Minor, tiny rant for you newcomers and road names (Mission: neighborhoods, live in)

[austin-steve]

Many of the roads overlap in town - several, such as 290 and 71 come into town as separate roads and leave town as separate roads, but overlap for some distance. If you drop one of the names (such as 71), then it looks like there are two different 71s, when there isn't.

That should not happen. They should change names.

When you drive across country, through large metro areas, it's common that roads converge and diverge as they often "piggyback" on existing roads. In the case of 290W and 290E through Austin, 290 pigybacks on IH35 to connect. If the name were changed, people passing through town would get confused and lost.

[Trainwreck20]

If the name were changed, people passing through town would get confused and lost.

I am agreeing with you...but disagreeing...everyone still gets lost . The fact that the roads piggy back is not the problem, it is that the maps (and street signs) generally aren't very clear.

290W and 71 is pretty clear if you look at it (both roads are running in basically the same direction), but the 290/I35 is a bit of a problem due ot the TOTAL change in direction.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

When you drive across country, through large metro areas, it's common that roads converge and diverge as they often "piggyback" on existing roads. In the case of 290W and 290E through Austin, 290 pigybacks on IH35 to connect. If the name were changed, people passing through town would get confused and lost.

I see your point. Maybe its just the way things are laid out here. I think that they should have signs that let you know. All I know is that I travel the US and I always stuggle to find my destinations in Austin. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I seem razor sharp in other cities.

[brattpowered]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

Really....why not say THE....we do that everywhere else in the nation. Is this really wrong. I want to hear other say this. also, what else do we out siders say thats wrong.

I think this is a California thing, not a "rest of the nation" thing. I come from the northeast and nobody there ever said "THE I-95"

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by brattpowered

I think this is a California thing, not a "rest of the nation" thing. I come from the northeast and nobody there ever said "THE I-95"

nobody says the "I" Anywhere. You don't say "THE" in front of I, but in front of numbers you do

[TheHarvester]

Originally Posted by romesq

...Austin will indeed survive AND prosper AND grow in sophistication, charm, and cachet as she envelopes all her newbies -- even those from Cali and elsewhere who are the "THE" folks! As for us, we'll just be lost for awhile -- and very thankful for GPS devices! Thanks to all who post on this forum -- you've really made Austin "real" to this Louisiana gal.

I'm glad you feel optimistic about Austin's future. My fear is that many of the subtle qualities that made it special will continue to vanish. Some already have.

A wave on the ocean doesn't consist of the same water from one place to the next, but the energy that propagates the wave continues. Similarly with locations and culture --- there are subtle influences that reach us as "waves" from the native Americans who inhabited the land before us, and from every generation that has come before. Names and people change, businesses change, buildings change, old trees die and new ones are planted, but certain patterns tend to persist. It's very difficult to let go of that which is passing into oblivion, just as it's hard to face the death of ourselves and our loved ones as we make way for the next generation.

Yet the waves continue to travel across the ocean of time.

Originally Posted by sberdrow

I just wish that all these roads had one name. I was on 290, which was also 71, and ben white. Mapquest cant keep up with this.

It's not just Mapquest, it will require a 23rd Century version of Artificial Intelligence to even BEGIN to comprehend the mess of Austin's street and highway names!

[TheHarvester]

Originally Posted by schoenfraun

In Chicago we generally use the term "frontage road" to mean "access road," but they are NOTHING like these access roads we experienced in Austin last week. Freakin' frightenin'. Their design is an abomination. I cannot imagine where TXDOT gets its highway engineers. What school teaches that technique? It's CRAZY!

Thank you. If I were governor of Texas, my first action would be to abolish TXDOT and outsource all transportation design to CAL-Trans.

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

...everyone still gets lost . The fact that the roads piggy back is not the problem, it is that the maps (and street signs) generally aren't very clear.

The street signs. The street signs!

They drive me absolutely crazy. You're in the far left lane of 4 lanes, planning to turn left, only to discover AT the intersection (full of high-speed traffic) that you're supposed to be in the right lane or some other lane.

It's positively absurd. I think Austin's roads and signs were designed by a conspiracy of auto body shops, chiropractors, and morticians.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by TheHarvester

I'm glad you feel optimistic about Austin's future. My fear is that many of the subtle qualities that made it special will continue to vanish. Some already have.

A wave on the ocean doesn't consist of the same water from one place to the next, but the energy that propagates the wave continues. Similarly with locations and culture --- there are subtle influences that reach us as "waves" from the native Americans who inhabited the land before us, and from every generation that has come before. Names and people change, businesses change, buildings change, old trees die and new ones are planted, but certain patterns tend to persist. It's very difficult to let go of that which is passing into oblivion, just as it's hard to face the death of ourselves and our loved ones as we make way for the next generation.

Yet the waves continue to travel across the ocean of time.

It's not just Mapquest, it will require a 23rd Century version of Artificial Intelligence to even BEGIN to comprehend the mess of Austin's street and highway names!

Good comeback to my maquest poste

[SouthBayTodd]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

I don't know why it bugs me, but it does. Here in Austin, we don't say "THE 620" or "THE 360", or "THE 2222", etc.

It's simply ...
360
620
2222
Mopac
I-35, etc.

"Take Mopac to 360 and head south to 2222", for example.

Does it bug anyone else or am I just weird and picky? I don't like our Austin vernacular being altered by newcomers. I feel Austin slipping away when there is too much influence and change brought in from other places?

some parts of the country use "THE" and others don't....pretty common difference really. for example, the Los Angeles area uses "THE" but the San Francisco area does not

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by SouthBayTodd

some parts of the country use "THE" and others don't....pretty common difference really. for example, the Los Angeles area uses "THE" but the San Francisco area does not

Well, I would say (one the west coast) "Take I5 north" OR "take the 5 north" I would not normally put a "THE" infront of an "I" like in I35. I was listening to the Radio for the road and weather report, and that guy, whos been doing this for years I would think (maybe not) used "THE" sometimes, and did not others. Thats a guy who talks about the road names all day long.