# Exit signing



## g.spinoza (Jul 21, 2010)

LMB said:


> You find it sensible, because you're used to it. For us it's different.
> Rarely there is one exit per city, and it's easier to remember Exit 373 than Bologna Xxxxxx, if you don't know the language.
> 
> Best, IMHO, though, would be Bologna 1, Bologna 2, etc. I haven't seen that system anywhere.


Yes but most of the times is Firenze Nord, Firenze Sud, Brescia Ovest, Brescia Est. Not that difficult.
Bologna is an exception since it has three exits (Bologna Casalecchio, Bologna Fiera, Bologna San Lazzaro).

If it was Firenze 1 and 2 I'm sure I would never remember ("was Firenze 1 the North exit or the South one?")


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Some countries use street names for exit names, most prominently in the United States. While geographically very precise, they don't mean much for non-locales, as they don't indicate which cities they serve, especially when there is an extensive urban area. However, you can't name all the exits after the suburbs, for example there are over 1,000 exits in the Los Angeles metropolitan area alone.


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

LMB said:


> You find it sensible, because you're used to it. For us it's different.
> Rarely there is one exit per city, and it's easier to remember Exit 373 than Bologna Xxxxxx, if you don't know the language.
> 
> Best, IMHO, though, would be Bologna 1, Bologna 2, etc. I haven't seen that system anywhere.


I guess the problem with that one would be similar to the one you have with sequential numbering - if another exit is added after the city it's fine, just +1 to the previous exit number... but what if you add an exit before Bologna 1? would it be Bologna 0? Then Bologna -1?


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## g.spinoza (Jul 21, 2010)

^^ I agree with nerdly dood. The sequential numbering doesn't make sense at all, in a highway. The distance numbering makes more sense, but I still think it is not necessary. Moreover, if a piece of highway is redone (a variant, like Variante di Valico for instance), then the distances become wrong and you have to change all the signs from that point to the end of the highway.


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## flierfy (Mar 4, 2008)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Germany even numbers border crossings. The first actual exit in Germany is thus numbered "exit 2".


That is a misinterpretation. Border crossings aren't numbered at all. Assigning number 2 to the first junction correlates with the open end of the motorway at a border. The number 1 itself is reserved for motorway termini which the border crossing clearly isn't.
By the way Germany doesn't number exits but junctions. And so does the UK and Ireland.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

A junction is an exit. Don't try to childishly push people to use British English. it's not mandatory on these forums, nor is this a linguistics forum.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Some countries use street names for exit names, most prominently in the United States. While geographically very precise, they don't mean much for non-locales, as they don't indicate which cities they serve, especially when there is an extensive urban area. However, you can't name all the exits after the suburbs, for example there are over 1,000 exits in the Los Angeles metropolitan area alone.


I'd rather see an exit labeled for a major street than be tossed a list of neighborhoods and landmarks (like in France). (It may help that in the typical North American city, streets can run for many miles without changing names.) But with exits being numbered, this information is really supplemental anyway. I'm not sure what _would_ "mean much for non-locals," who are going to have to look at a map or look up directions anyway. If I with my American habits looked at a street map of, I don't know, Nijmegen, I'd remember, okay, exit at x-straat. A Dutchman might look at the same map and remember, exit at such and such a neighborhood. I'd actually analogize navigating by street names to navigating by route numbers.

But I guess it's a function of what you're used to.... Which is why I find _comparing_ different countries' systems more interesting than arguing about which one is better and pushing for uniformity. ;-)


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

ChrisZwolle said:


> A junction is an exit. Don't try to childishly push people to use British English. it's not mandatory on these forums, nor is this a linguistics forum.


Did I miss something?


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Germany even numbers border crossings. The first actual exit in Germany is thus numbered "exit 2".
> ...
> Distance-based exit numbering is slightly favored with the metric system, as the chance there are two exits within 1 kilometer is smaller than there are two exits within 1 mile, so you need less A / B suffixes.


Analogously to assigning number 1 to the border, American toll roads (at least those with ticket-based systems) technically number toll booths rather than exits. Usually, when you have an exit, you have a toll booth, so no problem. But at the west end of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (for example), before it converted from sequential numbering to distance-based (and when the ticket system went all the way to the Ohio border), "exit 1" was actually the toll booth near the Ohio state line. You weren't exiting the expressway there, just leaving the Turnpike's toll system (and entering Ohio's).

