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Old 02-22-2009, 12:09 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
1,561 posts, read 5,142,458 times
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is a new concept to me and my wife, as well. I know many cities have them, but I'm used to roads going N/S or E/W and taking you to or from a place. My second visit to Raleigh I started actually paying attention to where I was driving, and not just blindly following the GPS

have most of you that weren't from Raleigh originally gotten used to it, or does it still seem weird to pass an exit for something and then 20 minutes later see it listed as an upcoming destination?

also, I attached a picture of what I always see when I look at a map of Raleigh... I think it's like a dog with a roman-style helmet, I'm not sure.

Attached Thumbnails
So this beltline thing...-raleigh-dog.jpg  
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Old 02-22-2009, 12:15 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
10,728 posts, read 22,718,061 times
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The worst part, for those of us who've lived here a long time, is that the very NAME of it keeps changing! It was once just the "64 By-Pass" but has been The Beltline for decades. Then it was "440" (also still The Beltline) and then, the real craziness came when they did the "inner Beltline" and "outer Beltline" [which nobody, AFAIK, actually uses]. Now they're changing the names again; no wonder people get lost.

But, I thought every non-coastal city of any size had some kind of encircling highway around the older part of the city.
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Old 02-22-2009, 12:16 PM
 
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i always thought of it this way...if you can point to your right and aim at downtown you are on the inner beltline.;
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Old 02-22-2009, 12:33 PM
 
Location: ITB Raleigh NC
447 posts, read 1,713,496 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GucciLittlePiggie View Post
is a new concept to me and my wife, as well. I know many cities have them, but I'm used to roads going N/S or E/W and taking you to or from a place. My second visit to Raleigh I started actually paying attention to where I was driving, and not just blindly following the GPS

have most of you that weren't from Raleigh originally gotten used to it, or does it still seem weird to pass an exit for something and then 20 minutes later see it listed as an upcoming destination?

also, I attached a picture of what I always see when I look at a map of Raleigh... I think it's like a dog with a roman-style helmet, I'm not sure.

I grew up in Durham and when I would go to Raleigh I would get confused. It took about a year of living here to get used to the beltline and the major roads that are spokes off the wheel. Then another year to get used to the surface streets that run between the spokes. With a GPS it will be a breeze.

I would say that if you live in Raleigh you will get used to your neighborhood and do most of your shopping and such in that neighborhood and only go out of it for work or exploring. For me I like ITB and most of my shopping is done either in the new stores at Knightdale or older stores on Capital, depending on my mood. Most of my social life takes place downtown.
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Old 02-22-2009, 12:41 PM
 
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The DOT has plans to change the signage for the Beltline, allegedly to make it less confusing.

Redesigned Beltline signs to drop 'Inner' and 'Outer' - Growth - News & Observer (http://www.newsobserver.com/news/growth/story/1191403.html - broken link)
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Old 02-22-2009, 02:56 PM
 
Location: Middle Creek Township
2,036 posts, read 4,381,251 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CHTransplant View Post
The DOT has plans to change the signage for the Beltline, allegedly to make it less confusing.

Redesigned Beltline signs to drop 'Inner' and 'Outer' - Growth - News & Observer (http://www.newsobserver.com/news/growth/story/1191403.html - broken link)
I am glad that I don't need to use the beltline anymore, now that they are going to change the name. It took me a while to figure out how it worked and I finally got it down. If I was on the outer beltline, the nastier part of Raleigh was to my left. If I was on the inner beltline, the nastier part of Raleigh was to my right. I figured that out when I had to travel it everyday to get over New Hope Road. Now that I finally understand how to figure it out, I wouldn't want to have to learn a new system. Glad I never have to use that crazy route again.
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Old 02-22-2009, 03:16 PM
 
Location: Clayton, NC
502 posts, read 1,649,628 times
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I learned the highway as inner/outer when I moved here and still refer to it as such. Quite frankly I've been here over ten years and it still confuses me sometimes. So don't feel bad if it takes awhile. Once you remember the exit numbers or order of some of the more traveled roads (64 towards Knightdale, Capital, Glenwood, I-40 towards Durham, US 1 towards Cary, S. Wilmington, Poole Rd) it'll be easier.

I don't think I'll get the east/west designations after the changeover because I still view it as a circle (440) instead of two distinct highways (40 and 440). But I'll learn to cope with it. Good thing for the GPS!!
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Old 02-22-2009, 03:46 PM
 
Location: Raleigh
542 posts, read 1,520,191 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlton Dude View Post
If I was on the outer beltline, the nastier part of Raleigh was to my left. If I was on the inner beltline, the nastier part of Raleigh was to my right.
Why must you go there? You claim to be such a positive person, but then you make the most negative comments when it is unnecessary and uncalled for. When you make comments like that you are adding nothing to the conversation.

Mike
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Old 02-22-2009, 03:52 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
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while i feel a little less confused, i'm also sad that no one liked my dog drawing...
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Old 02-22-2009, 03:55 PM
 
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Count me as one of the people who don't get why the inner/outer thing is so hard. I moved here from DC where they use inner/outer for the beltway and everyone seems to get it...no problem. I know the beltline is not a absolute circle, but it still pretty much goes around Raleigh in a loop. (If you are a hiker, you know that many trails are called "loop trail" and are not circles). Anyway, the inside of the loop (the cars driving clockwise) is the inner beltline and the outside (the cars driving counter clockwise) is the outer beltline. To me, it is much easier to think "I need to get on the inside of the loop" than the N/S/E/W designations that have been used before and are getting ready to use again. They rarely accurately depict the way you are going when you get on the beltline, but instead denote the way that you will end up, I think, but that is so hard to understand when you are circling.

If I was in charge (which I am glad I am not) I would keep the inner/outer designations.

Oh, and to the OP, liked your drawing, but it includes both the beltline and 540, which are two different roads. The outside of the dogs head is the beltline (I know it is not a perfect circle, as I said) and 540 is the top of the helmet.
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