Can anyone think of any that you hear just normal people say? Not sure if the topic makes sense, but it's like people who say the interstate system is older than the US highway system.
People that have to use their GPS units when driving. This thread includes all of them...
Everyone in my 8th grade history class (including the teacher) except me...we're studying the transportation of America...I should be teaching this, our books says that the Interstates were made in the 1920's (no, it was the U.S. Routes and Autobahns) and U.S. Routes were made in the '40s.
I always hate those people who insist that they're right about what highway or freeway to take when you KNOW which one you're supposed to be taking. It's like they think you don't know anything about highways, which is entirely wrong.
I've sent an angry e-mail to the publishers to correct them..
I always love fighting with road idiots. :-D (No this road goes here, no it doesn't geesh get a map!)
There are some people here who call U.S 60, I-60. :pan:
Unfortunately I've worked with a ton of people in the mapping industry that were completely clueless about roads.
Oh that reminds me! I hate those little tourist maps that show all the highway shields wrong.
WSDOT apparently doesn't know roads anymore...they posted a US 202 sign along SR 202 in 2007...I have no pic though. :confused:
The little tourist maps are usually drawn by graphic artists, not cartographers. That is why they are loaded with shield inaccuracies.
They're still irritating. :spin:
Quotevoyageur/CG: keep in mind that, to the old-timers, the U.S. highway system *WAS* the originial "Interstate" system. By definition, the routes are inter-state in nature.
That's not what we're talking about though. We're talking about current references saying that the US highway system came before the Interstate system.
QuoteThey're still irritating.
I totally agree, its even worse when I see them on Newspaper maps!
News channel 3 when they show the weather has all the highways labeled as U.S. routes on the weather map. ie, AZ 64, 68, 85, 87, 88, 89 are shown as U.S. 64, 85, 87, 88, 89...
I got a mock-up created by me to "advertise" the location of a Target...
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fjj195%2FComputerGuy890100%2Fmockad.png&hash=1c75f1994c8958b73c1f645d99d70af790c372ee)
Ta-da...this shows SR 531 as I-531...they do that a lot, especially if its a freeway.
People that have no clue how long it takes to get from a certain place to another place. I know how long it takes usually. For some reason, in conversations with tons of people recently, it has come up the "driving time from my town (Montville, NJ) to Montreal" is, as those clueless people who claim to "have driven it", between 7 and 10 hours. It's about 6 or even less I've heard from much more reliable sources. Plus, I've driven to the border, and its about 4.5 to there from my house.
Posers.
On NBC(WWBT 12 in Richmond) they show freeways like VA 288 and VA 150 in circles instead of the state route shield and in Prince George everyone bases directions off the "Circle D" at the intersection of VA 106 and VA 156
Europeans who think "highway" only equals "freeway". (they mean "motorway" mostly.)
I can't stand the people that call any 'freeway' or 'expressway' an interstate. I've heard PA-60, US-22, OH-7, and OH-11 called this before. They are not interstates. Although most around here call it "Route 7" "Route 11" "22" or "the Toll Road (aka, PA-60)".
Shows lack of knowledge, or lack of caring what it is.
Sykotyk
or calling a road that has mixed interchanges and at-grade intersections a freeway. :pan:
Oh yeah, people who say "Holland", when they mean the Netherlands. :sombrero:
Holland consists out of two provinces in western NL. There are a total 12 provinces. Sadly enough, many Dutchmen make the same mistake, especially trucking companies.
^^ Wow! I didn't know that. The more you know, the more you grow. :-D :-D
Be well,
Bryant
I-531...well, given the I-238 in CA, I guess anything's possible. US 202 in WA...a north south highway that starts in Delaware making a bigger east/west shift than I-35 (and in a shorter distance) and making it back just in time to end in Maine. Oh, man, I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything while I read that "When you get to Wilmington, DE, take US 202 north through Seattle and then follow 202 to its end in Bangor..."
Isn't it around Tyson's Corner that there is signage for VA 7 that is signed as SR 7, or do I remember that wrong?
I would guess that if it weren't for road screwups, we wouldn't have as big a hobby.
