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What is your roadgeek "guilty pleasure(s)"?

Started by index, February 02, 2018, 03:49:26 PM

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OracleUsr

Didn't Connecticut at one time ban radar detectors?
Anti-center-tabbing, anti-sequential-numbering, anti-Clearview BGS FAN


US 89

Quote from: roadman on February 05, 2018, 01:10:44 PM
Quote from: US71 on February 05, 2018, 11:48:51 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on February 05, 2018, 11:23:40 AM
Quote from: Takumi on February 04, 2018, 06:54:00 PM
Quote from: hbelkins
And it's more bothersome in little towns where the speed limit drops to 35 but you can still safely drive 55, vs. interstates where it's easy to exceed 80 mph.
Show me a state east of the Mississippi where this doesn't happen.

Show me another state east of the Mississippi that bans radar detectors.

Virginia seems to be the only one (and DC). Most other states allow in private vehicles, but not commercial vehicles.
Radar detector ban in commercial vehicles is a Federal mandate, and not up to individual states.

According to Wikipedia:

Radar jammers are banned by federal law, although that law does not specifically ban laser jammers. 10 states (CA, CO, IL, MN, SC, OK, TN, TX, UT, VA) have laws that explicitly ban laser jammers.

As for detectors, the only places with a complete ban are VA and DC, and it also appears to be a secondary violation in military bases. IL, NY, and NJ ban detectors in commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds, as well as all vehicles over 18,000 pounds. US federal law bans detectors in any commercial vehicles over 18,000 pounds.

Additionally, MN and CA prohibit fixing items to the windshield, as it "obstructs vision" .

Quote from: OracleUsr on February 05, 2018, 11:25:25 PM
Didn't Connecticut at one time ban radar detectors?

Yes, it was repealed in 1992.

D-Dey65

Quote from: adventurernumber1 on February 03, 2018, 05:23:19 PM
I absolutely love all of the sounds of pavement that are made while driving on it, and that includes the amazing sounds of driving on concrete interstates at high speeds (including the loud, high-pitched sounds).

:bigass:  :colorful:

As a young kid, when walking through grocery stores and such, I would pretend I was driving on roads, and I would either make "clunkety-clunk" or loud, high-pitched sounds while "driving on concrete roads." Especially with the latter, people who walked by me surely thought I was a little strange.  :rofl:  :rofl:

I've told this story before, but I used to imitate the sound of the family station wagon going over concrete pavement while I was actually in the car. I had the same reaction as you when I said "P-copf. P-copf. P-copf..."

That's right! I actually SPELLED the sound!



OracleUsr

Quote from: adventurernumber1 on February 03, 2018, 05:23:19 PM
Quote from: Milwaukee, WY on February 03, 2018, 08:24:24 AM

-The loud, high-pitched whine from certain types of concrete tining. (Asphalt and longitudinal grooves disappoint me)


I absolutely love all of the sounds of pavement that are made while driving on it, and that includes the amazing sounds of driving on concrete interstates at high speeds (including the loud, high-pitched sounds).

:bigass:  :colorful:

As a young kid, when walking through grocery stores and such, I would pretend I was driving on roads, and I would either make "clunkety-clunk" or loud, high-pitched sounds while "driving on concrete roads." Especially with the latter, people who walked by me surely thought I was a little strange.  :rofl:  :rofl:


I did that, too, without the noises.  I was at a campsite one time with a really nice, easy walking trail, and I pretended I was off in another city, imagining the signs overhead as I traversed the trail several times.

And also, you know that "wood grain" some desks had?  I pretended those were roads.  Even was accused one time of drawing on them by a classmate, even though I was tracing it with my finger.
Anti-center-tabbing, anti-sequential-numbering, anti-Clearview BGS FAN

roadman

Quote from: OracleUsr on February 05, 2018, 11:25:25 PM
Didn't Connecticut at one time ban radar detectors?
Yes.  Not sure if it was related, but IIRC CT lifted their ban about the time MA started using radar detector activators (RDAs) at work zones and on the approaches to rest areas.  Those changes were spurred by a fatal crash on I-290 in Auburn where a tractor trailer driver collided with a vehicle parked on the shoulder - it was determined that the TT driver had fallen asleep.

As I noted earlier in this thread, current FMCSA regulations prohibit commercial drivers from using radar detectors.  While MA specifications still require RDAs be provided on work zone equipment (arrow boards and message panels), the RDAs approaching rest areas - and the "TAKE A BREAK STAY AWAKE FOR SAFETY SAKE" signs they were mounted on - have long fallen into disrepair and are slowly being removed. 
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

Henry

Quote from: D-Dey65 on February 06, 2018, 12:44:10 AM
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on February 03, 2018, 05:23:19 PM
I absolutely love all of the sounds of pavement that are made while driving on it, and that includes the amazing sounds of driving on concrete interstates at high speeds (including the loud, high-pitched sounds).

