Things you thought you'd hate but then ended up liking

[kphoger]

What roadgeek opinions of yours have un-soured over the years?

As for me:
mixed case street blades

[JayhawkCO]

Yoga

[kphoger]

What roadgeek opinions ...

Yoga

Do please explain...

[on_wisconsin]

Spending several hours a day doing yard work while partially inebriated.

[kphoger]

What roadgeek opinions ...

Spending several hours a day doing yard work while partially inebriated.

Do please explain.

[JayhawkCO]

What roadgeek opinions ...

Yoga

Do please explain...

Well, firstly, I didn't read your OP that thoroughly so I missed that.

Secondly, doing yoga helps prevent my back seizing up when going on long road trips.

[kphoger]

doing yoga helps prevent my back seizing up when going on long road trips.

Well done!

(I don't even care if it's true.  You pulled off an explanation.)

[on_wisconsin]

What roadgeek opinions ...

Spending several hours a day doing yard work while partially inebriated.

Do please explain.

There is a newish neon yellow, but still text based bus stop sign that can be irritating to weed wack around. 

[kphoger]

Another one for me:
road diets

Every instance I've personally seen of reducing two lanes in one direction with a single lane plus either a TWLTL, bike lane, or parallel parking has been a success in my opinion.  I expected to hate them, but now I welcome them.

[kphoger]

There is a newish neon yellow, but still text based bus stop sign that can be irritating to weed wack around. 

And you were worried that the alcohol would make you even more irritated, but it turns out you're a mellow drunk rather than an angry drunk?

Yeah, sorry, but I think you're reaching a little too far with that one...

[on_wisconsin]

There is a newish neon yellow, but still text based bus stop sign that can be irritating to weed wack around. 

And you were worried that the alcohol would make you even more irritated, but it turns out you're a mellow drunk rather than an angry drunk?

Yeah, sorry, but I think you're reaching a little too far with that one...

Fair enough. (I may already be a bit... #nightshiftlife)

[jeffandnicole]

I remember when most people were against the flashing yellow arrow. But now most like it, even if they're at intersections where they do nothing but duplicate what left turning on green has always meant and doesn't use the FYA to its full capability.

[kphoger]

I remember when most people were against the flashing yellow arrow. But now most like it, even if they're at intersections where they do nothing but duplicate what left turning on green has always meant and doesn't use the FYA to its full capability.

Yes, this one looms large in my mind.  However, I don't recall that I was ever personally against them in the beginning, so I didn't mention it in the OP.

Just the other day, due to a weird way that the stoplights at a particular diamond interchange are timed together, my direction went from all red to red with left FYA but red through movement, even with no oncoming traffic.  I was turning left, so I was quite happy.

[LilianaUwU]

You'd think I hate Clearview as a self-respecting roadgeek, but considering Québec has the best implementation of it, I don't care as much.

[formulanone]

Uni-signs, if there's some attempt to align and/or space text, borders, diagrams, and objects properly.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Yeah, I have to agree with mixed-case street name signs, especially given that I've lived in places where those are standard most recently.

[kphoger]

You'd think I hate Clearview as a self-respecting roadgeek, but considering Québec has the best implementation of it, I don't care as much.

The first Clearview signs I remember seeing were all designed well, so I never hated it to begin with.  But it still has no place in route shields or stop signs.

[Max Rockatansky]

If we are talking anything highway adjacent then Japanese cars.  My entire family worked for the Big Three when I was growing up in Michigan.  There was a pretty negative outlook towards any foreign automakers by those around me.  I used to also get family discounts on GM and Ford products. 

In recent years the Big Three stopped making small cars.  The Japanese automakers are pretty much the only option left.  Turns out they make way more reliable cars that are easier to work on.

A traffic feature that I didn't use to like long ago is roundabouts.  Nowadays I would prefer a four lane roundabout over a traditional traffic signal.  CA 156 in particular has been vastly improved since it received two between CA 25 and US 101.

[hbelkins]

What roadgeek opinions of yours have un-soured over the years?

Clearview.

I'm still not sold on FYAs, though. And I'll always hate roundabouts.

[1995hoo]

When I first saw Clearview, I thought it was ugly and I disliked it for that reason. I still think it's ugly, but as I advance through my 50s I do find it considerably easier to read from a distance, and for that reason I like it.

Similarly, when I first saw flashing yellow arrows I didn't quite understand what message they were intended to convey, so I didn't see how they were an improvement over the familiar doghouse signals. Once I understood their purpose, I concluded that they are indeed an improvement. I've affirmatively come to like them as they are implemented here in Northern Virginia (at least in VDOT installations) because the flashing yellow arrows have some features the doghouse signals did not. At the one closest to my house, for example, I may be facing a flashing yellow arrow waiting to turn left into my neighborhood, but sometimes traffic coming the other way will get a red and my green arrow will come on while my side stays green. That never happened in the doghouse era—I would not get a green arrow unless the other street at that intersection first got a green light (either due to vehicular traffic or due to a pedestrian pressing the button for the walk sign). So that is a real improvement and a reason for me to like the flashing arrow.

[gonealookin]

I was nervous about DDIs at first but the logic in that design is impressive.  They have worked out fine.

Unlike many people, I generally like roundabouts.  My only objection is that sometimes the driver entering the roundabout can get so fully engaged in merging into the traffic already in the circle so as to be unprepared for pedestrians in the crosswalks.  (That can happen on a right turn on red too, though.) 

[chays]

Back-up cameras in my vehicles.
I refused to use them at first. Now, if my vehicle isn't equipped with one, I'm always worried that I'm about to hit something/someone that I can't see in my mirrors.

[GaryV]

I was nervous about DDIs at first but the logic in that design is impressive.  They have worked out fine.

Provided they are properly done. Two in our area are only a couple hundred yards from another traffic signal in both directions. Inevitably you end up having to stop more than once.

Also one of them has a lane that suddenly becomes a left-only turn onto the freeway ramp. No advance notice until you are in the DDI itself. The street goes from 3 thru lanes to 2.

[CoreySamson]

My earliest experience with a roundabout left me hateful of them. But the more I drive, the more I like how they work. I think I had a similar thing with DDIs, as well.

I still hate HAWKs, though, and I don't think anything will make me change that.

[vdeane]

Nowadays I would prefer a four lane roundabout over a traditional traffic signal.

I, uh, can't say I'm familiar with those.  And a quick Google search only turned up this monstrosity.