
Beyond Streets and Avenues: Simple Visual Guide to Different Types of Roads - misnamed
http://99percentinvisible.org/article/beyond-streets-avenues-simple-visual-guide-different-types-roads/
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hardlianotion
Interesting and maybe useful to me - if UK taxonomy is similar. However:

"Avenue (Ave): may have trees on one side, perpendicular to streets"

I can't think of a sensible tree/road relationship in which the tree is not
perpendicular to the road direction. Does this make sense to anyone else?

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zhte415
What I can think of the the UK, please add or disagree, perhaps there's also
regional variation:

* Street - A road that traditionally had shops; may or may not today

* Road - Linking 2 places, may or may not have buildings

* Lane - Traditionally lined by bushes, winding, or otherwise 'small'

* Gardens - Limited to residential housing

* Court - Enclosed square

* Square - With a road/roads encircling it

* Causeway - Next to the sea, sure

* Avenue - Can recall a handful growing up but nothing made them distinguishable. Roads invariably as straight lines, other than the ones the Romans built, are an alien concept

* Boulevard - Never met a boulevard in the UK

* Parkway - Only one I can think of is Bristol Parkway, but I think of that as a train station

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arethuza
Some Scots ones:

\- Loan

\- Close

\- Brae

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hardlianotion
Any clue as to what these signify? Close I think I know.

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dghf
A close is an alleyway off which one or more doors to residential tenements
open. Alternative names are entry, court, and wynd, with some nuances: a court
is more likely to open up into a courtyard, and a wynd more likely to be a
means of getting from A to B, rather than just somewhere people live.

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arethuza
Just though of another one: "vennel" \- which I thought was just The Vennel in
Edinburgh but which actually seems to just be an example of a vennel:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vennel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vennel)

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pragone
Where is this for? I can't think of anywhere I've lived in the northeast (NJ,
NY, PA) where this strongly applies.

Here's one: I live on a "Drive". It's road built through townhouse complex.
Pretty much the exact opposite of what I'd call "long, winding road shaped by
natural environments". It connects to a "court", which is another road through
the complex that most certainly does not "[end] in a circle or loop – like a
plaza or square".

Edit: "Road" isn't even on this list!

2nd Edit: I've consulted some traffic engineers. I'm genuinely curious to see
what they say.

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13of40
I live in a Pacific Northwest suburb and they pretty much follow this
convention to the letter. Probably has something to do with how recently
everything here was built.

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krallja
A freeway has no stop lights or stop signs; traffic is free to move along the
entire way.

An Interstate is a freeway that is part of the Interstate Highway System.

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dnautics
A freeway has no tolls.

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krallja
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled-
access_highway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled-access_highway)

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dnautics
Among controlled access highways, some have tolls, and these are not referred
to as freeways.

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krallja
The Wikipedia article I linked notes that the ITE defines a freeway as:

> Freeway: A divided major roadway with full control of access and with no
> crossings at grade. This definition applies to toll as well as toll-free
> roads.

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Theodores
I added a Google Map at zoom 16 or so for customer addresses in the backend of
an ecommerce store to help improve deliverability. These addresses are
primarily in the USA and I set it to the tilted 'drone' view. This seems to be
a world that is always sunny. I am constantly taken aback by the geometry of
some of the places that show up in this map view, often a 'crescent' informs
you that the address must be correct because it is a 'crescent' that you
expect the pin to be on, the shape visually confirms things nicely. 'Crescent'
is an obvious clue but you would be surprised with what registers at a glance
to confirm the address is likely to be correct.

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elchief
Then of course there's Avenue Road in Toronto
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_Road

And the awful Stroad [https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2013/3/4/the-
stroad.html](https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2013/3/4/the-stroad.html)

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Spooky23
I lived on 72nd St in Queens. The next block was 72nd place, and there was a
72nd terrace since renamed after someone.

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dyeje
I found it amusing they gave this definition:

Turnpike (Tpke): usually an expressway with a toll booth

but there is no definition of expressway listed.

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proyb2
Roundabout -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCXtcXD17qU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCXtcXD17qU)

Taxiway - is a path for aircraft at an airport connecting runways with aprons,
hangars, terminals and other facilities.

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askvictor
I read a page on this quite recently (but can't find it right now); however
the definitions were somewhat different - iirc, a road connects two places, a
street is perpendicular to a road, avenue is perpendicular to a street.

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Skylled
My childhood home was on "Eighth Street Drive." It's a two block long strip
that is about ten feet shy of connecting with Eighth Street, so they slapped a
different name on it.

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11thEarlOfMar
How about a 'Common'? My town has given to naming roadways like:

Winding Ridge Common

Maple Leaf Common

Etc.