:bigass:  :colorful:

As a young kid, when walking through grocery stores and such, I would pretend I was driving on roads, and I would either make "clunkety-clunk" or loud, high-pitched sounds while "driving on concrete roads." Especially with the latter, people who walked by me surely thought I was a little strange.  :rofl:  :rofl:

I've told this story before, but I used to imitate the sound of the family station wagon going over concrete pavement while I was actually in the car. I had the same reaction as you when I said "P-copf. P-copf. P-copf..."

That's right! I actually SPELLED the sound!



Funny I always interpreted that sound as clippity-clop, like a racehorse galloping on the road.

As for my own, I'll say watching YouTube videos of other roadgeeks, spotting Clearview signs, and driving on highways lit with orange sodium-vapor lamps at night.

When I was younger, I would re-enact road trips by driving my Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars all over the latest road atlas.
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

D-Dey65

Quote from: Henry on February 07, 2018, 10:22:42 AM
Funny I always interpreted that sound as clippity-clop, like a racehorse galloping on the road.
I didn't think of it that way, but I can see that.

Now for my own guilty pleasures;
Basically any unusual road signs, sign configurations and traffic signals. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for MUTCD (even state versions), but when something outside of the standard comes along it's intriguing to me. I suppose that was part of the appeal of the various parkways of Upstate New York. The same thing goes for things like the "Wait/Walk" pedestrian signals that look like ordinary two-light traffic signals.

Thruway and Turnpike-specific signage. I miss the big blue signs of the New York State Thruway, and the trapezoid gore signs of the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, and other things like that.

Additional oversized gas station and restaurant signs along the road that tower over the trees along the interstate highways south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The closest thing you had to that on Long Island years ago, was a slightly taller block vertical "Shell" sign at the former Shell gas station on the southeast corner of Exit 54 (Hospital Road) on NY 27 in East Patchogue. This closed down in the mid-1970's and became a 7-11 around the end of the decade, which it still is today.



intelati49

Quote from: US71 on February 05, 2018, 12:05:08 AM
I like old bridges, old alignments, old signs. Before a trip, I often check my route using on-line mapping to look for old roads. 2-3 years ago, I found a section of the old Bankhead Highway east of Tupelo, MS.  Sometimes, I just go and let the old roads find me.



That's awesome. Took my dad on an old stretch of 66 and he got annoyed at me. Granted, it was at dusk, but it's still one of my favorite trips.

My guilty pleasure would have to be the pre-interstate standard freeways. I like to look at the alignments and ramps and wonder "What were they thinking?" Most new interstates are very cut and paste, so they're boring

adventurernumber1

Quote from: D-Dey65 on February 07, 2018, 10:56:01 AM
Quote from: Henry on February 07, 2018, 10:22:42 AM
Funny I always interpreted that sound as clippity-clop, like a racehorse galloping on the road.
I didn't think of it that way, but I can see that.

Now for my own guilty pleasures;
Basically any unusual road signs, sign configurations and traffic signals. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for MUTCD (even state versions), but when something outside of the standard comes along it's intriguing to me. I suppose that was part of the appeal of the various parkways of Upstate New York. The same thing goes for things like the "Wait/Walk" pedestrian signals that look like ordinary two-light traffic signals.

Thruway and Turnpike-specific signage. I miss the big blue signs of the New York State Thruway, and the trapezoid gore signs of the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, and other things like that.

Additional oversized gas station and restaurant signs along the road that tower over the trees along the interstate highways south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The closest thing you had to that on Long Island years ago, was a slightly taller block vertical "Shell" sign at the former Shell gas station on the southeast corner of Exit 54 (Hospital Road) on NY 27 in East Patchogue. This closed down in the mid-1970's and became a 7-11 around the end of the decade, which it still is today.

I myself love those huge, tall chain business signs along the roads, especially on exits on interstates. This includes those awesome truck stop signs that tower over absolutely everything.  :)

When I used to draw roads in notebooks all the times as a kid, I would draw these large signs as well as all the road-related stuff whenever I would enter an "exit" or an "urban area."

Also, when I was 2 or 3 years old, some of the first things I drew on my magnadoodle were roads and McDonald's and gas station chain signs. Way back then when I would draw gas station signs, I would always do $1.39, $1.49, & $1.59 for the prices (due to what I picked up on the road in the real world at such a young age), and drawing that became such a habit and a tradition that even to this day, every once in a while, when I draw roads and stuff in notebooks, I will still list those same prices whenever I draw gas station signs.  :-D

Wow, have the gas prices changed since then (about 15 years later).  :-o
Now alternating between different highway shields for my avatar - my previous highway shield avatar for the last few years was US 76.

