Reading "Big Roads" and am at the chapter on the process of numbering the whole system. Question is, has anyone taken a map as is, stripped off all the numbers, and redone the whole system as if it was the first time now in 2011?
Quote from: texaskdog on August 07, 2011, 09:18:11 PM
Reading "Big Roads" and am at the chapter on the process of numbering the whole system. Question is, has anyone taken a map as is, stripped off all the numbers, and redone the whole system as if it was the first time now in 2011?
You might consider re-posting this on the "Fictional Highways" Board - the people who post there would be totally into what you're trying to do.
As for me personally, I've thought about which numbers I might change, but I never actually put it on a map. Sounds fun, though :cool:
I have often, actually.
The same book mentioned that some wanted the Interstates to be organized by letter, rather than number. So, Interstates A-Z, then you'd have AA, BB, etc.
Then I've consider doing a radial system, similar to how the UK numbers their roads, but the problem is, if you make it Washington D.C., then you're going to have some very short eastern roads and very long western roads. But then if you make the hub city something in the Midwest, people will be asking why.
I've come to the conclusion that based on the USA's geography, a grid system simply works the best. And in that regard, I can't really think of too many other ways to renumber it. If you do something like Interstate 1, 3, 5, etc. then you're going to face the challenge of trying to add new Interstates in between older ones.
Maybe the best suggestion is to yet again borrow a concept from Europe: Not just using numbers, but alphanumeric characters. So, renumber all Interstates to something like I1, I2, etc. Then US Routes can become U1, U2, etc. This system would let highways that would otherwise have had the same number exist within the same state.
Quote from: Quillz on September 23, 2011, 10:48:00 PM
Then I've consider doing a radial system, similar to how the UK numbers their roads, but the problem is, if you make it Washington D.C., then you're going to have some very short eastern roads and very long western roads. But then if you make the hub city something in the Midwest, people will be asking why.
I actually tried that once. It should be noted that the UK's system actually has *two* hubs — London and Edinburgh. I believe when I did it, I used Los Angeles and either Washington or Baltimore (forget which), and used the Mississippi River as the equivalent of the England/Scotland border.
What about a cohesive system with all routes in Mexico, USA, and Canada? I was thinking of 9 main routes with single digits, that form the grid lines. 90 double digit routes round out the main highways, and 900 routes take over what are now state highways. Possibly 9000 routes could be local arterials, country roads, small stuff.
One note: If this were to actually be proposed in real life, I would be against it for National sovereignty reasons. But this is a roadgeek forum, so we can dream to our hearts content and leave the politics at the door. ;-)