Roadgeek Thread 2018 (It's Mostly Central Ohio)

12467

Comments

  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    So what is the "correct" way to do this, according to the MUTCD?

    Because ODOT's version becomes a mess quickly when street names are involved, as demonstrated by the Polaris Pkwy/Gemini Pl/Ikea Way signage on I-71 NB demonstrates, and I can't imagine that's what the FHWA had in mind.
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    The feds want those ginormous single-panel Arrow Per Lane signs, but they also say those aren't supposed to depict a split in the ramp downstream from the split from the mainline. Since most of our multi lane exits do exactly that, ODOT has settled on this awkward solution.
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Nice things about having my own imaginary country: I can ignore the FHWA and make up my own signage standards.

    It would be funny to make my own MUTCD.
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    I actually did start my own MUTCD supplement over on the AARoads Forum. I think you'd like it...
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Link?
  • vtkvtk
    edited 2017-11-10 13:27:54
    embrace the confusion
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Honestly, the part about re-allowing "dancing arrows" is the only thing I would have written into a hypothetical Centralia MUTCD supplement, so you did all the work for me. :P
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Oh hey, American Truck Simulator is finally implementing more realistic American signage.

    Old signage:
    image

    New signage:
    image
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    @vtk Was Zanesville ever the control city for I-70 EB from Columbus, to your knowledge?

    I feel like I have a vague memory of "I-70 EAST / Zanesville" signs at the Brice Road interchange from my childhood, but they've said Wheeling since at least the early 2000s.
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    Pretty sure it's been Wheeling as long as I can remember, though it's possible it was Zanesville at some time in the past and that sign on Brice Rd was a holdover.
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    We need to get a geezer roadgeek like Mr Gulyas in here to answer questions like this
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    I find it interesting that Whitehall gets supplemental signage from US 33's exit to SR 317 (Hamilton Road)

    Like, I suppose it makes some sense for US 33 WB

    But if you're on US 33 EB you're actually heading southeast, and you'd end up backtracking over 4 miles to the north just to get to the Whitehall city limits
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    The biggest thing the American Truck Simulator devs seem to struggle with, as far as approximating US signage...is cardinal directions.

    They don't quite seem to understand that cardinal directions on route signage are nominal and based on the overall path of the highway. They just put the immediate direction. (For example, if eastbound I-10 takes a brief curve due south, ATS will sign it as SOUTH I-10 and not EAST I-10.)
  • The biggest thing the American Truck Simulator devs seem to struggle with, as far as approximating US signage...is cardinal directions.

    They don't quite seem to understand that cardinal directions on route signage are nominal and based on the overall path of the highway. They just put the immediate direction. (For example, if eastbound I-10 takes a brief curve due south, ATS will sign it as SOUTH I-10 and not EAST I-10.)

    fir something that is known for paying a lot of attention to detail, this is pretty glaring
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    I think actual road signs should do this more than they do. I-95 used to be signed east-west in Connecticut, and probably still should be. I-94 from Milwaukee to Chicago should be signed north-south (or be a completely different route). I've heard of plenty of people who get off I-270 in Hilliard who then can't figure out how to get back on "I-270 west", not realizing they've already gone as far west as they can and 270 changed direction on them; if routes changing direction were more common, maybe their Maphoo printed directions would include "270 west becomes 270 south" and then those drivers would know how to resume their route.
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    I don't disagree. I've long thought that the freeway portion of SR 104 in Columbus should be signed east-west, even if the majority of SR 104's overall route is north-south.
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    It seems to me like they should have given it its own number, like 401 or 871 or 333
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    They probably should have, yeah.
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    I wonder if it bugs anyone that this is basically a central Ohio roads thread, with occasional stuff from the rest of Ohio or from games
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    I don't think we have enough people interested in roadgeekery to be bothered by that :P
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    image
  • is that a five-leaf clover
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    Yes. Yes it is.
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    There is a brand new sign on SR 315 SB that says:

    Goodale St
    Grandview
    Heights

    Yes, the "e" in "Goodale" is inexplicably undersized. I get annoyed every time I see that.

    (It doesn't even have an exit number tab like the rest of the new 315 signs!)
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    image

    I get why they changed the middle sign from a ⬇️ arrow to a ↗️ arrow—it makes it clearer that I-270 SB traffic is supposed to go right at the gore—but it bothers me that they didn't change the arrow on the rightmost sign to match.
  • edited 2017-12-20 04:29:32
    Hey Centie and vtk, do you prefer rounded or square highway signs?

    Also, do you prefer yellow or black traffic lights?  For that matter, do you prefer horizontal or vertical traffic lights?
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    I prefer signs with the rounded corners trimmed, but they never do that in Ohio.

    I don't care what color the traffic signal housing is, but they should all have a faceplate with a reflective border strip.