And one disadvantage of going metric with distance-based numbering would be four-digit numbers in places like Houston. I think four digits is excessive.

By the way, I know of two roads in the U.S. (I-19 in Arizona and Delaware Route 1) with kilometer-based exit numbering (or at least I-19 used to do that; I think they may have switched). I've read that Delaware 1 is going back to miles.


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## Haljackey (Feb 14, 2008)

Exit signing in my neck of the woods.

Overhead:









On the side:


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## CNGL (Jun 10, 2010)

Penn's Woods said:


> And one disadvantage of going metric with distance-based numbering would be four-digit numbers in places like Houston. I think four digits is excessive.


On A-7 near Tarragona, with distance-based exit numbers and in metric, there are four digit exit numbers. The highest number is *1168*, which I believe is world record. And it would go higher if they extend the motorway to near Barcelona.

PS: The last exit of I-10 in Texas, if they used metric instead of imperial units, would be numbered *1415!*


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

in Croatia we ahve exit numbers since 2001. we have "german" system, so 2000 metres before exit there is large exit sign (or junctionm, they have different symbols) adn on some motorways (part of A1 and whole A6) there are those signes which sign approaching exit ramp (similar to those for railroad crossing).
exit numbers are also as german - order numbers, each motorway has exit no1 and further exits are numbered sequentially. junctions also count, and additional exits get letters A, B and so on. 
for instance, at A3: exit 1, exit 2, junction 3, junction 4, exit 5, exit 5A, junction 6, exit 6A, exit 7...


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## g.spinoza (Jul 21, 2010)

^^ So the "I know how many exits are left till mine" that somebody before talked about does not work. I mean, I have to exit at 12, and right now I'm passing 2: there could be more than 10 exits left, because there could be 3A, 3B, 4A and so on...

And what happens if a new exit is built between two existent ones? Does the whole numbering changes or does that exit become "4-bis" or something like that?


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

g.spinoza said:


> And what happens if a new exit is built between to existent ones? Does the whole numbering changes or does that exit become "4-bis" or something like that?


in this case happen exits with letters  so, it was planned to have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... but after few years they've decided to build something between 4 and 5, and so we got 4A


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## g.spinoza (Jul 21, 2010)

^^ Ah, sorry, I didn't read your post carefully.


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## MAG (Sep 24, 2004)

g.spinoza said:


> ... And what happens if a new exit is built between to existent ones? Does the whole numbering changes or does that exit become "4-bis" or something like that?


Adding a new exit on an existing motorway is not unheard of but it is rare. The cost of such an undertaking is high and there are rules/laws that prevent one from adding new exits willy-nilly. Arguably, every time a new exit needs to be added, it is a clear case of PPP (piss-poor planning) but I accept that sometimes there is no choice.

Generally, if there exists a risk of having to add a new exit, the pragamtic thing to do is this:
- add a letter such as A or B for unexpected new exits (the most common solution)
- anticipate and leave gaps in the numbering sequence at the planning stage
- adopt a defensive strategy, e.g. number exits using odd/even numbers for odd/even-named motorways, hence creating gaps by design.




g.spinoza said:


> I mean, I have to exit at 12, and right now I'm passing 2: there could be more than 10 exits left, because there could be 3A, 3B, 4A and so on...


I'll give you some free advice - plan your trip ahead in a way that suits your particular driving style and navigation habits.
And I mean it in the nicest possible way. 


.


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## g.spinoza (Jul 21, 2010)

MAG said:


> Adding a new exit on an existing motorway is not unheard of but it is rare. The cost of such an undertaking is high and there are rules/laws that prevent one from adding new exits willy-nilly. Arguably, every time a new exit needs to be added, it is a clear case of PPP (piss-poor planning) but I accept that sometimes there is no choice.


Not necessarily PPP. There are many towns, especially in A14 Bologna-Taranto, which were too small to have their own exit back when the autostrada was built. Since 40 or more years those town have grown, and now they're getting their own exit (I think they're planning 5 or 6 new exits on A14)



> I'll give you some free advice - plan your trip ahead in a way that suits your particular driving style and navigation habits.
> And I mean it in the nicest possible way.


I always do. I was just wondering why many nations consider exit numbers so important, and therefore I was asking. In the nicest possible way


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## Ron2K (Dec 28, 2007)

South Africa uses distance-based exit numbering from the point of origin (usually the most southerly or westerly point). The catch is that exit numbers reset on the pre-1994 provincial borders - does sound confusing, but since all the exit number reset points are on rivers, it's not so bad.

