Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

[St. Clown]

Re: Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

I'm pretty sure everybody know even runs EW, odd NS, and x95s are beltways.

But I didn't actually know there were other conventions.

I'm pretty sure most people don't realize the even/odd mix. Thirty years ago? Likely, yes. Today, with younger generations, they're not driving as much or starting as early, so they don't have the same love of the process as earlier generations. Thus they don't learn it. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a conversation where one of the guys is giving this grand revelation to a woman or younger person who've been driving at least ten years. It's remarkable, IMO.

ETA: Also, if the offshoot highway is a loop, it begins with an even number; if it's just a branch, it's an odd number. For Minneapolis, 494/694 are the bypass loop for 94. 394 is an E/W branch of 94 that only connects at one point to the main interstate.

[Kepler]

Re: Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

Also, if the offshoot highway is a loop, it begins with an even number; if it's just a branch, it's an odd number.

See, I had no idea and I've been driving 39 (if the DMV asks, 37) years.

I think the rules I know are very well known if you live on the Acela corridor because they're just impossible to miss. There's a ton of major cities with beltways all on top of each other and many of the interstates terminate there since the alternative is swimming.

Whereas if you live in say NE, honestly, why would you know the rules unless you were a pro?

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

The Twin Cities have so many easy ways to remember all the rules. 94, 394, 494, 694, 35.

[mookie1995]

Hopefully somebody guilty of swatting has to pay for the deployment of the personnel and equipment (easily tens of thousands of dollars) and would be responsible for injury / loss of life.

I'd ask what is wrong with people but we all know what is wrong with people. They're people.

What did tommy lee jones say?

A person is smart, people are dumb

[Jimjamesak]

See, I had no idea and I've been driving 39 (if the DMV asks, 37) years.

I think the rules I know are very well known if you live on the Acela corridor because they're just impossible to miss. There's a ton of major cities with beltways all on top of each other and many of the interstates terminate there since the alternative is swimming.

Whereas if you live in say NE, honestly, why would you know the rules unless you were a pro?

Or you live in a state with no Interstate highways...

(TBF I lived in Tacoma for awhile so I at least know the setup)

[Kepler]

Re: Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

Or you live in a state with no Interstate highways...

Is there one? I assumed if HI has one (it does) then every state does, but now I see AK doesn't have one. Huh.

[Jimjamesak]

Re: Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

Is there one? I assumed if HI has one (it does) then every state does, but now I see AK doesn't have one. Huh.

Technically there is but they are not signed as such.

[joecct]

Technically there is but they are not signed as such.

They're numbered H-1 & H-2. There may be an H-3, but I don't remember.

[The Rube]

Re: Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

I'm pretty sure most people don't realize the even/odd mix. Thirty years ago? Likely, yes. Today, with younger generations, they're not driving as much or starting as early, so they don't have the same love of the process as earlier generations. Thus they don't learn it. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a conversation where one of the guys is giving this grand revelation to a woman or younger person who've been driving at least ten years. It's remarkable, IMO.

ETA: Also, if the offshoot highway is a loop, it begins with an even number; if it's just a branch, it's an odd number. For Minneapolis, 494/694 are the bypass loop for 94. 394 is an E/W branch of 94 that only connects at one point to the main interstate.

Agreed, and today with all the GPS, a vast majority of people just go where the GPS tells them to go. They don't pay attention to why the roads are numbered the way they are.

[MaizeRage]

Re: Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

The streets here are fantastic, nothing like one street that has 4 different names. Or streets that run east-west, until they run north-south, and then maybe switch to east-west again.

In Raleigh, NC, the main bypass basically just circles around the city, so rather than marking it N/S/E/W anywhere, it's just designated as inner loop if you're moving clockwise, and outer loop if you're moving counter-clockwise.

ETA: Also, if the offshoot highway is a loop, it begins with an even number; if it's just a branch, it's an odd number. For Minneapolis, 494/694 are the bypass loop for 94. 394 is an E/W branch of 94 that only connects at one point to the main interstate.

Also N-S interstate highway numbers get bigger from west to east, while E-W interstate highway numbers get bigger from north to south. The opposite is true for US highways(because US highways came first and the north had their **** together quicker than the south in building them). Major interstates end with a 0 or 5, major US highways end in a 0 or 1.

The only three-digit major highway is US 101 on the west coast, because they technically count 10 as a single digit.

(And for the record, that's all mostly trivia and I don't think the overall knowledge is any lesser or greater than it was 30 years ago, unless you want to argue that nobody needs to look at a map anymore)


The 35W-35E thing is how bypasses/spurs used to be named prior to 1973 when government naming regulations changed(so far example, instead of 694, it would have been called 94N). It stuck in Minnesota and Texas because the idea is a little easier to understand with each running through a major city.

[SJHovey]

In Raleigh, NC, the main bypass basically just circles around the city, so rather than marking it N/S/E/W anywhere, it's just designated as inner loop if you're moving clockwise, and outer loop if you're moving counter-clockwise.



Also N-S interstate highway numbers get bigger from west to east, while E-W interstate highway numbers get bigger from north to south. The opposite is true for US highways(because US highways came first and the north had their **** together quicker than the south in building them). Major interstates end with a 0 or 5, major US highways end in a 0 or 1.

The only three-digit major highway is US 101 on the west coast, because they technically count 10 as a single digit.

(And for the record, that's all mostly trivia and I don't think the overall knowledge is any lesser or greater than it was 30 years ago, unless you want to argue that nobody needs to look at a map anymore)


The 35W-35E thing is how bypasses/spurs used to be named prior to 1973 when government naming regulations changed(so far example, instead of 694, it would have been called 94N). It stuck in Minnesota and Texas because the idea is a little easier to understand with each running through a major city.

I think you meant the E-W interstate highways get bigger from South to North, don’t you?

[Jimjamesak]

They're numbered H-1 & H-2. There may be an H-3, but I don't remember.

You are correct but I was talking about Alaska.

[MaizeRage]

Re: Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

I think you meant the E-W interstate highways get bigger from South to North, don’t you?

Yeah, I misspoke. They start smaller in the south and get bigger as you go north.

[Kepler]

Re: Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

Inner loop if you're moving clockwise, and outer loop if you're moving counter-clockwise

Is this always the convention? That would help a little.

I've always wanted beltways to be labeled C and A ("Clockwise" and "Anti-clockwise") instead of directions. I can never remember whether I'm going clockwise when I'm on the f-cking Beltway.

[MaizeRage]

Re: Nice Planet 14: You People Make Me Sick

Is this always the convention? That would help a little.

It is because you're always driving in the rightmost lane.