    I prefer vertical traffic lights because people don't get confused about the correct light order for those, especially when arrow signals are used.
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    ...My answers are basically the exact same as hers, lol.
  • extremely not so but maybe just a tad yes
    vtk said:


    I prefer vertical traffic lights because people don't get confused about the correct light order for those, especially when arrow signals are used.

    110% this
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    I bring you ROADGEEK PICTURES

    The date/time stamp on all of these is wrong because I had to have Anonus take the battery out of the camera, but OH WELL.

    Here's the work zone on I-70 WB approaching Downtown:

    image
    image
    image
    image
    image
    image
    image
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    I am very unaccustomed to seeing those signs in broad daylight
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    image
    image
    image
    image

    I hate this so much

    They did the weird "one sign per lane" thing which we discussed on the previous page of this thread, which is ostensibly for MUTCD compliance...but then for that last gantry they just said "screw it" and used "dancing arrows" anyways, so what even was the point??
  • vtkvtk
    edited 2017-12-27 09:52:46
    embrace the confusion
    I think their interpretation of the federal rules says you can do that if you've already exited the mainline (not how I read it), but yeah, I think the more practical approach should have been stricter enforcement of uniformity with the old dancing arrows (Lunenfield & Alexander style). Or maybe use Minnesota style.
  • edited 2017-12-30 17:25:21
    You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    This is still my favorite quirk of the I-71 North Freeway signage:

    image
    image

    (the "censoring" is just because my camera started stamping the wrong time/date on things again)
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    I never really noticed that, but now that you point it out, they worked out the sight lines perfectly
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    vtk said:

    I never really noticed that, but now that you point it out, they worked out the sight lines perfectly

    It's kind of funny because they could have easily solved the problem by just putting the exit direction sign in front of the underpass, but instead they went to the effort to awkwardly position it in the gore so you could see it as you approach.
  • I've learned to tolerate drama...except on the boat
    i was with you when those pictures were taken :')
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    image
    image

    I was going to ask why they changed the arrow placement, then I read the '09 MUTCD again and...yep, it mandates the newer style.

    I'm not sure which I actually prefer.
  • I've learned to tolerate drama...except on the boat
    the one on top looks cleaner to me
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    2003 MUTCD figure:
    image

    2009 MUTCD figure:
    image


    The relevant text:

    The bottom portion of the Exit Direction sign shall be yellow with a black border and shall include a diagonally upward-pointing black directional arrow (left or right) for each lane dropped at the exit, with the sign designed and placed so that each arrow is located over the approximate center of each lane being dropped. The words EXIT and ONLY shall be positioned to the left and right, respectively, of the arrow on the E11-1d sign panel for a single-lane drop. For a two-lane drop, the words EXIT ONLY shall be located between the two arrows on the E11-1e sign panel. The number of arrows on the sign shall correspond to the number of dropped lanes at the location of the sign.

  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    I don't know if this exactly qualifies as roadgeekery, but I can't think of a better place to put it, so I'll go here.

    The Ohio State mobile app has, for some time, had parking garage trackers. Recently they expanded this feature beyond the garages by adding parking trackers for the Carmack and Buckeye surface lots.

    There is something a bit frustrating about the implementation, however.

    Here's what the tracker for the Carmack lots looks like. Notice how, aside from Carmack 2 and 3 being lumped together, each of the lots is tracked individually.
    image

    Now here's what the Buckeye Lot status looks like. But...they didn't break it down at all! They just treat the massive parking area as a single lot, which makes feature much less helpful than it potentially could have been.
    image

    I'm baffled as to why they treat "Buckeye Lot" as a single entity when, indeed, it's signed as Buckeye Lot 1 through Buckeye Lot 5 just like the Carmack lots are signed individually. But for some reason, they don't acknowledge any further subdivision beyond "Buckeye Lot" in this app. It's very odd. 

  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    How is the lot usage determined automatically? I'm guessing this reflects the data OSU actually has. Maybe finer reporting will come with installation of additional sensors?
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    That would make sense, now that you mention it.
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    The light at Broad and Parsons has been flashing since like Friday or Saturday. I assume this is because Parsons is temporarily one-way south from this intersection. But, like, why didn't they do that back in the summer when this one-way configuration was first implemented?
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    That's...a good question. Weird.
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    ...And today it's back to red/green operation. What the hell.
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    Apparently it blinks in "off-peak" hours
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Updated thread title.
  • vtkvtk
    embrace the confusion
    Oh, I heard the last bit of four-lane I-70 between Dayton and Columbus is going to be widened starting this summer.

    It's about freakin time.
  • You are the end result of a “would you push the button” prompt where the prompt was “you have unlimited godlike powers but you appear to all and sundry to be an impetuous child” – Zero, 2022
    Good.
Sign In or Register to comment.