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Why are Texas interchanges so tall?

practical.engineering

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Re: Why are Texas interchanges so tall?

#141

Post by DidYaWipe »

dylan604 wrote: post #102
pc86 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you really think the best way to react to a perfectly civil comment attempting to tell you that you're saying something wrong is to get defensive and pejorative?

Yes. Your comment adds nothing to the conversation. It's like posting on the incorrect use of your/you're there/their/they're. Mistakes in grammar happen all the time. When they happen, it is easy for the reader to see the mistake and move on. Corrective comments mean nothing in the end

Wrong. It is NOT easy for some people to see the mistake. People learn to read, write, and even speak by READING. And where do people do most of their reading these days? Online.

So it is to everyone's benefit to correct spelling and grammar errors. People learning English, kids, whoever... they all benefit from seeing correct language. Lashing out against it is infantile and counterproductive.

Re: Why are Texas interchanges so tall?

#143

Post by DidYaWipe »

s1artibartfast wrote: post #131
dylan604 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Your comment adds nothing to the conversation. It's like posting on the incorrect use of your/you're there/their/they're. Mistakes in grammar happen all the time. When they happen, it is easy for the reader to see the mistake and move on. Corrective comments mean nothing in the end

Corrective comments mean nothing specifically in the case where the author has no interest in correcting their behavior in the future. I realize may fall into this case, but it isn't universal. Some people seek to improve their grammar and avoid mistakes. Pointing them out doesn't have to be viewed as an attack. Alternative responses are as simple as "thanks" or "you are correct, of course"

They mean something to readers, though, regardless of whether the author is amenable to taking in the information or not. People learn by reading, so we all benefit by giving them correctly written material to learn from.

Re: Why are Texas interchanges so tall?

#144

Post by psunavy03 »

hoten wrote: post #138
nabla9 wrote: post #26

First time I visited the US it was Houston, Texas. My host was perplexed because I laughed out loud while we were driving. Experiencing highways and those massive gas stations felt like someone had made a state that mocked America by taking prejudices we have about the American traffic and making them 200% larger in real life. My mind was blown.

Houston native here. I still guffaw when I see a massively lifted truck (but with a pristine bed, no scratches - so not even a work truck). Everything's bigger in Texas, including egos.

The best analogy I've heard for explaining Texas to non-Americans is that Americans view Texans the same way the rest of the world views Americans.

Re: Why are Texas interchanges so tall?

#145

Post by hoten »

I recall seeing a regional breakdown on what different parts of the US call the frontage road. Fun fact, apparently the Houston area is the only place that uses the term "feeder road" (or just "the feeder").

In fact, being from Houston, I'm pretty sure most people wouldn't know what you meant if you said frontage road. It's that pervasive.

Re: Why are Texas interchanges so tall?

#146

Post by psunavy03 »

DidYaWipe wrote: post #139

"the worst symbol of our car-obsessed culture" Nothing against the article, which covers an interesting topic. But this refrain gets tiresome, the railing against our "car obsession." We have a big-ass country. We like to move about it. Many of us don't want or need to live on top of each other. That is all.

There is also a subset of people who will go out of their way to dunk on Texas. I'm not Texan myself and feel the place has its pluses and its minuses (some of them huge ones on both sides of the ledger). But sometimes I'm like "come on, really, that's a cheap shot."

Re: Why are Texas interchanges so tall?

#147

Post by hoten »

psunavy03 wrote: post #144
hoten wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Houston native here. I still guffaw when I see a massively lifted truck (but with a pristine bed, no scratches - so not even a work truck). Everything's bigger in Texas, including egos.

The best analogy I've heard for explaining Texas to non-Americans is that Americans view Texans the same way the rest of the world views Americans.

I'll accept that.

Somehow I forgot to mention truck nuts. Car culture is something else entirely in Texas.

Re: Why are Texas interchanges so tall?

#149

Post by NautilusWave »

nabla9 wrote: post #26

First time I visited the US it was Houston, Texas. My host was perplexed because I laughed out loud while we were driving. Experiencing highways and those massive gas stations felt like someone had made a state that mocked America by taking prejudices we have about the American traffic and making them 200% larger in real life. My mind was blown.

It's like American pastiche

Re: Why are Texas interchanges so tall?

#150

Post by weissbier »

j-bos wrote: post #133
Gud wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you been to a city(and country) with a good public transport system? I live in Zürich(not from here) and it blows my mind how convenient it is to walk 25 meters to the nearest tram stop and easily get to anywhere in the city. I used to think like you, that having car was a necessity, even freedom. Now I see it for what it is, a ball and chain.

- The municipality of Zurich has an area of 91.88km² - The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, urban area (excluding huge swaths of land where people live and presumably need commute from) has an area of 4,524.44km² Numbers taken from wikipedia.

I think it's difficult for Europeans to grasp the size of the US.

Texas alone is twice the size of Germany - which is really crazy.

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