Reminds me of a time when I was 5 and we were returning from the Outer Banks. My parents were going to go straight at Mann's Harbor instead of turning right, thereby returning to Raleigh via US *2*64, not US 64...having travelled US 264 from Raleigh to Mann's Harbor myself, I know that is NOT the way you want to go to get home quickly. My mother now uses a GPS if I'm not with her; she's smart enough to know she can't guess her way around.
Course, then, they turned the tables on me one time when we were looking at colleges in SC. We were headed from Columbia (Univ of SC) to Greenville (Furman Univ.). I had my mother take I-26 to Spartanburg, then I-85 to Greenville. I dozed off, and briefly remember my mother waking me up and asking me what about I-385 to Greenville...I said to stay on I-26. My father hit the roof when he saw the map, blaming me for us running out of gas (never mind that the trip was extended all of 15 miles).
and those(including my Driver's Ed teacher) who say that a freeway is any road that is not tolled
Saying "Holland" to mean the entire Netherlands is what we call a synecdoche in the English language-using a part of something to refer to a whole.
My driver's ed teacher was the worst... saying "...expressways are limited access highways with no intersections, only interchanges, and are marked with red white and blue signs..."
And a ton of other stuff. In fact she failed my sign project because I said that a vertical line with a diagonal line going off the bottom of it towards the right was a diagonal intersection sign instead of a merge one. Merge signs are curved and have an arrow...
Then there's people who give directions like "get on that big road by that tall building" referring to I-64 by this hotel mid-rise. Drives me insane, I mean come on people, look at signs! That was a quote from my sister who is turning 18. She's driving and calls the interstate "that big road." I pity the day she breaks down and has to call AAA.
My Driver's Ed teacher had us do a Virginia map project from the latest VDOT map and I got a B for going randomly throughout VA instead of using a direct route. I even used US 13 into Maryland before taking US 50 and I-495/I-95 on the way to Alexandria. :-D
My driver's ed teacher on navigating NJ's "notorious" traffic circles: "You just gotta guess."
I got really pissed at that remark and said, "ahem, shouldn't you just give way to vehicles already in the circle?"
"Uh, I guess."
Argh... ANY driver's ed teacher on right of way.
This explanation will work best if you can see the interchange I'm talking about, so, Google maps link (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=39.846224,-75.765409&spn=0.007265,0.022573&z=16).
Here's the deal: we're going north on Newark Road, and getting on US 1 north (toward the right of the screen). This involved making a left turn onto the ramp. And that was just fine, but the problem came on the return trip (US 1 south to Newark Road south).
My grandfather was insistent that since we'd made a left turn to get onto the highway going, that we had to make a right turn at the bottom of the ramp coming back. You can see, looking at the map, the fault in that logic, right?
Well, when I told him to go left, he was hesitant, but since he knows I'm good with roads, he listened to me. Then, when I was right and we got where we were going properly, he was thoroughly confused. I tried to explain to him how the left he made going was really effectively a right due to it being a loop ramp, but he didn't understand at all until I grabbed a pen and paper and started drawing diagrams for him.
And my father is confused by milepost numbering. Can't for the life of him understand why you'd number exits any way other than in sequential order. :-/
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on March 23, 2009, 05:39:24 PM
My driver's ed teacher was the worst... saying "...expressways are limited access highways with no intersections, only interchanges, and are marked with red white and blue signs..."
Wow. "Red, white, and blue signs" on a highway? I didn't understand the difference between a freeway and expressway until about last year, but come on now!
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on March 23, 2009, 05:39:24 PM
And a ton of other stuff. In fact she failed my sign project because I said that a vertical line with a diagonal line going off the bottom of it towards the right was a diagonal intersection sign instead of a merge one. Merge signs are curved and have an arrow...
I could see the confusion for a non-driver, but a teacher should know. Did you argue the point?
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on March 23, 2009, 05:39:24 PM
Then there's people who give directions like "get on that big road by that tall building" referring to I-64 by this hotel mid-rise. Drives me insane, I mean come on people, look at signs! That was a quote from my sister who is turning 18. She's driving and calls the interstate "that big road." I pity the day she breaks down and has to call AAA.
I HATE people like that! Most people could at least call it "Route XX"!
Quote from yanksfan6129:
My driver's ed teacher on navigating NJ's "notorious" traffic circles: "You just gotta guess."
