Unpopular Anything Road-Related Opinions

[Scott5114]

I'm not too sure if that opinion is unpopular anymore... but when done well, Clearview is a good subsitute to the original FHWA font. Just look at Québec, which had a succesful transition from FHWA to Clearview.

This is an unpopular opinion of mine, in that it's an unpopular reason given for why we should not switch to Clearview: FHWA Series has historical and cultural significance. It's been used for decades on American roads, and many countries around the world have put it into use in one form or another. It's very recognizable, classic, and some might even say it's the font of the USA. I know DOTs are more concerned with functionality than historical significance, but I do feel like Highway Gothic is more symbolic of America than it gets credit for.

If I had to pick "the font of the USA", I'd pick the lettering style used on U.S. paper money (and other government documents) for the last century and a half.

[hbelkins]

Interstate and NHS routes that ban thru trucks should be removed from Interstate and NHS funding. They should be posted as "green" Interstate (Business), US, or State routes only. Examples - I-35E in St Paul, I-20 I-75 I-85 inside I-285 in Atlanta, I-580 in the Oakland area, etc.

What about instead requiring the construction of a separate bypass route carrying Alternate Truck designation, like Pennsylvania does with some of their highways?

My understanding is that Pennsylvania did that because of some weight limits on bridges.

[kernals12]

And I didn't this one was unpopular until recently on this site: noise pollution is bad and eliminating it is good

I think most people would agree that reducing traffic noise would be good but that eliminating it would create problems.

I would like it if freeways were considered things that enhance rather than degrade the communities they pass through. I'd like to be able to look at the scenery when I drive to work, instead of having it be obstructed by ugly soundwalls.

[hotdogPi]

And I didn't this one was unpopular until recently on this site: noise pollution is bad and eliminating it is good

I think most people would agree that reducing traffic noise would be good but that eliminating it would create problems.

I would like it if freeways were considered things that enhance rather than degrade the communities they pass through. I'd like to be able to look at the scenery when I drive to work, instead of having it be obstructed by ugly soundwalls.

Good news: sound walls don't work the way people think they should.

[webny99]

I would like it if freeways were considered things that enhance rather than degrade the communities they pass through. I'd like to be able to look at the scenery when I drive to work, instead of having it be obstructed by ugly soundwalls.

Good news: sound walls don't work the way people think they should.

When I saw that long post, I was hoping to see those graphs at the bottom that show how the sound just travels beyond the range of the wall, making it quieter right on the other side of the wall, but the same or even louder once you get further afield.

[skluth]

Roundabouts are difficult because its never clear if you have the right of way or not.

No, it's always clear. Vehicles in the circle have the right of way and drivers approaching the circle must yield.

Yeah but good luck deciding when a vehicle is going to be in the circle or not. Is the car coming going to exit or is it going to continue? In a world where people actually did what they were supposed to, used blinkers, etc. it would be fine, but in practice they are usually an accident waiting to happen.

I actually almost sorta agree with you here, to a point. My beef with roundabouts is that if they're busy, it may take awhile before you can enter the circle. Different people have different points at which they're comfortable pulling out into traffic. I tend to be more cautious and will wait to, for instance, turn left on a green ball/FYA, or turn right from a stop sign onto a through route. And different vehicles tend to accelerate faster than others. And if I don't pull into the roundabout fast enough to suit the guy behind me, who may have made a different safety judgment as to when it was OK to try to enter the circle, he gets frustrated or mad.

It's why I prefer a signal or even an all-way stop to a roundabout. You know you'll eventually get your turn to enter/pass through the intersection. I think that's why roundabouts are touted more as safety improvements than as traffic flow improvements.

Why is waiting at a stop sign any different than waiting to get into a roundabout? Both instances require you to yield to traffic. At least with a roundabout drivers only need to worry about traffic coming from one direction. Roundabouts do not mean that every road entering the roundabout is about the same level of use; it means that traffic engineers reasoned that traffic movement would best be facilitated by a roundabout, even if one road is substantially busier. A good example is this roundabout I used to regularly use when I lived in St Louis where almost all the traffic stays on Woods Mill Road.

[kphoger]

It's why I prefer a signal or even an all-way stop to a roundabout. You know you'll eventually get your turn to enter/pass through the intersection. I think that's why roundabouts are touted more as safety improvements than as traffic flow improvements.

Have you ever encountered a roundabout that you're still waiting to enter/pass through?

[interstatefan990]

It's why I prefer a signal or even an all-way stop to a roundabout. You know you'll eventually get your turn to enter/pass through the intersection. I think that's why roundabouts are touted more as safety improvements than as traffic flow improvements.

Have you ever had to wait for what feels like forever for a gap in traffic to make a left turn? You also don't know for sure if you'll eventually get your turn to enter the road.

It's why I prefer a signal or even an all-way stop to a roundabout. You know you'll eventually get your turn to enter/pass through the intersection. I think that's why roundabouts are touted more as safety improvements than as traffic flow improvements.