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127322363@N08/

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lepidopteran

Quote from: D-Dey65 on February 06, 2018, 12:44:10 AM
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on February 03, 2018, 05:23:19 PM
As a young kid, when walking through grocery stores and such, I would pretend I was driving on roads, and I would either make "clunkety-clunk" or loud, high-pitched sounds while "driving on concrete roads." Especially with the latter, people who walked by me surely thought I was a little strange.
I've told this story before, but I used to imitate the sound of the family station wagon going over concrete pavement while I was actually in the car. I had the same reaction as you when I said "P-copf. P-copf. P-copf..."
As long as we're talking about onomatopoeia related to highways, there's one sound that I've observed as far back as age 2.  Ever notice sort of a... cycling whoosh sound made by tractor-trailers on the freeway?
Spelled out as "Hoi-da-da hoi-da-da hoi-da-da..."  The sound is more pronounced when going under a longer underpass.  I'm not sure, but it might have been better defined when trucks had "spoked" wheels.

And yes, I too was notorious for vocalizing sound effects, both

  • road-related  (driving over a railroad crossing at speed, "kadaLOOM-k'loom")
  • and otherwise  (jumping or diving into a swimming pool, "DOON - jih - zhea")

lepidopteran

Quote from: adventurernumber1 on February 07, 2018, 12:49:44 PM
I myself love those huge, tall chain business signs along the roads, especially on exits on interstates. This includes those awesome truck stop signs that tower over absolutely everything.  :)
When a new McDonald's opened circa 1977, they had one such tall sign along the freeway.  But one thing was different about it: the burger count was listed as "Billions and Billions Served", Carl Sagan style (he never actually said that, but that's a different story).  Whereas the regular sign along the surface road said the usual "Over XX Billion Served".  Though it wasn't obvious to me at first, the reason made sense -- would you want to climb all the way up there occasionally just to change some numbers?

Similarly, many (but not all) of the tall signs do not use internal backlighting, but instead have powerful floodlights/spotlights that illuminate the sign at night.  The height of the stand the lights are mounted on can vary percent-wise to the height of the sign, but they're always considerably closer to the ground for ease to replace bulbs.

webny99

Bantering with empirestate about mileage-based exits  :D

Also, as someone mentioned upthread, reading and laughing about the Timworld threads :-D

Ian

A few of mine...

  • New York's use of FHWA series F on BGS state route shields
  • Gaps/quirks in the interstate system. Everyone has something to say about Breezewood or I-93 in Franconia Notch, but it's interesting to me that these oddities exist in our national freeway system.
  • Interstate/US route numbering oddities. Same as above; roads like I-99 or I-238 don't bother me, but rather interest me.
  • Span-wire traffic signals. May be it's because I'm so used to seeing them in the Northeast, but I really like span-wire installs.
  • Unisigns (if done correctly)
  • Suffixed routes, especially the zany ones found in New York (9R, 17K, 18F, etc.)
UMaine graduate, former PennDOT employee, new SoCal resident.
Youtube l Flickr

D-Dey65

Quote from: US71 on February 05, 2018, 12:05:08 AM
I like old bridges, old alignments, old signs. Before a trip, I often check my route using on-line mapping to look for old roads. 2-3 years ago, I found a section of the old Bankhead Highway east of Tupelo, MS.  Sometimes, I just go and let the old roads find me.
Those are usually good too. Sometimes even when there's no pavement left on those former segments, you can see where the old alignments of those roads used to go. Years ago, I was talking to one of my brothers about the old section of NY 25 east of Artist Lake in Middle Island, and he thought it was just a residential frontage road. I told him it was an old segment of NY 25.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_NY_25_Artist_Lake_Stub;_Middle_Island,_New_York.JPG

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_NY_25_at_Picasso_Way;_Middle_Island,_New_York.JPG

In fact there are nearly dozens of former segments of both NY 25 and NY 25A that you can find in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, which is part of the reason I thought that lobbying group that was trying to prevent NY 25A from being widened (and possibly realigned) had an invalid argument, when they claimed that they were saving communities by preserving the road in it's original form.


WISFreeways

I like LaTeX.
This is only tangentially roadgeek related, but it relates to a need for organization/looking pretty.
2009-era me chose this generic username...

J N Winkler

I like the metric signs on I-19 and bilingual signs in border areas more generally--both of which have historically been quite unpopular positions on this forum.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

kendancy66

Quote from: Scott5114 on February 02, 2018, 04:11:54 PM
Quote from: ColossalBlocks on February 02, 2018, 03:59:56 PM
Also, truss bridges are pieces of transportation history that must be preserved at all costs. (cue circlejerk)

You guys see the new one ODOT just built?
It looks just like the one on I215 near Riverside CA

SAMSUNG-SGH-I747


OracleUsr

Quote from: WISFreeways on February 11, 2018, 01:14:27 PM
I like LaTeX.
This is only tangentially roadgeek related, but it relates to a need for organization/looking pretty.

