Recent posts

#1

General Highway Talk / Re: Routing Decisions that can...

Last post by wanderer2575 - Today at 02:32:31 PM

I don't understand when GPS routes you on toll routes when the free routes are minutes slower. On my commute, my GPS always routes me to take tolls and express lanes, and the alternate option of taking only free routes is one minute slower. You'd think there is the technology nowadays to keep people off of toll roads if the time difference is marginal.

Google and Waze both have toll avoidance options.

But that is generally an all-or-nothing option.  I agree that I'd like some sort of an option (probably a sliding set of settings between all and nothing) to say "avoid tolls unless it saves significant time/distance", although it would be hard to set specific quantities or levels.

You could also imagine sliding options to indicate things like "I'd rather spend an hour on the open road than 45 minutes in slow traffic" or "I'd like to take scenic routes unless they add too much to the travel time" (where different people might have different opinions on what "too much time" is).

That's one of those things that sound great in theory but you go down a rabbit hole trying to implement.  Okay, they implement slider bars so you can set "significant time/distance" parameters for avoiding toll roads and using scenic routes.  Say you set 20 minutes as the threshold.  That's a hard setting, meaning that a minute one way or the other, depending on the option being set, is a no-go.  That will be irritating and so then you'll want a second slider bar to set a maximum variance from the first setting.  And what if traffic conditions keep changing?  Need a third slider bar to set the maximum number of times you want the thing to keep changing back and forth between Route A and Route B.  And then...

#2

Off-Topic / Re: Minor things that bother y...

Last post by hotdogPi - Today at 02:25:41 PM

Would using google.us prevent this?

#3

General Highway Talk / Re: Road-Geeky Things Of The P...

Last post by RobbieL2415 - Today at 02:22:52 PM

MassHighway's Project CLEAN.

You could call *321 where you saw trash on the side of a surface road or freeway and they would come out an clean it.

#4

Off-Topic / Re: Minor things that bother y...

Last post by CNGL-Leudimin - Today at 02:22:09 PM

Google translating the reviews by default. C'mon, it's obvious I understand English perfectly, there's no need to translate everything into Spanish.

#5

General Highway Talk / Re: State Line advertisements ...

Last post by SP Cook - Today at 02:13:54 PM

There is a strip club at Exit 9 of I-77 in Princeton, WV that used to have billboards as far south as Georgia advertising "We bare all in West Virginia", full nudity strippers, apparently, not being allowed in the other states the truckers would pass through on the way north. 

Haven't seen one in a few years.  Strip club is still there, though.

--

As to the lottery, and gambling generally, it used to be illegal to advertise gambling in a state that didn't have it.  I remember that Ohio had the lottery way earlier than WV or KY, but around my way they couldn't have billboards for it across the river.  In fact, they could not show the drawings on TV, since the TV stations was all in WV, and the newspaper printed the winning numbers the next day as a news story, not allowed to carry the lottery ad with yesterday's numbers atop the banner.  Eventually the Supreme Court said that all that was unconstitutional. 

#6

Off-Topic / Re: Minor things that bother y...

Last post by kurumi - Today at 02:12:34 PM

'home', used by many as a flowery, positive way

It's just one of those "code words" used by people selling real estate. Home sounds better than house, because it evokes the thought that you will be at home if you buy that property. A house is just a building. A home is a feeling.

Agreed, "home" should be singular and not allowed for advertising

"luxury townhomes" (condos)
"curb appeal" (if street is not 100% capacity with parked cars, you can see the curb)

and my favorite back in the day, "4 br 2 ba" (3/2 but they put carpet in the garage)

#7

Road Enthusiasts Meetings / Re: SWPA25 Road Enthusiast Mee...

Last post by Rothman - Today at 01:33:52 PM

I'm out as well. I'm limping home from the Bakersfield meet, and other western adventures, dog-tired with not enough time to recover for another meet.

Hope you're doing okay health-wise.

#8

Northeast / Re: NYC Congestion Pricing

Last post by Plutonic Panda - Today at 01:16:16 PM

And so, congestion pricing will begin in two months. There's no going back now.

I believe there is a pending case in the US District Court in Newark and that the judge has promised a ruling well in advance of June 30. So never say never.

Never.

hopefully

Finland

The ghost of p13 enters the room

Oh you can always count on that

#9

Off-Topic / Re: Minor things that bother y...

Last post by kkt - Today at 12:20:49 PM

Some people even drive several miles from home to save money on food or gas, but if you're paying more in gas than you save, it's not worth it. The average person don't figure the math either but drive the extra miles to get a bargain.

And don't forget the wear and depreciation on the car.

#10

General Highway Talk / Re: Routing Decisions that can...

Last post by GaryA - Today at 12:07:54 PM

I don't understand when GPS routes you on toll routes when the free routes are minutes slower. On my commute, my GPS always routes me to take tolls and express lanes, and the alternate option of taking only free routes is one minute slower. You'd think there is the technology nowadays to keep people off of toll roads if the time difference is marginal.

Google and Waze both have toll avoidance options.

But that is generally an all-or-nothing option.  I agree that I'd like some sort of an option (probably a sliding set of settings between all and nothing) to say "avoid tolls unless it saves significant time/distance", although it would be hard to set specific quantities or levels.

You could also imagine sliding options to indicate things like "I'd rather spend an hour on the open road than 45 minutes in slow traffic" or "I'd like to take scenic routes unless they add too much to the travel time" (where different people might have different opinions on what "too much time" is).