This does however mean that the N2 in East London has an exit number 1060!


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## urbanlover (Feb 14, 2005)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Some countries use street names for exit names, most prominently in the United States. While geographically very precise, they don't mean much for non-locales, as they don't indicate which cities they serve, especially when there is an extensive urban area. However, you can't name all the exits after the suburbs, for example there are over 1,000 exits in the Los Angeles metropolitan area alone.


Usually there is signage to tell you what city a group of streets serve you'll see a sign like this: CITY NEXT XXX EXITS with the streets sometimes be listed below





Penn's Woods said:


> And one disadvantage of going metric with distance-based numbering would be four-digit numbers in places like Houston. I think four digits is excessive.
> .


I don't see big deal between 3 or 4 digit exit numbers


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## Gil (Mar 11, 2005)

Exits in Canada are distance based. In Ontario, highways with several exits within a short distance are not numbered. In these cases the highway is usually short enough not to merit them. In the case of the 427 which will eventually be extended the exits are being consolidated as part of the overhaul of the highway so that a numbering system can be put in place.

The issue with several exits within a prescribed distance usually is not a problem when using kilometres over miles since a kilometre is shorter than a mile it's less likely that you'd get more than one exit within that span. In the event there are two exits within 1 km the second exit is given the following number if it is for a different street. Generally, exits are given the closest whole number based on the mileage posts along the highway. With co-signed higways the older highway's number is used on the shared segment and then when they separate they each continue using their respective mileage counts.

Driving on the New York Thruway where exits are sequentially numbered was alway confusing. Looking at the toll ticket told me I had 10 exits to go, but I had no idea how far and how long that would take without referring to a map. The exits on the Thruway are generally widely spaced, so it could be a while before you could count off the next exit.


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## Uppsala (Feb 26, 2010)

x-type said:


> in Croatia we ahve exit numbers since 2001. we have "german" system, so 2000 metres before exit there is large exit sign (or junctionm, they have different symbols) adn on some motorways (part of A1 and whole A6) there are those signes which sign approaching exit ramp (similar to those for railroad crossing).
> exit numbers are also as german - order numbers, each motorway has exit no1 and further exits are numbered sequentially. junctions also count, and additional exits get letters A, B and so on.
> for instance, at A3: exit 1, exit 2, junction 3, junction 4, exit 5, exit 5A, junction 6, exit 6A, exit 7...


I think it looks like Serbia are going to have exactly the same system and same sort of signs for exit numbers like Croatia.


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## Uppsala (Feb 26, 2010)

kanterberg said:


> Exit numbering was introduced in Sweden less than 10 years ago on E4 and E6. Since then, the system has been expanded to cover all major motorways (see map). Numbering is sequential from south to north or from west to east. As a consequence exit numbers in the capital are fairly “high”. For example, the exit number for Stockholm (centrum) on the E4 is 160.
> 
> The motorway with the most exits is the 738 km long E4. There are 171 exits between Helsingborg and Gävle (numbered 25 to 196).
> 
> ...


First exit numbers in Sweden was introduced in 1994 at the E6 in Halland. But for the rest of the motorways it was introduced at 2003. It was finished at 2004 at the E4 and E6 and 2005 at the other motorways like E22 and E18. But exit numbers is still missing at some motorways. And the number system is not really logic. For example one rest area have exit number but it is not an exit, or junction.


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## Norsko (Feb 22, 2007)

^^ Is that the E 6 stretch with Danish-styled signs? I have always wondered why suddenly the signs there do not look Swedish for some kilometers


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## Uppsala (Feb 26, 2010)

Norsko said:


> ^^ Is that the E 6 stretch with Danish-styled signs? I have always wondered why suddenly the signs there do not look Swedish for some kilometers


Yes, some of them was in Danish style. Also the exit number was in Danish style in the first years. But not all of the signs was in Danish style. In the north of Halland it was signs in Swedish style but completed with exit numbers in Danish style. But from 2003 all of the junctions at E4 and E6 get exit numbers. In that time they changed out the the exit numbers in Danish style to the new Swedish (and European) standard of exit numbers. Also the signs in Danish style get the new Swedish standard of exit numbers.


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## Norsko (Feb 22, 2007)

Oki  thanks! I even think I remember some blue-on-white signage on that section from like ten years ago, but I m not quite sure... Now that all of Sweden got exit numbering, will the signs in Halland be replaced with Swedish-styled signs (with arrows and capital letter font)?