I got really pissed at that remark and said, "ahem, shouldn't you just give way to vehicles already in the circle?"
"Uh, I guess."
Unfortunately, there is no one right-of-way convention that applies to all of the traffic circles. Some, in fact, are signalized. I will say, though, that the right-of-way at each individual circle is better defined than it was in the past.
Quote from Duke87:
Here's the deal: we're going north on Newark Road, and getting on US 1 north (toward the right of the screen). This involved making a left turn onto the ramp. And that was just fine, but the problem came on the return trip (US 1 south to Newark Road south).
My grandfather was insistent that since we'd made a left turn to get onto the highway going, that we had to make a right turn at the bottom of the ramp coming back. You can see, looking at the map, the fault in that logic, right?
Well, when I told him to go left, he was hesitant, but since he knows I'm good with roads, he listened to me. Then, when I was right and we got where we were going properly, he was thoroughly confused. I tried to explain to him how the left he made going was really effectively a right due to it being a loop ramp, but he didn't understand at all until I grabbed a pen and paper and started drawing diagrams for him.
I would suggest that you accompany your grandfather on trips into New Jersey. Looking at jughandle signing such as "Left Turn/Keep Right" may do him in . . . :banghead:
(P.S. Sorry for double-posting -- the "quote" function is not working.)
QuoteI could see the confusion for a non-driver, but a teacher should know. Did you argue the point?
I did, but did it change my grade, no. :-(
Don't get me started on onramps and offramps.
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on March 26, 2009, 03:54:07 PM
QuoteI could see the confusion for a non-driver, but a teacher should know. Did you argue the point?
I did, but did it change my grade, no. :-(
You should have had a copy of the MUTCD handy! :)
^^ :-D :-D
Be well,
Bryant
Actually, I did! :-P Printed that page out the next day!
But she didn't even know what it was... :-D
In fairness, colloquial usage does tend to override traditional definitions.
I learned most of my words in the Chicagoland Area, so to me "expressway" means full freeway, and a "freeway" is a free road and a "tollway" is a toll road, so an "Expressway" can be either a "Freeway" or a "Tollway"
I now use the traditional definitions, but when somebody from Chicago says "get on the expressway" I know it's going to be a full freeway, and when someone says get on the "freeway," I know it's probably going to be a pretty good road that doesn't have tolls.
When usage is widespread, it doesn't make it wrong, it just makes it different. The problem arises when someone from Chicago moves somewhere else and everyone gets confused and thinks that person is an idiot.
QuoteIn fairness, colloquial usage does tend to override traditional definitions.
I agree, corco. Before coming to this board, I used expressway and freeway interchangeably and so did most of the people around me.
Quote
Unfortunately, there is no one right-of-way convention that applies to all of the traffic circles. Some, in fact, are signalized. I will say, though, that the right-of-way at each individual circle is better defined than it was in the past.
Per Connecticut state law, traffic entering the circle always yields to traffic already in the circle. Per the law in some other states (particularly New Jersey), not necessarily.
The rational behind having traffic in the rotary yield to entering traffic is that it's following the same right hand rule that applies with multi-way stop signs. Problem is, traffic flows better if entering traffic yields, although it's worse for driver visibility, at least for us.
On the other hand, in countries that drive on the left, traffic circles actually work better since in that case the right hand rule means entering traffic yields. This is part of why they love them so much in the UK. They don't pose the same design conundrum there that they do here because they drive on the left.
Still, the idea of roundabouts are starting to be rediscovered in this country - but with smaller radii, designed for lower speeds, and taking pedestrians more into account. Some places are starting to install them as a traffic calming measure.
^ My NJ drivers manual just says to "use caution" when entering a traffic circle. It offers no instructions on how to navigate it.
corco said:
In fairness, colloquial usage does tend to override traditional definitions.
I learned most of my words in the Chicagoland Area, so to me "expressway" means full freeway, and a "freeway" is a free road and a "tollway" is a toll road, so an "Expressway" can be either a "Freeway" or a "Tollway"
I now use the traditional definitions, but when somebody from Chicago says "get on the expressway" I know it's going to be a full freeway, and when someone says get on the "freeway," I know it's probably going to be a pretty good road that doesn't have tolls.
