New York

[vdeane]

Happily Region-10 on Long Island never used that practice and has been posting street names in mixed-case lettering (along with place names) going all the way back to the early 1960's on the Long Island Expwy.

Unless it's a state route, in which case they don't post the street name at all.  You don't want to know how many Long Islanders don't know that Jericho Turnpike is NY 25 and Sunrise Highway is NY 27.

I can't help but wonder how people navigate there.  On the way to my hotel from the Long Island meet, I got lost after overshooting my turn and finding nowhere to turn around (which is one reason why one shouldn't check in to their hotel at night while relying on their memory of street view images in the day to find the unmarked road the hotel is on).  I eventually found myself in Syosset and tried to get directions from not one but two gas stations.  Nobody knew what NY 25 was so I gave them Jericho Turnpike.  Nobody knew what that was either, so I had no way whatsoever of relaying where I needed to go.  Somehow, they couldn't even point to where I was on a map or tell me what street I was on, so even my atlas was of no help (I only figured out where I was after the fact).  For a while I was sincerely scared that I would have to sleep in the car in an unknown part of Nassau County; that incident is probably THE reason why I ultimately decided to upgrade to a smartphone (and thank God I did, because I had a similar issue with the Tuxedo meet because Nyack doesn't post street signs).

[dgolub]

Happily Region-10 on Long Island never used that practice and has been posting street names in mixed-case lettering (along with place names) going all the way back to the early 1960's on the Long Island Expwy.

Unless it's a state route, in which case they don't post the street name at all.  You don't want to know how many Long Islanders don't know that Jericho Turnpike is NY 25 and Sunrise Highway is NY 27.

I can't help but wonder how people navigate there.  On the way to my hotel from the Long Island meet, I got lost after overshooting my turn and finding nowhere to turn around (which is one reason why one shouldn't check in to their hotel at night while relying on their memory of street view images in the day to find the unmarked road the hotel is on).  I eventually found myself in Syosset and tried to get directions from not one but two gas stations.  Nobody knew what NY 25 was so I gave them Jericho Turnpike.  Nobody knew what that was either, so I had no way whatsoever of relaying where I needed to go.  Somehow, they couldn't even point to where I was on a map or tell me what street I was on, so even my atlas was of no help (I only figured out where I was after the fact).  For a while I was sincerely scared that I would have to sleep in the car in an unknown part of Nassau County; that incident is probably THE reason why I ultimately decided to upgrade to a smartphone (and thank God I did, because I had a similar issue with the Tuxedo meet because Nyack doesn't post street signs).

Yikes, that doesn't sound good.  In Nassau County, people generally navigate using street names.  I'm surprised that they didn't know what Jericho Turnpike was.  Maybe they were new to the area.  The exception to this is NY 106 and NY 107, which are known by their numbers and most people don't know their names.  In Suffolk County, route numbers are used, and as you probably noticed during the meet, county routes are signed.  Generally, you can tell which county someone is from by whether they talk about Northern Boulevard or NY 25A.

[cl94]

Happily Region-10 on Long Island never used that practice and has been posting street names in mixed-case lettering (along with place names) going all the way back to the early 1960's on the Long Island Expwy.

Unless it's a state route, in which case they don't post the street name at all.  You don't want to know how many Long Islanders don't know that Jericho Turnpike is NY 25 and Sunrise Highway is NY 27.

I can't help but wonder how people navigate there.  On the way to my hotel from the Long Island meet, I got lost after overshooting my turn and finding nowhere to turn around (which is one reason why one shouldn't check in to their hotel at night while relying on their memory of street view images in the day to find the unmarked road the hotel is on).  I eventually found myself in Syosset and tried to get directions from not one but two gas stations.  Nobody knew what NY 25 was so I gave them Jericho Turnpike.  Nobody knew what that was either, so I had no way whatsoever of relaying where I needed to go.  Somehow, they couldn't even point to where I was on a map or tell me what street I was on, so even my atlas was of no help (I only figured out where I was after the fact).  For a while I was sincerely scared that I would have to sleep in the car in an unknown part of Nassau County; that incident is probably THE reason why I ultimately decided to upgrade to a smartphone (and thank God I did, because I had a similar issue with the Tuxedo meet because Nyack doesn't post street signs).

