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Great Britain road numbering scheme

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Re: Great Britain road numbering scheme

#11

Post by jmkd »

prennert wrote: post #8
robga wrote: post #3

The radial numbering can be a useful ‘signpost’. As an anti-invasion tactic during World War II, a civil defence measure was to remove many road signs. That’d stop those nazis in their tracks. So to this day, I find the UK a difficult country to navigate by signs alone as they are often absent at important local junctions. In many other parts of the world, you can trace your way from a major destination by signs at f…

I completely agree. Without savnat it would be very hard to navigate in the UK for me. Even with preparation ahead of time. The only useful feature in the UK vs other EU countries I have driven in are compass directions: NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST. Some motorways also have reflectors on the lanes to guide you, which is great and I don't remember from Germany at least. Everything else is weird. Starting from the typogra…

Just like within British cities, I enjoy having occasionally quirky, inconsistent and unusual routing and signage.

On the whole, modern British road signage is of excellent quality and was globally influential. Little history here: http://www.britishroadsignproject.co.uk/jock-kinneir-margare...

For me, where there are small gaps or occasional quirks it adds to the flavour. I really don't want a rigid grid of apparent perfection imposed over anything. It may be helpful but it is of no cultural value.

Re: Great Britain road numbering scheme

#12

Post by donalhunt »

robga wrote: post #3

The radial numbering can be a useful ‘signpost’. As an anti-invasion tactic during World War II, a civil defence measure was to remove many road signs. That’d stop those nazis in their tracks. So to this day, I find the UK a difficult country to navigate by signs alone as they are often absent at important local junctions. In many other parts of the world, you can trace your way from a major destination by signs at f…

In Ireland we just chose to use pubs as landmarks... Made things much simpler. =)

Re: Great Britain road numbering scheme

#13

Post by mikhailfranco »

cooperadymas wrote: post #7

While are are not on the topic, anyone want to help me petition our senators to get all U.S. Interstate exits to be numbered by their mile marker rather than sequentially? Know that exit 32 is at mile marker 32 provides me so much more information than knowing that exit 8 is immediately after exit 7, which could be 1/4 mile past it or 40 miles past it.

Note that linear markers on roads become incorrect when the road is diverted, re-routed or interrupted by new roads. For example, consider a new ring-road constructed to by-pass a town. However, US Interstates have special 3-digit numbering for ring-roads and other connectors.

Luckily for you, America is not building any new infrastructure, so mileposts should be stable for some time.

Re: Great Britain road numbering scheme

#14

Post by mikhailfranco »

donalhunt wrote: post #12
robga wrote: post #3

The radial numbering can be a useful ‘signpost’. As an anti-invasion tactic during World War II, a civil defence measure was to remove many road signs. That’d stop those nazis in their tracks. So to this day, I find the UK a difficult country to navigate by signs alone as they are often absent at important local junctions. In many other parts of the world, you can trace your way from a major destination by signs at f…

In Ireland we just chose to use pubs as landmarks... Made things much simpler. =)

Ireland didn't even have post codes until 2015

leave the package for Paddy behind the bar at The Village Inn :)

Re: Great Britain road numbering scheme

#15

Post by berkut »

robga wrote: post #3

The radial numbering can be a useful ‘signpost’. As an anti-invasion tactic during World War II, a civil defence measure was to remove many road signs. That’d stop those nazis in their tracks. So to this day, I find the UK a difficult country to navigate by signs alone as they are often absent at important local junctions. In many other parts of the world, you can trace your way from a major destination by signs at f…

I'm pretty certain the road signs were replaced after WW2 - it's not like there's no road signs any more.

This is the opposite of my experience as well - I've driven in many countries (currently live in NZ), and despite its quirks (not saying it's perfect), I've found using UK road numbers for directions very easy in general compared to other countries that have highways that re-use road numbers in multiple states or something, which has at times caused confusion.

Re: Great Britain road numbering scheme

#16

Post by melonkidney »

Slightly off topic... UK road signs have a very clear and consistent color scheme based on the category of road. E.g., blue background for motorways, green background for A roads.

This scheme was (maybe still is) reflected in the color of roads on printed maps. Google Maps also used this scheme some years ago.

I understand their reasoning, but the day Google standardized on the current yellow & white scheme was a sad day for this UK Maps user.

Re: Great Britain road numbering scheme

#17

Post by masklinn »

cooperadymas wrote: post #7

While are are not on the topic, anyone want to help me petition our senators to get all U.S. Interstate exits to be numbered by their mile marker rather than sequentially? Know that exit 32 is at mile marker 32 provides me so much more information than knowing that exit 8 is immediately after exit 7, which could be 1/4 mile past it or 40 miles past it.

> Know that exit 32 is at mile marker 32 provides me so much more information than knowing that exit 8 is immediately after exit 7, which could be 1/4 mile past it or 40 miles past it.

OTOH you know that exit 8 is the exit which follows exit 7[0], whereas you have no clue whatsoever whether there are other exits between 15 and 32.

[0] except for exit 7B.

Re: Great Britain road numbering scheme

#18

Post by macintux »

mikhailfranco wrote: post #5

The ultimate origin is obviously geographic and topographical, as first laid out by the Romans. The region 4-5 boundary along the A5 is just Watling Street. It originates in London today as Edgware Road, which preserves its distinctive Roman straightness (it even has the faux-Roman Marble Arch at the start in Hyde Park): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watling_Street https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgware_Road The obvio…

> P.S. Direct links to Wikipedia should be banned from HN submissions.

Why? Surely, like every other post, they can be ignored if uninteresting, but they’re usually information many of us haven’t been exposed to and can generate useful additional content...like yours.

Re: Great Britain road numbering scheme

#19

Post by Paianni »

It's an okay system but apathy has resulted in abnormalities, such as the A5-M1 Link Road leaving a bunch of routes in Dunstable out of zone. The A14, as conceived in the 90s, has always started out of zone because that was the easiest two-digit number to steal from another route. Many old A-roads have been chopped into pieces because of motorway replacements or to encourage heavy traffic to use more suitable routes, the end result is a bit of a mess nowadays.

Re: Great Britain road numbering scheme

#20

Post by mikhailfranco »

macintux wrote: post #18
mikhailfranco wrote: post #5

The ultimate origin is obviously geographic and topographical, as first laid out by the Romans. The region 4-5 boundary along the A5 is just Watling Street. It originates in London today as Edgware Road, which preserves its distinctive Roman straightness (it even has the faux-Roman Marble Arch at the start in Hyde Park): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watling_Street https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgware_Road The obvio…

> P.S. Direct links to Wikipedia should be banned from HN submissions. Why? Surely, like every other post, they can be ignored if uninteresting, but they’re usually information many of us haven’t been exposed to and can generate useful additional content...like yours.

Have at it ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
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