When usage is widespread, it doesn't make it wrong, it just makes it different. The problem arises when someone from Chicago moves somewhere else and everyone gets confused and thinks that person is an idiot.
Bryant5493 says:
Expressway is used more often than freeway in the Southeast -- well, I can only speak for Georgia. :D I've only recently started using freeway, however. I-75, I-85 and I-285 are referred to as "expressways." Divided highways are referred to, well, as highways, not expressways more times than not. Some of these highways are expressways -- roads with fast moving traffic that are not fully grade-separated.
South Fulton Parkway (US 29 Alternate/SR 14 Alternate/14 Connector) and US 19/SR 400 are a mixture of freeway and expressway.
South Fulton Parkway is a freeway westward from I-85 to US 29/SR 14, then it's a four lane expressway (with a wide median) from US 29/SR 14 to Rivertown Road.
SR 400 (b.k.a. GA 400) is a freeway from I-85 northward to SR 306 (Keith Bridge Road), then it's a four lane expressway (with a wide median) from that point northward to its terminus at US 19/SR 60/115, just east of Dahlonega.
Be well,
Bryant
I've always used freeway and expressway as the same thing (limited access divided road with on/off ramps). But, my general term was always "Highway". Anything else was just a 'road'.
I've come to understand the non-eastern term for Expressway. But to me, if there's traffic lights, it's not an expressway. It defeats the key root word, 'express'.
Sykotyk
On roundabouts, my Virginia manual says to yield ROW to traffic already in the circle. That only makes sense to me.
The ROW on NJ circles (not roundabouts) seems to be determined based on the major traffic movements through the circle.
Just another reason to hate NJ. We should do it the VA way.
roundabouts exist in New Jersey? Maybe they should replace those jughandles with them :-D
Just a few, mostly as traffic calming devices.
There used to be many more traffic circles in NJ, but they are phasing them out.
While other states like VA are phasing them in... odd.
But here no new shopping center or urban redevelopment or suburban hell is complete without a roundabout at the center. There's even a multi-lane one now that I drove through today. It moves traffic pretty fluidly between two major arterials.
WA also likes the new roundabouts...they're thinking about a roundabout interchange here in WA.. :-o
^^ I wrote a letter to GDOT about converting one Metro Atlanta interchange (SR 279/Old Natl. Hwy. @ I-85/285) into a roundabout interchange. Traffic is a bear in the mornings, afternoons, evenings -- really, all day long (lol). Anyway, a GDOT representive wrote me back, saying that current regulations don't allow for multi-lane roundabouts -- only single lane roundabouts are allowed right now.
Be well,
Bryant
Well froggie I've begun using the terms interchangeably since my driving manual says that "traffic circles" is the technical term for a roundabout, and as such calls them that.
So far as traffic engineering is concerned, a roundabout is small and low speed, while a traffic circle is large and high speed.
I've never heard anyone in this country use "roundabout" in conversational usage, though. It's typically considered a Britishism. Colloquially, "circle" or "rotary" is what's used, at least around here.
My American voice on my TomTom GPS says "rotory", while I expected "Roundabout". I barely see anybody say or write "rotory" when they're talking about either traffic circles or roundabouts.
I think Duke87 is right about the terminology, roundabouts are usually referred to as one-lane, low-speed circles, and traffic circles as multilane, high-speed, maybe traffic-light controlled circles.
rotary=Massachusetts
everywhere else its roundabout or traffic circle, which are often used interchangeably, as they should not be
Quoteeverywhere else its roundabout or traffic circle, which are often used interchangeably, as they should not be
Exactly, yanksfan, Brentwood, TN has a roundabout near its post office but the signs leading up to it say traffic circle! :banghead:
Traffic Circle?
I gotta new one...
People who don't know what road they actually live on/just off!!! :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :poke:
^^ Yeah, that's very common and annoying. :angry:
Be well,
Bryant
Well here people say "roundabout." Never heard someone actually call one a rotary. As for the difference being the number of lanes, doesn't seem to matter here.
And Norn-Iron, yeah that really is... ignorant people. :-P
Person: "The road I live on goes all the way to there!"
Me: "No it doesn't, geez, look at a map for once!"