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## flierfy (Mar 4, 2008)

ChrisZwolle said:


> A junction is an exit. Don't try to childishly push people to use British English. it's not mandatory on these forums, nor is this a linguistics forum.


I don't push anyone. I just make the necessary distinction between two different terms. If you lack the capability to tell a junction apart from an exit then you have a good reason to keep quiet.


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## kanterberg (Aug 3, 2009)

> Is that the E 6 stretch with Danish-styled signs? I have always wondered why suddenly the signs there do not look Swedish for some kilometers





Norsko said:


> Oki  thanks! I even think I remember some blue-on-white signage on that section from like ten years ago, but I m not quite sure... Now that all of Sweden got exit numbering, will the signs in Halland be replaced with Swedish-styled signs (with arrows and capital letter font)?


You are right; the signage along the motorway (E6) in Halland is significantly different, but these signs are, in fact, what prompted Sweden to adopt exit numbering in the first place: In the 90's the Halland Chamber of commerce convinced the National Road Administration (Vägverket) to use the E6 through Halland as a test section for exit numbering. Since there was no standard Swedish sign for exit numbers, Vägverket decided to try a new signage altogether. What's interesting is that all of these signs were paid for by the Chamber of commerce and not the tax payers.

In the end, after having evaluated the project, it was decided to introduce exit numbering nationwide. It was also decided not to change the layout of Swedish signage (e.g. keep the signs with all capital letters). 

The conclusion is that drivers in Sweden should thank the Halland Chamber of Commerce for exit numbering. On a different note, it is interesting that the exact same strech of motorway in Halland was also the test section for the 120 km/h speed limit before introducing it nationwide. 

Layout of signs along the E6 in Halland (when exit numbering was introduced nationwide the "Danish" exit-hexagon was replaced by the normal exit symbol.:

photo credit @smarterchild

Standard Swedish layout:


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## aswnl (Jun 6, 2004)

@flierfy:
There are a lot of differences in explanation of English terms, when being translated into other languages. Because of that, it is better not to use the term "interchange" for a connection of an access controlled road (freeway/motorway,etc) to a non access controlled road (other highway/(trunk)road, etc), also better don't use the simple term "junction" for connections between freeways/motorways. In an international forum you'll get to a point your fellow reader will translate wrong.

I propose the following standard usage:
* US - UK - FR - DE - NL
* interchange - motorway intersection/junction - échangeur/croix - Autobahnkreuz/Knoten - knooppunt/verkeerswisselaar
* grade separated junction - intersection/junction - diffuseur - Anslußstelle - aansluiting
* exit/offramp - exit/sliproad - sortie - Ausfahrt - afrit


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

g.spinoza said:


> ^^ I agree with nerdly dood. The sequential numbering doesn't make sense at all, in a highway. The distance numbering makes more sense, but I still think it is not necessary. Moreover, if a piece of highway is redone (a variant, like Variante di Valico for instance), then the distances become wrong and you have to change all the signs from that point to the end of the highway.


Any system will have its drawbacks. A sequential system might see adding "appendage" exits like 4A, 5B and (maybe?) 4A-II if they build something between 4A and 4B.



g.spinoza said:


> Yes but most of the times is Firenze Nord, Firenze Sud, Brescia Ovest, Brescia Est. Not that difficult.
> Bologna is an exception since it has three exits (Bologna Casalecchio, Bologna Fiera, Bologna San Lazzaro).
> 
> If it was Firenze 1 and 2 I'm sure I would never remember ("was Firenze 1 the North exit or the South one?")


Italian highways (Autostrade) have relatively few exits comparing to other countries, not only because most of them have been built as controlled-accessed distance-based tolled from scratch, and it is far more difficult to build a toll plaza, no matter small, than a simple diamond exit.

But in Milano, for instance, signlaing is quite confusing. You have a plethora of exit names on the highways around the city.

In any case, most drivers now use GPS when driving to places they don't know. Most important it becomes to have signaling matching your GPS indications :lol:


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## Interstate275Fla (Dec 1, 2009)

Here in Florida we began numbering our Interstate exits since the late 1970's using the sequential numbering system. In 2002 Florida changed over to a mile marker based exit numbering system.

In both systems the exit numbers increase as you go north or east depending on the highway you are on. For example, on Interstate 275 in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area the highway starts with Exit 2 (US 41) outside of Bradenton and the last northern exit is Exit 53 (Bearss Avenue) in Tampa.

