confused.

thspfc

Madison: "Why is everybody in this city on the same road (the Beltline) at the same time (5:00-5:30 PM) going the same direction? (Westbound between John Nolen and Verona Rd). That pretty much sums it up.

Ian

A few things I've head family/friends/out-of-towners say when they visit Maine...

  • Potholes and rough roads everywhere. Understandable when the freeze/thaw cycle is as extreme as it is in northern New England.
  • Low speed limits. The interstates (usually posted at 70 or 75 outside of Maine's "cities") being excluded from this complaint, but MaineDOT will lower the speed limit to 35-25 mph passing through small towns or approaching a signal, when the road is otherwise posted at 45-55 mph. I suppose I can understand it from a safety standpoint, but it can be a bit irritating when there's lengthy stretches through small towns that're posted low when the roadway is relatively wide and flat with only a handful of homes and driveways.
  • The lengthy amount of time it takes to reach places. Not really a fault of the road network, but Maine is a rather large state that's very rural, so most towns are spread far apart from each other (This especially holds true the further north or east you get). Every time I drove up north for college, the "I just crossed the state line" excitement quickly diminished when the harsh realization came that it was still 2.5-3 hours to Orono!
  • The lack of heavy traffic. Ignoring summer tourist traffic (which is typically only present toward the southern part of the state), most of Maine doesn't really get traffic jams. You'll obviously encounter stopped traffic on the interstates when there are accidents caused by winter weather and short jams (about 10-15 cars queued, less on more rural roads) caused by construction lane closures controlled by flaggers, but that's not as common. Rush hour traffic isn't really a thing outside of Portland, which is still not bad.
UMaine graduate, former PennDOT employee, new SoCal resident.
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corco

Visitors have this to say about the road network in Idaho:



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