You don't know how often I say that. :-D
^^ I overheard this lady on a MARTA train (Atlanta's transit line) ask how to get to a certain stop. A gentleman told her, "The map's right there." She said, "I can't read a map."
Be well,
Bryant
EDIT: I added the word "there."
^ Can't read a map?????
:wow: :wow: :wow: :wow:
^^ Yeah, I was astonished too.
Be well,
Bryant
How is that even possible!?
QuoteHow is that even possible!?
Maybe she couldn't even read and was trying to cover up that fact.
^^ That's a good thought.
Be well,
Bryant
lol... that would not suprise me. :-D
Some people just aren't very good with maps. I always laugh whenever I see someone turn a map upside down to read it because they're facing south, or on its side because they're facing east/west.
A lot of people have an easier time understanding maps if they have pictorial representations of things, like those little free handouts you find in towns all over the place.
Personally, I don't find those things very useful because they aren't drawn to scale and aren't even necessarily geographically accurate (i.e., that street they show pointing "southeast" actually points south). Not to mention that they always represent little residential side streets with just little stubs rather than actually drawing them out.
Now, I can understand where that would be helpful for a lot of people since it removes clutter and information they don't really need from the page... but at the same time, it means the map is incomplete, and if you dare venture off the beaten path, it's completely useless. Which bothers me.
Not about roads, but about rails... I find an awful lot of out-of-towners seem unable to make heads or tails of the NYC subway map. It's a map of a pretty huge system and it isn't exactly clutter free, so I can understand that but... some of them seem unable to read signs, too. Like that couple that got on an uptown 6 train at Grand Central despite the fact that they they knew they needed to go downtown - the signs on the platform all clearly said "Uptown and the Bronx" and the recorded announcement on the train also quite clearly said "This is a Bronx-bound six local train...". Or the woman at Union Square who asked me how to get to the N train while she was standing almost directly under a sign pointing to it.
It would seem that people, when confused and somewhere they're not familiar with, immediately panic and simply lose all ability to pay attention to their surroundings and use common sense. :pan:
Of course, that's New York, a big huge confusing city to anyone not used to it. MARTA is two little lines. There's no excuse there.
Another story, this one from my mother. We were in Burlington, VT. We needed to get to the King Street Dock. Neither of us knew exactly where that was, but we knew it was somewhere downtown, and that we were north of town. So, using simple logic, I suggested that the best course of action would be to simply head south until we hit King Street and then make a right turn, towards the water. Because, you know, the King Street Dock is going to be where King Street meets the water, right? But my brilliant mother insisted that I didn't know that and that my guess could be wrong, so she insisted on asking for directions. You know what the guy said? "oh yeah, just keep going down the road, then make a right when you hit King Street. It's right there." >_>
I'll leave it up to the reader to imagine the livid torrent of "I told you so!" that followed.
Finally, the absolute worst.... you know how many time's I've had someone I'm out with ask "so how do we get home from here?" Happens too often. And whenever it does my first response is always "exactly the same way we got here". What's really frustrating is that the person actually can't remember how we got there... to which I have to inject my cutting sarcasm with comments like "you don't remember? You weren't paying attention to where we were going? Do you need me to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for you next time, Hansel?"
Let's just say I have a low tolerance for stupidity. Particularly when people can't figure out the obvious.
Duke87 said:
Of course, that's New York, a big huge confusing city to anyone not used to it. MARTA is two little lines. There's no excuse there.
Yeah, the only thing that you have to watch out for is the Doraville and the North Springs trains. You can get on a North Springs train and go to Doraville (or vice versa), but you have to transfer at the Lindbergh Station (MARTA HQ). There was a time when the north line ended at Dunwoody, and that was little bit confusing, because of the northeastbound Doraville trains.
Also, the westline ends at H.E. Holmes (Hightower) Station, but has a spur line to the Bankhead Station. So, if you wish to continue to H.E. Holmes, you have to get off of the Bankhead train at the Ashby Station. (And some folks confuse Bankhead and Buckhead.)
But, really, if one pays attention, it's not a hard transit system to master. (I've made this post more complex that it needed to be. :cool:)
Be well,
Bryant
My brother can't tell a map if he's looking at one.
