[Talk-us] State highway refs (was Re: New I.D Feature)

[Jack Burke]

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."

-jack

On December 3, 2014 7:33:55 AM EST, Minh Nguyen <minh at nguyen.cincinnati.oh.us> wrote:
>On 2014-12-01 13:58, James Mast wrote:
>> Same thing goes with Florida.  Just the state outline.
>>
>> Heck, in Pennsylvania, originally on BGS's before we started to use
>the
>> Keystone shield, we used the 'PA' abbreviation (one such sign that
>still
>> stands [1]).  However, now on the little white reference mileage
>signs
>> [2] that PennDOT posts on roads they maintain, it says 'SR' (even on
>> Interstates).  However, PennDOT recently posted a nice little gem on
>> PA-28 @ Exit #6 going both directions that goes back in time and
>> mentions the 'PA' on the sign. [3]  There are at least 3 of these
>signs
>> (2 going SB, at least 1 going NB).
>
>Just to be clear, the argument I've been putting forward has little to 
>do with route shields (or places where you'd expect a route shield).
>I'm 
>thinking about places where plain text is expected and intended for a 
>general audience.
>
>(If you're sick of hearing me ramble on about ref formats, feel free to
>
>tune out now.)
>
>Variable message signs are generally programmed to display alphanumeric
>
>messages only. [1] The messages usually say "SR" for state routes in 
>Ohio [2], Florida [3], and Utah [4]; "KY" in Kentucky; "K-" in Kansas; 
>and "SH" in Texas [5]. (California doesn't usually bother qualifying
>the 
>state route number.)
>
>But it isn't all about the highway department. The same style tends to 
>be used also by the media and by businesses and homeowners giving their
>
>addresses. Any other style sounds foreign.
>
>If we standardize all states on the state abbreviations, software like 
>Nominatim would need special cases to translate from e.g. "100 SR 123, 
>Red Lion" (what a typical user would input based on a business listing)
>
>to "100, OH 123, Red Lion, Warren County, Ohio". Routers would need to 
>translate in the other direction, because street signs are often
>limited 
>to plain text. If someone's in unfamiliar territory and their GPS says 
>"turn left on Texas 99" but they see "SH-99" on a blade sign [6], maybe
>
>that could make them hesitate and miss a turn?
>
>In any case, I'm only concerned with allowing Ohio to keep the "SR"
>refs 
>intact, since folks have occasionally suggested that they be
>eliminated. 
>I bring up other states just to point out that Ohio isn't much of a 
>special case in reality.
>
>[1] OTOH some do have shields: 
><http://www.asphaltplanet.ca/ON/hwy_401_images/401_dv_191_west_lg.jpg>
>[2] 
><https://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Operations/Traffic/FAQs/PublishingImages/DMS_Carillon.jpg>
>[3]
><http://www.aaroads.com/southeast/florida075/i-075_sb_exit_101_04.jpg>
>[4] <http://www.aaroads.com/west/utah067/ut-067_sb_exit_004_09.jpg>
>[5] <http://www.aaroads.com/texas/sh250-299/sh-286_n_horne_rd_02.jpg>
>[6] 
><http://webzoom.freewebs.com/theoldcopperfield/Album%2027%20Pic%2006.jpg>
>
>-- 
>minh at nguyen.cincinnati.oh.us
>
>
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-- 
Typos courtesy of fancy auto-spell technology. 
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