I took a professor by surprise one time when I did my Theory of Probability take home final in TeX.  May have been LaTeX, was ported to an OS/2 version (and it was 1996).
Anti-center-tabbing, anti-sequential-numbering, anti-Clearview BGS FAN

D-Dey65

Quote from: lepidopteran on February 07, 2018, 07:21:11 PM
As long as we're talking about onomatopoeia related to highways, there's one sound that I've observed as far back as age 2.  Ever notice sort of a... cycling whoosh sound made by tractor-trailers on the freeway?
Spelled out as "Hoi-da-da hoi-da-da hoi-da-da..."  The sound is more pronounced when going under a longer underpass.  I'm not sure, but it might have been better defined when trucks had "spoked" wheels.

And yes, I too was notorious for vocalizing sound effects, both

  • road-related  (driving over a railroad crossing at speed, "kadaLOOM-k'loom")
  • and otherwise  (jumping or diving into a swimming pool, "DOON - jih - zhea")
My noises for going beneath underpasses, especially for Parkways or the Long Island Expressway in Nassau County; ("Cah-fuuu.").
Overpasses; ("Bad-umm-umm-umm, bad-umm-umm-umm, Bad-uff."). The last line was for when they ended.
Passing construction barricades; ("Sha-sha-sha-sha-sha, etc."). This of course was only when they had small gates and barrels lined up together. That effect never would've worked on a full-length gate blocking all three lanes straight across.



US 81

Mine is definitely old road architecture - even when clearly inadequate, I miss many of the old relics of the original construction of the interstates that are slowly disappearing. [Being replaced by structurally more sound bridges, wider curves, better sight lines and other safer modifications notwithstanding]

Another related one is tracing very old alignments.  When it becomes impassable, it is pretty fun to walk as far as I dare, without trespassing, and see concrete remnants or some other clue that the road used to run at that spot.

It took a long time for many of the US highway signs to be removed after decommissioning. I still love finding the empty signposts that probably held those signs (and of course I LOVE finding a sign still standing. Of course, many communities have just put up street blades that say "Old US 75" or Old Hwy 81.")

Ka-thunka-thunk or Ka-chunker-chunk for long bridges (expansion joints) - and of course I would distinguish which sound applied to what bridge.

Roadgeekteen

Sequential exit numbers. Anyone else? Anyone?
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

Jardine

I cleared a many years abandoned and overgrown farm road behind the house.  It is roughly 1000' long (the part I cleared) and I ride my ATV on it.  I keep it just barely passable intentionally.

Love riding on it and taking friends and visitors to the farm for rides on it.

I found an over 80 year old aerial picture that shows the road, so it's really old.  It had been abandoned since roughly the mid 60s and had quite a few smaller trees and a tremendous amount of brush growing on it.  Surprisingly for being just a dirt road, it hadn't eroded too badly and some shovel work fixed the worst spots.

Not quite 'my' road, but I restored it and it's really a blast to ride on.

thenetwork

The excitement of driving into another state -- moreso to see their state shields, signage, and their standards for lighting, traffic signals, bridge supports, etc...

lepidopteran

Quote from: D-Dey65 on February 12, 2018, 11:09:46 AM
Quote from: lepidopteran on February 07, 2018, 07:21:11 PM
As long as we're talking about onomatopoeia related to highways, there's one sound that I've observed as far back as age 2.  Ever notice sort of a... cycling whoosh sound made by tractor-trailers on the freeway?
Spelled out as "Hoi-da-da hoi-da-da hoi-da-da..."  The sound is more pronounced when going under a longer underpass.  I'm not sure, but it might have been better defined when trucks had "spoked" wheels.
My noises for going beneath underpasses, especially for Parkways or the Long Island Expressway in Nassau County; ("Cah-fuuu.").
Ha!  That's almost the exact sound I had for underpasses!  One minor difference is to divide up the second part when there are multiple, discrete piers, i.e. "Cah- fu-fu-fu..."

As for my guilty pleasures, they include looking for abandoned railroads, and old-school traffic signals -- particularly 4-way non-adjustable units, sometimes called "pagoda" signals if they use cutaway visors.  While there are fewer of these every year, I still occasionally get a surprise in some small town.

Another guilty pleasure is visiting shopping malls along the way, particularly enclosed ones.  But these too are disappearing.  I used to do the same with large downtown department stores, but these are virtually gone today.  Other older and/or unusual retail establishments still merit a visit sometimes.  Especially certain long-established, small-town ice cream parlors!

Roadgeekteen

Quote from: thenetwork on February 16, 2018, 01:01:10 PM
The excitement of driving into another state -- moreso to see their state shields, signage, and their standards for lighting, traffic signals, bridge supports, etc...
Many people like that. I wouldn't call that a guilty pleasure.
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5



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