As an example let's use the Gandy Blvd. interchange with Interstate 275 in St. Petersburg. When sequential exit numbering was introduced Gandy Blvd. was shown as Exit 15. As the exit numbering changed from sequential to mile marker based the exit number for Gandy Blvd. was changed to Exit 28, representing that it is 28 miles from Gandy Blvd. to the southern terminus of Interstate 275 at Interstate 75 outside of Bradenton.

Mile marker based exit numbering is also on Florida's toll roads including the Florida Turnpike, which had them for many years before Florida converted to mile marker based exit numbers for its Interstate highways. However, there is one exception and that is the Selmon Crosstown Expressway in Tampa that connects Gandy Blvd. with Interstate 75; when the Crosstown opened in 1976 it has sequential exit numbers which are still there today.

I prefer the mile marker based exit numbering system as it serves twofold: 1) It allows the motorist to calculate the distance between two exits and 2) when a new exit is constructed, a new exit number based on the nearest mile marker can be assigned rather than trying to fit a sequential exit number into place. In short, mile marker based exit numbering makes things a lot easier for everyone involved, from when the highway is designed and built to the motorist who uses the highway.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Sequential in most Northeast US states.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

flierfy said:


> I don't push anyone. I just make the necessary distinction between two different terms. If you lack the capability to tell a junction apart from an exit then you have a good reason to keep quiet.


So all these signs use the wrong word?


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

I dont get the exit numbering. Why? Who drives like this:

"I go 45km straight, then take exit 23. Go 63 kms, there left, and an other 12 km straight."

I drive like this:

" Drive until exit Füzesabony, then towards Szolnok until Jászapáti."

So for me, names are relevant, and make sense.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

^^



> I-279/79 North to I-76 West to I-680 West to SR-711 North to SR-82 West to US-422 West to I-480 West.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

RawLee said:


> I dont get the exit numbering. Why? Who drives like this:
> 
> "I go 45km straight, then take exit 23. Go 63 kms, there left, and an other 12 km straight."
> 
> ...


If you have only one freeway going to the same area, it works. Now imagine a major US metro area, with at least 2 motorways going in the same direction together with spurs, bypasses, ringroads...


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Unusual exit signage can be found at the New Jersey Turnpike:


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## g.spinoza (Jul 21, 2010)

Suburbanist said:


> But in Milano, for instance, signlaing is quite confusing. You have a plethora of exit names on the highways around the city.


I agree, tangenziali deserve some sort of numbering. Bologna Tangenziale has them and they are obviously very handy, since exits are labeled like "Via Massarenti - Castenaso -Ravenna". In that case, is much simpler saying "exit 11"


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

Suburbanist said:


> If you have only one freeway going to the same area, it works. Now imagine a major US metro area, with at least 2 motorways going in the same direction together with spurs, bypasses, ringroads...


I said "exit numbering", not "road numbering"


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## Maxx☢Power (Nov 16, 2005)

kanterberg said:


> It was also decided not to change the layout of Swedish signage (e.g. keep the signs with all capital letters).


hno: I hate all-capital signs, the test signs look much better..



RawLee said:


> I dont get the exit numbering. Why? Who drives like this:
> 
> "I go 45km straight, then take exit 23. Go 63 kms, there left, and an other 12 km straight."
> 
> ...


If you're going somewhere you don't usually go, it's much easier to remember exit numbers than place names. Especially if that place name isn't where you're actually going.. Not to mention it's easier for advertisers: "Come see us by the motorway slip road at exit 34 on the A8" 

Just like it's easier (for some?) to navigate by road numbers, it's easier to navigate by exit numbers as well.. _Especially_ if you're somewhere unfamiliar.. If I was told to "Drive until exit Füzesabony, then towards Szolnok until Jászapáti." I'd be like "drive until exit what now?"


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## LMB (May 5, 2008)

RawLee said:


> I dont get the exit numbering. Why? Who drives like this:
> 
> "I go 45km straight, then take exit 23. Go 63 kms, there left, and an other 12 km straight."


I do. It is easier to look at while driving. 

Exactly speaking, I drive like this: 
Take A4 until exit 56 into A67 
Take A67 until exit ....

...unless I know the geography of the place well. If I have any doubts about the direction of the exits, I add the city. 




RawLee said:


> I dont get the exit numbering. Why? Who drives like this:
> 
> I drive like this:
> 
> " Drive until exit Füzesabony, then towards Szolnok until Jászapáti."