Quote from: Duke87 on April 07, 2009, 09:55:04 PM
Some people just aren't very good with maps. I always laugh whenever I see someone turn a map upside down to read it because they're facing south, or on its side because they're facing east/west.
My mother does that! She needs the turn-by-turn maps! I can look at a map once or twice, and know where I'm going.
Those in NC that confuse US 64/US 264 with I-64 and I-264 in Virginia. http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/news%7CSports%7CLifestyles/story/31402/stimulus-money-to-help-wake-roads (http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/news%7CSports%7CLifestyles/story/31402/stimulus-money-to-help-wake-roads)
^^ Wow! They flubbed that up pretty bad.
Be well,
Bryant
lol, don't know why NCDOT would be doing anything to roads up here in VA. :-D
Would explain why they have to use TO NC NC-58 at Exit 132 off I-95 near Rocky Mount. Here's your sign, MyNC (posted comment on thread there).
WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh has been "promoting" many routes on graphics lately. No reason to extend I-376 as the Beaver Valley Expressway was shown as "I-60," the Allegheny Valley Expressway was "US 28," and PA 766 (which hasn't existed since the mid-1940s) was resigned on recent maps.
I was quite pleased one time when I saw a UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore County) brochure that advised people visiting the campus to use US 295 to get there.
I-264 East at the Berkeley Bridge is closed this weekend(good thing I don't live in Portsmouth or Norfolk :nod:). The writers of this article showing ALT routes forgot that you can't turn left onto the MLK Freeway from US 58/London Blvd as US 58 East exits onto the MLK Freeway http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/traffic_berkley_bridge_to_close_20090420 (http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/traffic_berkley_bridge_to_close_20090420)
^^ It's okay to make an illegal left turn (:-D - just kidding).
Be well,
Bryant
I was just listening to the news today. A woman in Fayetteville (GA), only identified as Jennifer, fell into a sinkhole. She's okay. But a local news station (WSB-TV) listed the street where she fell into the sinkhole as "Jeff Davis Boulevard"; however, there's no Jeff Davis Boulevard in Fayetteville -- there's a Jeff Davis Drive, named, of course, after the President of the Confederacy (Jefferson Davis).
Be well,
Bryant
Excuse me, Jeff Davis Drive is NOT named after the confederate president, it's named after MY DAD, JEFF DAVIS!
^^ Really?
Be well,
Bryant
Yes!
Do I detect sarcasm? :-P
Semi-sarcasm.
Jeff Davis is my father, for real. But he personally did not have a huge impact on the state of Georgia. (The biggest thing he does is buy coke, therefore supporting an Atlanta corporation :-) )
However, I do have a member of my family that is "someone" in Georgia (at least was), and he is a Davis, and I'm not making it up. His name is Donald Davis.
im not sure if this makes sence in this topic but when people don't know what road to go on my mom and sisters allways tell th person to ask me :D
Whoever made the VA Megaprojects (http://www.vamegaprojects.com/) map shows the state routes in circles and I-66 disappearing west of Gainesville :-D
That map is an epic fail... :-/
Pardon me for asking, but don't MOST maps use ovals/circles for state routes? I know the NC maps did, and we used diamond shapes for our routes.
The atlases I have that are state level or lower (except an atlas of NYC) use the state shield.
It seems that most road Atlas' just use a circle for all state roads in every state.
My maps I buy actually use the VA shield.
Not even all state DOT maps use their shield. The VA one does and so does the Ohio one.
However, PA's map simply uses a rectangle instead of its keystone and uses circles for out of state.
TNDOT's is a mixed bag the primary roads are shown as plain rectangles while the actual signs have the state name and outline in them. However, the state secondary roads use the correct shield.
I don't think I've ever seen a map that's not a DOT map that uses the state highway shield for any state (except the circle states, obviously)
People in Minneapolis/St. Paul often times don't distinguish between I-35W and I-35E, referring to both as just I-35. I get really irked after that when I ask which 35 branch they're referring to, and then I get a blank look or "what do you mean?"
For all of my lifetime (which is longer than yours, I think, Froggie) people would give directions by saying "Take 35 to (whatever)" or "the fastest way is to take 35.." without specifying E or W.
