Just how much of a roadfan are you really?

[Zzonkmiles]

Even though I love driving and I love roads, I realize that I am not much of a fan of state routes and county routes. I'm primarily an interstate highway lover. I've thought about branching out to US routes, but I don't know the numbering system well enough to navigate without a map and I fear collisions with deer in rural areas and not being able to find places to fill my tank. Also, state routes, at least in South Carolina, are also not well maintained. But on the other hand, I feel like I am driving much faster when I'm on a US or state route even though the interstate speeds are obviously faster. But that makes me fear head-on collisions with sleepy drivers on two-lane highways. So yeah, interstates are the main draw for me.

How about you? Do you like all kinds of roads? Or are you partial to one type of route over another? And why don't you like some kinds of routes?

[freebrickproductions]

For me, it's mostly looking at abandoned highways and streets. I do like looking at various roads in Alabama though.

[pianocello]

I'm more of a road history guy. I find it especially fascinating to know that a city street that doesn't see much traffic today was once part of a major transcontinental route.

[adventurernumber1]

I am a pretty hardcore Roadgeek. I actually can't remember a single time Ive gotten bored on a road trip (meaning I love roads so much I would enjoy a stretch of interstate like I-40 between Memphis & Little Rock, despite it frequently being called boring). I love all kinds of roads. If I have the time to do so, when I get older and start driving myself on road trips and such, I could drive on a variety of different roads on the trip. I am one of those Roadgeeks big into clinching too, and once I start driving, some major clinching is going to occur.

I simply like the way roads look/driving on them, and I like maps (both looking at them and doodling some myself), and I am large into future proposals, as well as road history. As said, I also have a need to clinch (play on words of need to speed) 

I definitely have a large love for roads, whether it be interstates, US Highways, State routes, or whatever.

[Bruce]

Anything in the Puget Sound region and Washington state is in my interest. Freeways, state routes, city streets, you name it! I'm especially interested in canceled proposals, which Seattle has many physical reminders of (the Arboretum ghost ramps, for example) and other pieces of history.

It's why I started editing Wikipedia, though I've drifted towards editing transit articles as of late.

[wphiii]

For me, it's not the road itself so much as it is the places and things that are along the road. The towns, businesses, landscape...in my mind, those are what give each road its uniqueness. It follows, then, that I actually have somewhat of an aversion to Interstates and other limited-access highways.

[agentsteel53]

not particularly.  I couldn't care less about new infrastructure.  when a new freeway opens, I resolve to visit it in 50 years.

[corco]

I'm actually the opposite- I find interstates terribly boring. The only time I go out of my way to clinch them is if I'm working on driving an entire state's highway system.

I enjoy cultural geography as much as roadgeekery, so for me half the thrill is passing through small towns, driving on roads that let you feel the terrain (unlike interstates where everything is levelled out as much as possible) and generally watching the subtle changes in geography as I drive.

I also like old signs and old trusses and things.

Possibly as a result of my current and last job, I've really started getting into the politics, legal aspects, and history of roads- caring as much about why the road is on a macro level as what the road is and how the road is.

[GCrites]

not particularly.  I couldn't care less about new infrastructure.  when a new freeway opens, I resolve to visit it in 50 years.

Yes, they're very dull when they are new. Sometimes there's some flashy engineering trick that is neat.

[Pete from Boston]

I'm actually the opposite- I find interstates terribly boring. The only time I go out of my way to clinch them is if I'm working on driving an entire state's highway system.

I enjoy cultural geography as much as roadgeekery, so for me half the thrill is passing through small towns, driving on roads that let you feel the terrain (unlike interstates where everything is levelled out as much as possible) and generally watching the subtle changes in geography as I drive.

I also like old signs and old trusses and things.

Possibly as a result of my current and last job, I've really started getting into the politics, legal aspects, and history of roads- caring as much about why the road is on a macro level as what the road is and how the road is.

This is as good a summation as any of these of my inclinations.

I liked the roads as any kid does, because they twist and wind and speed along.  But about when I learned to read I learned to read maps, and I saw that the old ones looked different than the new ones.  Some cities got more roads, some not.  Why?

I'm equally interested in rivers, mountains, canals, factories, trees, and ruins as I am in roads.  They are all indicators of the flow of human nature.  I hope get to see someone represent the historical de/reforestation, population flow, built mass, transportation growth, etc., of even just the northeast in one crazy computer model.  It would be like watching the plants spread in my garden, except in human/natural history.

Also, driving is fun, particularly on interesting roads. 

[wxfree]

I love the road.  To me roads are symbolic of life in general, which is made of a lot of time making progress, and only a few actual destinations.  I love road trips, seeing new places, seeing familiar places, and the sense of putting miles behind me.  I have a particular interest in the legal aspect of road studies, such as traffic law and highway funding mechanisms and toll road schemes.  I can't say I have a favorite class of roads, but I have a different love for most classes, from wide urban Interstates, to rural Interstates, down to lonely gravel roads.  I have no particular affection for urban arterials or neighborhood streets.  I guess I like roads for mobility, not access, for progress, not destinations.

