<html><head></head><body>If we're going to consider what homeowners and businesses will write, then add this: in many (all?) Southern States, people write neither the state abbrev. nor SR. They write "highway," even for US routes. "I'm at 5314 Highway 49."<br>
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-jack<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On December 3, 2014 7:33:55 AM EST, Minh Nguyen <minh@nguyen.cincinnati.oh.us> wrote:<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<pre class="k9mail">On 2014-12-01 13:58, James Mast wrote:<br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 1ex 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid #729fcf; padding-left: 1ex;"> Same thing goes with Florida. Just the state outline.<br /><br /> Heck, in Pennsylvania, originally on BGS's before we started to use the<br /> Keystone shield, we used the 'PA' abbreviation (one such sign that still<br /> stands [1]). However, now on the little white reference mileage signs<br /> [2] that PennDOT posts on roads they maintain, it says 'SR' (even on<br /> Interstates). However, PennDOT recently posted a nice little gem on<br /> PA-28 @ Exit #6 going both directions that goes back in time and<br /> mentions the 'PA' on the sign. [3] There are at least 3 of these signs<br /> (2 going SB, at least 1 going NB).<br /></blockquote><br />Just to be clear, the argument I've been putting forward has little to <br />do with route shields (or places where you'd expect a route shield). I'm <br
/>thinking about places where plain text is expected and intended for a <br />general audience.<br /><br />(If you're sick of hearing me ramble on about ref formats, feel free to <br />tune out now.)<br /><br />Variable message signs are generally programmed to display alphanumeric <br />messages only. [1] The messages usually say "SR" for state routes in <br />Ohio [2], Florida [3], and Utah [4]; "KY" in Kentucky; "K-" in Kansas; <br />and "SH" in Texas [5]. (California doesn't usually bother qualifying the <br />state route number.)<br /><br />But it isn't all about the highway department. The same style tends to <br />be used also by the media and by businesses and homeowners giving their <br />addresses. Any other style sounds foreign.<br /><br />If we standardize all states on the state abbreviations, software like <br />Nominatim would need special cases to translate from e.g. "100 SR 123, <br />Red Lion" (what a typical user would input based on a business listing) <br />to
"100, OH 123, Red Lion, Warren County, Ohio". Routers would need to <br />translate in the other direction, because street signs are often limited <br />to plain text. If someone's in unfamiliar territory and their GPS says <br />"turn left on Texas 99" but they see "SH-99" on a blade sign [6], maybe <br />that could make them hesitate and miss a turn?<br /><br />In any case, I'm only concerned with allowing Ohio to keep the "SR" refs <br />intact, since folks have occasionally suggested that they be eliminated. <br />I bring up other states just to point out that Ohio isn't much of a <br />special case in reality.<br /><br />[1] OTOH some do have shields: <br /><<a href="http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/401_dv_191_west_lg.jpg">http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/401_dv_191_west_lg.jpg</a>><br />[2] <br /><<a
href="https://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Operations/Traffic/FAQs/PublishingImages/DMS_Carillon.jpg">https://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Operations/Traffic/FAQs/PublishingImages/DMS_Carillon.jpg</a>><br />[3] <<a href="http://www.aaroads.com/southeast/florida075/i-075_sb_exit_101_04.jpg">http://www.aaroads.com/southeast/florida075/i-075_sb_exit_101_04.jpg</a>><br />[4] <<a href="http://www.aaroads.com/west/utah067/ut-067_sb_exit_004_09.jpg">http://www.aaroads.com/west/utah067/ut-067_sb_exit_004_09.jpg</a>><br />[5] <<a href="http://www.aaroads.com/texas/sh250-299/sh-286_n_horne_rd_02.jpg">http://www.aaroads.com/texas/sh250-299/sh-286_n_horne_rd_02.jpg</a>><br />[6] <br /><<a href="http://webzoom.freewebs.com/theoldcopperfield/Album%2027%20Pic%2006.jpg">http://webzoom.freewebs.com/theoldcopperfield/Album%2027%20Pic%2006.jpg</a>><br /></pre></blockquote></div><br>
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