It's not so much that they don't know the distinction between 35E and 35W, it's that they assume the person will know which one they are talking about. If the person receiving the directions isn't local, then normally you would specify E or W when giving the directions.
I think that's my issue. Especially when somebody says "take 494 (36, 94, or 694 works too, to name a few) to 35" I get confused because those routes intersect both 35E and 35W. This was a bigger issue when I was younger, but now I can usually figure out which branch they mean.
Quote from: corco on April 30, 2009, 03:05:43 PM
I don't think I've ever seen a map that's not a DOT map that uses the state highway shield for any state (except the circle states, obviously)
In New York, Map Works' maps use the NY shield on state routes. They're my favorite local paper map.
ADC uses the VA state shield... but a rectangle for SSRs...
And my behind-the-wheel instructor told us the other day that the only time you CAN turn right on red is when there's a sign saying you can... :-/ No wonder there are so many stupid drivers.
QuoteADC uses the VA state shield... but a rectangle for SSRs...
And my behind-the-wheel instructor told us the other day that the only time you CAN turn right on red is when there's a sign saying you can... No wonder there are so many stupid drivers.
That's a new low. :angry: My road instructor made us go 35 in a school zone even when the lights AREN'T flashing. He even said that he's been trying to move the 50 mph speed limit sign on VA 106 just past US 460 past the elementary school for years. :angry: :angry: :pan:
The Hampton-Newport News one was the one I was looking at... its a few years old though. There is no Greater Hampton Roads one that I've seen...
Not those... they're little small ones that fold up like a thousand times... its the 4th Edition Norfolk/Virginia Beach one. An earlier version of this: http://adcmap.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1446 (http://adcmap.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1446) And it most definitely uses the correct state shield. ;-)
Edit: And for the record this is the Hampton-Newport News one I mentioned... http://adcmap.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=918 (http://adcmap.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=918)
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on May 06, 2009, 08:26:27 PM
ADC uses the VA state shield... but a rectangle for SSRs...
And my behind-the-wheel instructor told us the other day that the only time you CAN turn right on red is when there's a sign saying you can... :-/ No wonder there are so many stupid drivers.
In New York City, that
is true!
There's a Prince George Countymap from 2007 divided into the districts and VA 106 on the map doesn't exist north of VA 156 and furthermore VA 106/VA 156(Ruffin Rd) is still marked as SR 644(and SR 644 hasn't existed south of VA 10 since the 1980s).
QuoteQuote
And my behind-the-wheel instructor told us the other day that the only time you CAN turn right on red is when there's a sign saying you can... :-/ No wonder there are so many stupid drivers.
In New York City, that is true!
Yup.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg206.imageshack.us%2Fimg206%2F4825%2Fdscn4225.jpg&hash=e83cb6ae46e9790c4c8eb23d2c0477a4861e173f)
^^^
Most people tend to ignore the "After Stop" part. :angry:
Here's another one those that think that I-40 Business in Greensboro still exists(I know they've just started fixing the signs but come on now :angry:) http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=124148&catid=57 (http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=124148&catid=57)
I find that a lot of people that don't know much about roads can't distinguish between Interstates, US Highways, and State Highways. And most simply call the interstates "highways" - everything else is a just a regular road.
The geniuses from the Shelby Star believes that US 49 is in NC(US 49 does not go anywhere near NC) http://www.shelbystar.com/news/motorists-39295-charlotte-expected.html#slComments (http://www.shelbystar.com/news/motorists-39295-charlotte-expected.html#slComments)
^^Wow! That's bad.
Speaking of U.S. 49...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wPcD-kmvE0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wPcD-kmvE0)
Be well,
Bryant
I was in a class, and part of an assignment was to name the Route from San Antonio Tx to Seattle Washington, and because I mentioned a small shortcut to bypass Los Angeles, I got the question wrong, go figure.
Quote from: ComputerGuy on March 22, 2009, 08:31:34 PM
Everyone in my 8th grade history class (including the teacher) except me...we're studying the transportation of America...I should be teaching this, our books says that the Interstates were made in the 1920's (no, it was the U.S. Routes and Autobahns) and U.S. Routes were made in the '40s.
I have no idea what route that would be. A mutant US-287????