One of my favorite videos, showing one of my favorite activities (and one of my favorite roads) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv_G2DDOjnc  I like how the video is at actual speed, so you feel the minutes go by as the road goes by, and there's almost nothing out there but you and the road, just yourself and the embodiment of progress and forward movement.  I like the speed limits, too (it's now 75 from just before the Pecos River to the end of the road shown).  Taking a long time to get somewhere at high speeds means the journey is long, which is the best kind of journey.

I have an interest in the roads themselves and the places they lead to, but also as philosophical symbols of the purpose of life and as connectors to and, more importantly, reminders of far away places.

[renegade]

When I was a kid, I was all about the Interstates.  The faster, the better.  After I bought my Harley, secondary highways became my priority.  I try to travel a stretch of road I've never been on every time I go out.  I don't mind driving/riding.  I love to travel, and I pay close attention to detail on signs as I go along.

[jeffandnicole]

I would say I'm a *general* roadfan...I don't go terribly overboard for any one particular topic.  Construction probably interests me the most. 

[1995hoo]

I hate to give a bit of a cop-out answer, but I will: My interest in different types of roads varies, and part of the reason is that the purpose of a given trip will factor into any decision. In other words, I like to find new routes to my destinations when feasible (not counting day-to-day local driving, of course).

Of course there's something to the idea that when you take a familiar route it sometimes "feels" faster because you know where you are at any given time and you know just how far you need to go–for me the classic example of that is the familiar I-95/I-295/New Jersey Turnpike route from Northern Virginia to Brooklyn. But it gets boring taking the same route every time when there's so much else out there to see. There's also a tension, though, between how much "exploring" is reasonable versus the need to reach your destination. In finding new routes for longer drives when I need to get somewhere, I'll certainly factor in the grade of road when finding a new or different route; if I know about traffic issues (or a lack of traffic), I'll consider that as well.

So seeing something new, or taking a road I haven't used for a long time, will be appealing but often won't be an option if it means adding 200 miles or three hours unless the drive will already take up the majority of two days (or more). Adding extra distance or time isn't necessarily a problem as long as it's not an excessive amount, but I don't have any single bright-line rule on what constitutes "excessive." (Driving from home to Florida, taking US-29 to Greensboro, I-85 to Charlotte, and connecting south to I-95 adds an hour to 90 minutes versus using I-95 straight through, but the peaceful drive down US-29, coupled with it being more scenic, makes it acceptable. But even though I'd like to drive I-26 through the mountains, I've never considered I-81 to I-26 to be a serious option for the same trip because it's so much further out of the way.)

Whether two-lane roads are an option kind of depends on the same thing–it depends on where they are, the amount of traffic, and why I'm going somewhere. I love twisty mountain roads and they're probably my favorites to drive, but if I want to make some decent time I don't consider them an option. If I'm heading out to the mountains for the day to visit wineries, then I'm going to avoid the Interstate to the extent possible and seek out new back roads as long as they're not gravel roads.

The other thing is, I don't really feel I can make a categorical statement because I'm always happy to drive on a road I find scenic, regardless of the grade of road. For example, I love going through the Adirondacks on I-87 on the way to Montreal, especially during the winter. The fact that it's an Interstate doesn't matter. Similarly, I like going over the Sunshine Skyway or the Dames Point Bridge in Florida precisely because they break up the drive a bit and provide something different after long segments of the same old Interstate.

I guess this is all a long way of saying that to me, it's not so much a question of seeking out a particular grade of road or type of road so much as it is a process of trying to see someplace new, find a different way through familiar territory, yet still make reasonable progress towards my destination.

[logan230]

Interstates and state routes.

[kj3400]

Freeways, particularly the interchanges (doesn't matter what type of route it is); I suppose expressways are interesting to me too, and infrastructure (signs, signals). The way roads interact with each other has always fascinated me, and I always am excited to see what way a particular area has found to deal with a particular complex intersection or interchange. I'm into history, such as how a route came to be or how it has changed, but honestly, I'm not into old stuff. Get mad at me all you want, but I wasn't around then, so I honestly have no interest in it. Particular signs may be nice to look at, and I hate Clearview, but that's about it as far as that is concerned.

[Roadrunner75]

I would say I'm a *general* roadfan...I don't go terribly overboard for any one particular topic.  Construction probably interests me the most.

Pretty much the same for me.  I also enjoy road maps.  Don't care much about signage fonts, which seems to be a big topic here (just print them all in 'Wingdings'!)

[nexus73]

Transportation and communication have been of interest to me since I was a very small child.  What seemed like a miracle to me in the Fifties still fascinates me today.  I'm just glad there's the net so communities can coalesce around the various subjects we like. 