Have you ever encountered a roundabout that you're still waiting to enter/pass through?

The way you worded this makes it sound like hbelkins is still waiting at the roundabout and yielding to traffic, as we speak.

[Dirt Roads]

It's why I prefer a signal or even an all-way stop to a roundabout. You know you'll eventually get your turn to enter/pass through the intersection. I think that's why roundabouts are touted more as safety improvements than as traffic flow improvements.

Have you ever encountered a roundabout that you're still waiting to enter/pass through?

There's one at the east edge of Duke Forest on NC-751 for Erwin Road.  This one is nearly impossible to enter during the afternoon and evening rush when travelling southbound on NC-751.  I still think of this traffic circle as "new", but it is probably 7 years old or so.  NCDOT has been installing traffic circles in intersections where the majority of traffic turns off the "main road".  In the past, NCDOT would reconfigure these intersections so as to align a "main road" as a through route for the majority of traffic. 

Historically, Erwin Road was the "main road" from the northwestern part of Chapel Hill to the Duke Hospital district.  When the Western Boulevard bypass was completed way back in the late 1950s, it passed straight through the intersection of NC-751 and Erwin Road.  Erwin got chopped into two pieces, with intersections east and west of the new bypass.  [US-15/US-501 didn't get signed on the bypass until 1960].  While the traffic volumes favor the US-15/US-501 Bypass, the "main road" is still Erwin Road and traffic from Chapel Hill still makes the zig-zag and stays on Erwin Road going up to Duke Hospital and Ninth Street.  I still don't quite understand it, but there are a lot of folks in Durham and Chapel Hill that prefer to use the old two lane routes (and many of them are not elderly). 

Anyhow, NCDOT anticipated this on the southeast leg of the traffic circle with a slip lane from Erwin northbound to NC-751 southbound.  But although the opposite move was constructed offset as a traffic calming technique, the continuous nature of Erwin Road southbound traffic leaves few opportunities for folks trying to enter from Duke Forest.  Locals know this is an issue, an avoid NC-751 southbound altogether during rush hour.

Which brings us back to an unpopular opinion.  In England, I was taught that traffic circles should be treated as traditional intersections.  When attempting to make a "left" turn at the intersection, traffic should use their "left" turn "blinker" before entering the traffic circle and leave the left turn "blinker" on during the trip through the traffic circle.  Even if the circle is big enough to force traffic to veer "right" into the circle.  And it was recommend that straight through traffic use their "right" turn "blinker" prior to exiting the traffic circle (some folks said all traffic should use the "blinker").  This allows oncoming traffic an opportunity to know when there will be a slot in "left" turn traffic to allow oncoming vehicles to jump into the circle.  [Lefts and rights reversed to make sense here in the United States.  Usually requires brackets, but that is a bulletin board command ].

[kphoger]

It's why I prefer a signal or even an all-way stop to a roundabout. You know you'll eventually get your turn to enter/pass through the intersection. I think that's why roundabouts are touted more as safety improvements than as traffic flow improvements.

Have you ever encountered a roundabout that you're still waiting to enter/pass through?

The way you worded this makes it sound like hbelkins is still waiting at the roundabout and yielding to traffic, as we speak.

I'm glad you understood my wording.

[1995hoo]

....

Historically, Erwin Road was the "main road" from the northwestern part of Chapel Hill to the Duke Hospital district.  When the Western Boulevard bypass was completed way back in the late 1950s, it passed straight through the intersection of NC-751 and Erwin Road.  Erwin got chopped into two pieces, with intersections east and west of the new bypass.  [US-15/US-501 didn't get signed on the bypass until 1960].  While the traffic volumes favor the US-15/US-501 Bypass, the "main road" is still Erwin Road and traffic from Chapel Hill still makes the zig-zag and stays on Erwin Road going up to Duke Hospital and Ninth Street.  I still don't quite understand it, but there are a lot of folks in Durham and Chapel Hill that prefer to use the old two lane routes (and many of them are not elderly). 

....

I used to like to go that way, partly for a change of pace and partly because it used to take forever to get through the light at Garrett Road if you took 15/501. I lived on Erwin Road at the now-demolished Central Campus.

[Tom958]

Big Ben....Parliament

The roundabout scene in European Vacation should be banned, or at least voluntarily withdrawn. By feeding fear of and ignorance about multilane roundabouts, it's probably caused property damage, injuries, and even deaths.

Whether or not that happens, driving a multilane roundabout in the way depicted in that scene, i.e, ignoring the pavement markings, should be called Griswalding. 

[webny99]

"Airport" should not be a control city. That's what supplementary signage and the 🛪 symbol are for:

[webny99]

All signalized intersections should be required to have enough shoulder space for the second car in line to make a right on red.

There's nothing worse than turning right and being stuck behind one car going straight.

[hotdogPi]

All signalized intersections should be required to have enough shoulder space for the second car in line to make a right on red.