Now for US 262 in Staunton, VA(wait that's VA 262) :-D http://www.newsleader.com/article/20090615/NEWS01/90615001/1002/news01 (http://www.newsleader.com/article/20090615/NEWS01/90615001/1002/news01)
A lady I know and I were talking about traffic jams. She mentioned she always has a hard time merging onto our local expressway. She said that nobody on the mainline lets her in and she said "aren't they supposed to stop for me, I'm merging on!"
lol, she probably also tries to merge at a speed 20 - 30 below that of the rest of the traffic.
Evidently she didn't read a driving manual. :-P Ours clearly stated that traffic from the left had right-of-way, whether merging on or changing lanes.
It's fun to watch people who don't know how to use a roundabout try to navigate it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A75paG3qjZw
Quote from: Hellfighter06 on June 16, 2009, 10:10:14 PM
It's fun to watch people who don't know how to use a roundabout try to navigate it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A75paG3qjZw
I was very amused by a letter to the editor in the local newspaper back home complaining about how drunk people can't figure out roundabouts.
edit - This is the letter I'm referring to (http://www.times-news.com/letters2/local_story_162003705.html), and this is the reply from MDSHA (http://www.times-news.com/editorials/local_story_165201233.html).
edit 2 - I just watched that video, and I feel rather nauseous after watching it... any particular reason he's going around repeatedly?
Quote from: algorerhythms on June 16, 2009, 11:21:15 PM
edit 2 - I just watched that video, and I feel rather nauseous after watching it... any particular reason he's going around repeatedly?
Pretty sure he was just showing around, that's the only thing that comes to mind.
Last month, I was in Charlottesville, VA, and was given a map of the city that turned out to be rather useless. I was going to scan it to post it here, but I found an interactive online version of the same map, so here it is:
Spot the errors! (http://www.discoverymap.com/Virginia/Charlottesville-Virginia-Interactive-Map.html)
first error: map requires flash.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 17, 2009, 11:05:47 PM
first error: map requires flash.
IMHO Calling that an error is a bit overstated.
However, it is debatable on when to use Flash and when not to even though the majority of web browsers have it installed and enabled.
the map isn't nearly large enough to demand that level of interactivity. It can be made into a PNG about 1000 pixels wide with no loss of intended* meaning.
(*for better or worse)
and I'm guessing somewhere in there should be US-33 and US-250, and maybe some other US routes too that I'm not detecting because my pan-and-scan skills are inadequate.
you mean the various restaurant descriptions? that can be added as a clickmap to the static image ... as I said, no need for the pan-and-scan though; we're not talking about a map of the entire US at that level of detail.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on June 18, 2009, 12:37:43 AM
the map isn't nearly large enough to demand that level of interactivity. It can be made into a PNG about 1000 pixels wide with no loss of intended* meaning.
(*for better or worse)
and I'm guessing somewhere in there should be US-33 and US-250, and maybe some other US routes too that I'm not detecting because my pan-and-scan skills are inadequate.
Nah, the reason you're not detecting them may be because there are no US route shields on the map (it uses Virginia state route shields instead).
The day that I-394 became I-395(wait I-395 isn't in the Mid-West) http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/traffic/construction/12th_Street_Exit_on_I_395_in_Minneapolis_Closing_Tuesday_june_22_2009 (http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/traffic/construction/12th_Street_Exit_on_I_395_in_Minneapolis_Closing_Tuesday_june_22_2009)
Here's one by http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com (http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com) who should know better:
US Senate Approves $2bn for Texas Road Projects (http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4244)
Original story:
http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/news/news58842.html?WT.mc_id=DN_News (http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/news/news58842.html?WT.mc_id=DN_News)
Yes, I know no one has posted here in eons but I knew we had one of these threads. Anyway I love how whoever made this map on this page at VDOT turned US 29 and US 50 into state routes :-D http://www.vamegaprojects.com/news/featured-headlines/i-66-full-weekend-closure/ (http://www.vamegaprojects.com/news/featured-headlines/i-66-full-weekend-closure/)
^^
Wow, and on a DOT site.
I've seen that done, of course, on new traffic reports. I've seen Georgia 400 placed in a U.S. highway shield.
Be well,
Bryant