Yikes, that doesn't sound good.  In Nassau County, people generally navigate using street names.  I'm surprised that they didn't know what Jericho Turnpike was.  Maybe they were new to the area.  The exception to this is NY 106 and NY 107, which are known by their numbers and most people don't know their names.  In Suffolk County, route numbers are used, and as you probably noticed during the meet, county routes are signed.  Generally, you can tell which county someone is from by whether they talk about Northern Boulevard or NY 25A.

Of course, NY 25A isn't Northern Boulevard in Suffolk, so that helps.

[SignBridge]

Vdeane, just curious since I live a few towns away from Syosset. What hotel were you looking for and where did you end up lost? Even in this era of smart-phones, GPS, etc. a good road map or county street-map is still very valuable. Being old school I still mostly use that stuff.

And Mariethefoxy, you're right about Region-10 have their own signing quirks, but the wierd parkway exit numbering is the legacy system NYSDOT inherited from the Long Island State Park Commission back in the 1970's. Though in 40 years, you'd think NYSDOT could have re-signed the exit numbers with current practice. 

[RestrictOnTheHanger]

Happily Region-10 on Long Island never used that practice and has been posting street names in mixed-case lettering (along with place names) going all the way back to the early 1960's on the Long Island Expwy.

Unless it's a state route, in which case they don't post the street name at all.  You don't want to know how many Long Islanders don't know that Jericho Turnpike is NY 25 and Sunrise Highway is NY 27.

I can't help but wonder how people navigate there.  On the way to my hotel from the Long Island meet, I got lost after overshooting my turn and finding nowhere to turn around (which is one reason why one shouldn't check in to their hotel at night while relying on their memory of street view images in the day to find the unmarked road the hotel is on).  I eventually found myself in Syosset and tried to get directions from not one but two gas stations.  Nobody knew what NY 25 was so I gave them Jericho Turnpike.  Nobody knew what that was either, so I had no way whatsoever of relaying where I needed to go.  Somehow, they couldn't even point to where I was on a map or tell me what street I was on, so even my atlas was of no help (I only figured out where I was after the fact).  For a while I was sincerely scared that I would have to sleep in the car in an unknown part of Nassau County; that incident is probably THE reason why I ultimately decided to upgrade to a smartphone (and thank God I did, because I had a similar issue with the Tuxedo meet because Nyack doesn't post street signs).

Yikes, that doesn't sound good.  In Nassau County, people generally navigate using street names.  I'm surprised that they didn't know what Jericho Turnpike was.  Maybe they were new to the area.  The exception to this is NY 106 and NY 107, which are known by their numbers and most people don't know their names.  In Suffolk County, route numbers are used, and as you probably noticed during the meet, county routes are signed.  Generally, you can tell which county someone is from by whether they talk about Northern Boulevard or NY 25A.

Of course, NY 25A isn't Northern Boulevard in Suffolk, so that helps.

It is in Queens though. Generally if Im headed anywhere east of Great Neck its 25A, west of there Northern Blvd.

I remember living on LI the other numbered roads were called (and I still call them) Hempstead Turnpike (24), Jericho Turnpike or Middle Country Rd (25), Hillside Ave (25B), Union Turnpoke (25C), 106/107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112,  the Seaford-Oyster Bay (135), 347, and Vets Hwy (454)

Also, the exit numbering system I find to be more logical with the directional suffixes than A B C, easier to navigate.  The prefixes though, not necessary.

[dgolub]

It is in Queens though. Generally if Im headed anywhere east of Great Neck its 25A, west of there Northern Blvd.

I grew up in Port Washington, which is the peninsula east of Great Neck.  It was very much called Northern Boulevard in the area.  Also, don't talk to people from Port Washington about NY 101; they'll have no idea what you're talking about.  It's Port Washington Boulevard or "Port Boulevard" for short if you really want to sound like a local.

[vdeane]

The strange exit numbering on the LI parkways might be a remnant from when all the parkways were considered to be "spurs" off the Northern and Southern parkways instead of separate routes.  It explains why the exit number have prefixes, are backwards on all the parkways save for the Sunken Meadow and Bethpage, and why the Sagtikos and Sunken Meadow are separate routes in the first place.

In other news, it appears that the new LI rest area will open soon.  Just curious, where exactly are the truck/bus parking spots?  From my reading of the articles, it appears to be the residency off the WB service road near exit 56 and the EB truck inspection station near exit 65, but I wouldn't mind verifying before I put them on my exit list (particularly the signage on the latter, if it is indeed where I think it is).