There's nothing worse than turning right and being stuck behind one car going straight.

That could cause issues when a state or municipality decides not to install a badly needed signal solely because it would take up expensive ROW.

[jmacswimmer]

"Airport" should not be a control city. That's what supplementary signage and the 🛪 symbol are for:

You'd love how MDOT handles BWI, then!

[Angelo71]

I-71 should be rerouted from Erie to Chesapeake or Siesta Key, FL
I-79 should  be rerouted.
There should be A Virginia Turnpike
I-97 should be I-x95
I-19 should follow Delmarva's Coast, and end at I-64 in Hampton Roads
I-22 should be in Virginia
I-70 should be extended to both coasts.
I-76 should somehow go to Boston and NY, without follow I-95
I-73 should be rerouted in Virginia.
I-9,I-7,I-17,I-16,I-88,I-89,I-72,I-74,I-75,I-78,I-91,I-97,I-99 should be created in Virginia.
DE-1 should follow DE-7 until the PA Border
US-50, US-40 Should be rerouted to the west coast.

[Max Rockatansky]

I can't think of a single Interstate that I would rank in my personal top 50 scenic highways.  And yes, that includes the heavy hitters like the Virgin River Gorge and San Raffael Swell. 

[US 89]

All signalized intersections should be required to have enough shoulder space for the second car in line to make a right on red.

There's nothing worse than turning right and being stuck behind one car going straight.

Nah, there's nothing worse than going straight and being stuck behind one car attempting to turn left, using up the entire green light waiting for oncoming traffic to clear.

[webny99]

All signalized intersections should be required to have enough shoulder space for the second car in line to make a right on red.

There's nothing worse than turning right and being stuck behind one car going straight.

That could cause issues when a state or municipality decides not to install a badly needed signal solely because it would take up expensive ROW.

That's a fair point, but usually new signals are installed in fast growing and/or exurban areas where ROW isn't as much of a concern.

[webny99]

"Airport" should not be a control city. That's what supplementary signage and the 🛪 symbol are for:

You'd love how MDOT handles BWI, then!

I don't like the square corners of Maryland's signage, but I like almost everything else about it. That would include the airport signage, although I do question whether "Thurgood Marshall" is really necessary to include on the signage.

[webny99]

All signalized intersections should be required to have enough shoulder space for the second car in line to make a right on red.

There's nothing worse than turning right and being stuck behind one car going straight.

Nah, there's nothing worse than going straight and being stuck behind one car attempting to turn left, using up the entire green light waiting for oncoming traffic to clear.

That's usually not as much of a concern, because as long as the left-turning car pulls forward, you can still get around them.

But even then, doesn't my solution solve your problem as well?

[jmacswimmer]

"Airport" should not be a control city. That's what supplementary signage and the 🛪 symbol are for:

You'd love how MDOT handles BWI, then!

I don't like the square corners of Maryland's signage, but I like almost everything else about it. That would include the airport signage, although I do question whether "Thurgood Marshall" is really necessary to include on the signage.

Well, as you can tell, MDOT went to great lengths to update all the BWI signage as soon as Thurgood Marshall's name was attached to the airport in 2005 But I agree, the replaced signage that simply read "BWI Airport" was more than adequate (I still refer to it as simply BWI, but a lot of people do say "BWI Marshall" these days).

[SkyPesos]

"Airport" should not be a control city. That's what supplementary signage and the 🛪 symbol are for:

You'd love how MDOT handles BWI, then!

I don't like the square corners of Maryland's signage, but I like almost everything else about it. That would include the airport signage, although I do question whether "Thurgood Marshall" is really necessary to include on the signage.

Well, as you can tell, MDOT went to great lengths to update all the BWI signage as soon as Thurgood Marshall's name was attached to the airport in 2005 But I agree, the replaced signage that simply read "BWI Airport" was more than adequate (I still refer to it as simply BWI, but a lot of people do say "BWI Marshall" these days).

I think if an airport would be used as a control city, my preferred format would be '[IATA code] Airport'. Like "CVG Airport" for Cincinnati, "IND Airport" for Indianapolis (current signage for that one is "Indpls Int'l Airport"), etc.

[Roadgeekteen]

I-71 should be rerouted from Erie to Chesapeake or Siesta Key, FL
I-79 should  be rerouted.
There should be A Virginia Turnpike
I-97 should be I-x95
I-19 should follow Delmarva's Coast, and end at I-64 in Hampton Roads
I-22 should be in Virginia
I-70 should be extended to both coasts.
I-76 should somehow go to Boston and NY, without follow I-95
I-73 should be rerouted in Virginia.
I-9,I-7,I-17,I-16,I-88,I-89,I-72,I-74,I-75,I-78,I-91,I-97,I-99 should be created in Virginia.
DE-1 should follow DE-7 until the PA Border
US-50, US-40 Should be rerouted to the west coast.

How will I-22 get to Virginia?