Rick

[hotdogPi]

This person is a roadfan so much that it's in his username.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=1006

[jas]

I'm actually the opposite- I find interstates terribly boring. The only time I go out of my way to clinch them is if I'm working on driving an entire state's highway system.

I enjoy cultural geography as much as roadgeekery, so for me half the thrill is passing through small towns, driving on roads that let you feel the terrain (unlike interstates where everything is levelled out as much as possible) and generally watching the subtle changes in geography as I drive.

I also like old signs and old trusses and things.

Possibly as a result of my current and last job, I've really started getting into the politics, legal aspects, and history of roads- caring as much about why the road is on a macro level as what the road is and how the road is.

That's what I've become.  I used to prefer interstates because I was too impatient for driving local routes.  But, my wife has developed an anxiety to high-speed, high traffic areas, but, still likes to travel.  So we take a lot of US and state routes when we do our trips now.  We recently drove from NJ to Chicago for her sisters' wedding, and took US 224 and US 24 all across the state of Indiana.  It was a blast going through the small towns along the way.

[Zzonkmiles]

I forgot to add that one other thing about interstates that I like is the various sign bridges with the control signs. Atlanta has some beautiful sign bridges with so many different control cities on some signs. It makes me feel like I'm "in the world" or "in America" when I see those and look at the different ways the cars are going. It's like being in an airport and passing through all the gates and terminals watching people get on and off the airport tram. But driving is more fun than walking, of course!

[DandyDan]

I probably tend to like all roads equally, in part because I hate taking the same road to a place twice.  I do tend to favor state and US highways over other roads.  I'd probably also do some of the county roads, but I think I've exhausted all of them I can do here in Sarpy County, NE and the rural part of Douglas County, at least the paved ones.  Then, when you go into Cass County, NE, a lot of roads which have the thicker line on maps are gravel and I try to avoid gravel as much as possible.  I also love road maps.  Of course, lately I've found things a challenge because I haven't had much time to really go anywhere far away and all the roads near me have been taken.  I was happy to discover a few weeks ago the one paved road in rural Sarpy County I had overlooked, probably because it's parallel to NE 50, only one mile east.  Of course, my mom and dad use that road a lot on the way to someone they know who lives off of it.  But then if you drive it all the time, it gets boring fast.

[Laura]

My favorite category of roads is US highways. They offer so much variety - some are rural two laners while others are large boulevards while others are practically interstates highways. Some pass through small towns while others don't have a small town in sight for 15 miles. They also mostly follow the natural contours and topography.

It's also what separates me most from the general crowd. When I mentioned to my inlaws that we mostly drove on US 11 in Virginia to get to Salem this past weekend, their first question was "WHY!?" as in "why would you possibly take US 11 when you have a perfectly usable I-81 right next to it?" My answer was that we got to see some pretty cool stuff - better views of the mountains for starters. We also got to drive through small towns, small cities, and next to a civil war battlefield. Now, there are logistical reasons why I don't take US 11 every time I go through that corridor, but when I have the opportunity, I'll take 11 for part of the drive.

My favorite section of US highway that is local to me is US 29 between Charlottesville and Madison Heights, VA. I'll then jump onto the business route between Madison Heights and Lynchburg. (Hence the avatar)

[on_wisconsin]

Freeways, particularly the interchanges (doesn't matter what type of route it is); I suppose expressways are interesting to me too, and infrastructure (signs, signals). The way roads interact with each other has always fascinated me, and I always am excited to see what way a particular area has found to deal with a particular complex intersection or interchange. I'm into history, such as how a route came to be or how it has changed, but honestly, I'm not into old stuff. Get mad at me all you want, but I wasn't around then, so I honestly have no interest in it. Particular signs may be nice to look at, and I hate Clearview, but that's about it as far as that is concerned.

This pretty much sums it up for me as well.

[US81]

There are several areas of road-geekery that comprise my personal interests. Like corco, I enjoy physical and cultural geography and roads that follow the terrain rather than plowing through, - that said, I love when cuts expose strata and I get a sense of the geology of a place, too.  It can be fun to learn the history of an unusual place name, to find the atypical small-town school mascot or a 'Mom & Pop' restaurant with authentic scratch-made food.

As a class, I probably enjoy US highways the most, but also enjoy Interstates, state highways and even the Farm-Market/Ranch-Market roads in TX. I love tracing old alignments and love to drive some obscure county road that once was an old alignment of a US hwy. I am fascinated by bridges (love trusses), low-water crossings, rail-crossings and tunnels. I enjoy finding (signs of) abandoned bridges and roadways, both in person and by searching maps/satellite imagery/Streetview on-line. Like others above, I also enjoy studying cool engineering solutions to problems of geography or unusual intersections.  Finding non-standard signage and old signage can be fun.