(Also, why are busses banned too?  Do they really think that a school bus carrying kids on a field trip or something is going to want to have the kids use porta potties?)

Vdeane, just curious since I live a few towns away from Syosset. What hotel were you looking for and where did you end up lost? Even in this era of smart-phones, GPS, etc. a good road map or county street-map is still very valuable. Being old school I still mostly use that stuff.

I was heading to the Meadowbrook Motor Lodge, near where NY 106/107 cross NY 25.  Since I came from the LIE, the plan was to head up NY 106 and turn right onto Old Jericho Turnpike (which has the sign completely covered by trees); unfortunately, the street looks like a private driveway at night, which I wasn't prepared for (I normally look at street view to see what things like this look like, but that wasn't enough as I did not expect it to be dark out when I headed to the hotel), so I went past it.  After a while, I felt like I had gone the wrong way, and with nowhere to pull over or turn around, started looking for a major road that I could take back to NY 25.  I turned onto what I now know is Muttontown Eastwoods Road (wasn't looking much at street names, as I assumed I was still close to the hotel and not more than halfway to NY 25A), and was trying to ask for directions from the gas station at the five way intersection with Split Rock Road.  Now, had I been in a clear state of mind, this would have been fine, but by that point I was having a panic attack.  Granted, it did not help that this was the first time in my life in Nassau County, so my knowledge of the area is what I remembered from maps, and I tend to ignore local roads unless there's a destination on them.

[ixnay]

I think you can blame Mr. Moses for the ban on buses from his parkways.  He wanted to keep minorities (more likely in his mind to ride in bus groups than would non-Hispanic whites) out of his parks (especially Jones Beach) and had the bridges designed relatively low.  Just one area where he gave minorities the dirty end of the stick.  Read Robert Caro's The Power Broker to learn more.

ixnay

[AMLNet49]

Let's see...exit tab should be shifted over to align with the inside of the rounded corner on the main panel; "mile" and "exit" should be in small caps; the NY 7 shield is probably too small–and I assume it's a given that the second sign isn't in the right colors. What else?

I don't think New York generally aligns the tab to the inside of the corner anymore. I believe the standard practice is now flush to the right, at least judging by replacements downstate and in the city.

[SignBridge]

Good story Vdeane! I know that area well, and it's easy to understand your frustration. Unfortunately when you're going north on 106 or 107, once you go north of NY-25/Jericho Tpk in that area, you pass from a suburban to a rural area that is very dark and intimidating at night if you don't know the area.

If you ever need directions to anywhere in Nassau County again, send me a p.m. and I'll provide competent info. 

[machias]

Let's see...exit tab should be shifted over to align with the inside of the rounded corner on the main panel; "mile" and "exit" should be in small caps; the NY 7 shield is probably too small–and I assume it's a given that the second sign isn't in the right colors. What else?

I don't think New York generally aligns the tab to the inside of the corner anymore. I believe the standard practice is now flush to the right, at least judging by replacements downstate and in the city.

The NYSDOT supplement to the MUTCD specifies that the exit number plaque should follow the same design as outlined in the Federal MUTCD, except that the bottom border should be removed and the plaque should be aligned to the inner radius of the guidance panel.

[cl94]

Let's see...exit tab should be shifted over to align with the inside of the rounded corner on the main panel; "mile" and "exit" should be in small caps; the NY 7 shield is probably too small–and I assume it's a given that the second sign isn't in the right colors. What else?

I don't think New York generally aligns the tab to the inside of the corner anymore. I believe the standard practice is now flush to the right, at least judging by replacements downstate and in the city.

The NYSDOT supplement to the MUTCD specifies that the exit number plaque should follow the same design as outlined in the Federal MUTCD, except that the bottom border should be removed and the plaque should be aligned to the inner radius of the guidance panel.

Yes. Replacements Upstate tend to follow this.

[D-Dey65]

Of course, NY 25A isn't Northern Boulevard in Suffolk, so that helps.

And NY 25 isn't Jericho Turnpike east of the NY 25-25A multiplex... although Smithtown Toyota doesn't realize that.

http://www.smithtowntoyota.com/

[cu2010]

From the Governor's Office: MTA bridges and tunnels to go completely cashless

[Buffaboy]

From the Governor's Office: MTA bridges and tunnels to go completely cashless

I wonder how long it will take for this to happen Upstate. 10 years+?

[Rothman]

From the Governor's Office: MTA bridges and tunnels to go completely cashless

I wonder how long it will take for this to happen Upstate. 10 years+?

Your optimism is boundless.

[cl94]

From the Governor's Office: MTA bridges and tunnels to go completely cashless

I wonder how long it will take for this to happen Upstate. 10 years+?

Your optimism is boundless.

I was thinking the same thing. 10 for the barrier tolls is optimistic.

[empirestate]

From the Governor's Office: MTA bridges and tunnels to go completely cashless

I wonder how long it will take for this to happen Upstate. 10 years+?

Never; MTA doesn't have any bridges or tunnels upstate.


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[kkt]

From the Governor's Office: MTA bridges and tunnels to go completely cashless

I wonder how long it will take for this to happen Upstate. 10 years+?

Never; MTA doesn't have any bridges or tunnels upstate.

[vdeane]

From the Governor's Office: MTA bridges and tunnels to go completely cashless

I wonder how long it will take for this to happen Upstate. 10 years+?

Your optimism is boundless.

I was thinking the same thing. 10 for the barrier tolls is optimistic.

Especially since I was reading a couple of days ago that the Thruway's planned conversion of the Harriman barrier to AET has been put on hold indefinitely (it was in an article about exit 131).  No idea if that affects Yonkers and New Rochelle or not.

[Dougtone]

The New York Thruway should consider adding eight to 10 fully automated interchanges in Upstate New York exclusive to E-ZPass customers, per state Senator Joseph Griffo in a letter he sent to Thruway officials. The estimated cost is $64 million.

http://www.newyorkupstate.com/nys-thruway/2016/10/ny_thruway_should_explore_faster_automated_exits_for_upstate_state_senator_says.html

[kalvado]

The New York Thruway should consider adding eight to 10 fully automated interchanges in Upstate New York exclusive to E-ZPass customers, per state Senator Joseph Griffo in a letter he sent to Thruway officials. The estimated cost is $64 million.

http://www.newyorkupstate.com/nys-thruway/2016/10/ny_thruway_should_explore_faster_automated_exits_for_upstate_state_senator_says.html

I, for one, absolutely oppose the type of "locals only, please" exits. Overall  I would prefer to see some automatic teller technology. Why that is a problem here - vending machines are equally, if not more complex today anyway?
Now the question if Thruway needs more exits is interesting. Between being primarily long-haul road and commuter road - I can see that to be a conflict lasting forever .

[machias]

The New York Thruway should consider adding eight to 10 fully automated interchanges in Upstate New York exclusive to E-ZPass customers, per state Senator Joseph Griffo in a letter he sent to Thruway officials. The estimated cost is $64 million.

http://www.newyorkupstate.com/nys-thruway/2016/10/ny_thruway_should_explore_faster_automated_exits_for_upstate_state_senator_says.html

I, for one, absolutely oppose the type of "locals only, please" exits. Overall  I would prefer to see some automatic teller technology. Why that is a problem here - vending machines are equally, if not more complex today anyway?
Now the question if Thruway needs more exits is interesting. Between being primarily long-haul road and commuter road - I can see that to be a conflict lasting forever .

Building another Thruway interchange between Canastota (34) and Collamer (34A - I-481) would provide more direct access to Chittenango, Manlius, etc. and possibly help relieve upcoming congestion on I-481 if the I-81 Syracuse project goes with the boulevard.

Building an interchange between Utica (31) and Westmoreland (32) at CR 840 or along the NY 49 straddle roadway would help relieve congestion at the Breezewood-style connection from Exit 31 to I-790.

[cl94]

There are a bunch of places that should get exits. East of 49 is another big one.

[empirestate]

The New York Thruway should consider adding eight to 10 fully automated interchanges in Upstate New York exclusive to E-ZPass customers, per state Senator Joseph Griffo in a letter he sent to Thruway officials. The estimated cost is $64 million.

http://www.newyorkupstate.com/nys-thruway/2016/10/ny_thruway_should_explore_faster_automated_exits_for_upstate_state_senator_says.html

I couldn't read that article; there are so many video ads embedded in it that there was literally no touchable screen space left for me to scroll!


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