And then you wander why passed Liege, after all it was signposted, only as Luik, and then you can't find Aachen, but there is Aix. Then you get back and drive towards Parijs. OK, this is an example from a messed up region, but I bet you there's Pozsony on Hungarian signs. 

Or, there's Braunschweig where you expected Berlin. Or you wonder, have you already passed the exit towards Kassel? Is Braunschweig before Hannover, or after? 

Sorry, navigating city names only works well if you know the place to a large extent.


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## flierfy (Mar 4, 2008)

aswnl said:


> I propose the following standard usage:
> * US - UK - FR - DE - NL
> * interchange - motorway intersection/junction - échangeur/croix - Autobahnkreuz/Knoten - knooppunt/verkeerswisselaar
> * grade separated junction - intersection/junction - diffuseur - Anslußstelle - aansluiting
> * exit/offramp - exit/sliproad - sortie - Ausfahrt - afrit


You are free to make proposals. It still won't become the generally applicable terminology. Neither in this forum nor anywhere else.



ChrisZwolle said:


> So all these signs use the wrong word?


These aren't the wrong words. Contrary to Britain and Germany American highway authorities sign exits on freeways. Presumably they are aware of the difference.


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## flierfy (Mar 4, 2008)

LMB said:


> Sorry, navigating city names only works well if you know the place to a large extent.


Navigating by destinations works fine with a general concept of geography. Navigating by road numbers requires a special knowledge of road numbering. Add to that that names of places are easier to remember.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

flierfy said:


> Navigating by destinations works fine with a general concept of geography. Navigating by road numbers requires a special knowledge of road numbering. Add to that that names of places are easier to remember.


Navigating by destinations works fine in a country that is reasonably consistent in which destinations it chooses to sign - the U.S. isn't - and if you have a "general concept of geography" - many people don't. And that's if the destinations aren't fairly small towns in an area you don't know well.

Navigating by road numbers requires not "a special knowledge of road numbering," but the ability to read a map. (And for those small towns in an area you don't know well you need to read the same map.)

I'm not sure it's easier to remember "Syracuse, then Binghamton, then Scranton, then Harrisburg, then Hagerstown" than it is to remember "I-81."


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

WTF are you guys talking about? I said "exit number"!!! Not "road number"!!!


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## sotonsi (Feb 6, 2007)

Re the debate between Flierfy and Chriszwolle, exit would be an individual off-slip/off-ramp, whereas a junction is the junction/intersection between 2 or more roads.

For instance, the M25 (GB) at junction 16 has two exits - one for each direction of the M40 (only one entrance from the M40 though). Note that both are 16, and it's not 16A and 16B (like it would be in the USA, for instance).

Sometimes this gets a bit silly - M3 junction 14 for instance, where the M3 interchanges with the M27 - the mainline goes to the A33/A27, but exits off the M27 slips, which had split by direction a bit further north. It feels as if it is two junctions, even if technically it's only one.

I side with Flierfy here - there is a difference between numbering exits and numbering junctions.

---

In addition to having sequential numbering for junctions, spur junctions in the UK are often given 'A' suffixes (which leads the M25 junction on the M4 to be 4B, because 4A is on the Heathrow Spur from junction 4). That said, spur junction numbering is slap-dash - sometimes it is numbered, sometimes it isn't.

The City of Peterborough is mostly a 'new town' (ie massively enlarged in the last 50 years). It has a system of parkways and all junctions on them, and on a couple of other roads, are uniquely numbered in the city, and sequentially numbered on each road (note that no junction has two numbers, and the Inner Ring Road was never finished). more details


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

RawLee said:


> WTF are you guys talking about? I said "exit number"!!! Not "road number"!!!


And we're talking about road numbers


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Interesting is to figure out why some countries add one number for the entire exit (or junction if you will) and others for every off-ramp (or slip road if you will). 

As far as I know, all European countries just give one number to the entire thing, but it seems to be common that each separate off-ramp is given an A/B/C etc suffix in the United States. I prefer the European way though. Suffixes make it unnecessary complicated, signage should be clear enough.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

^^I can see the principle of numbering every exit from the main road, but it does get inconsistent, and it can get silly: for example, suppose they add a c/d road to what was a simple cloverleaf, where the exits used to be 30A and 30B. So now there's an exit from the main road to the c/d road, and then two exits from the c/d road the intersecting road.

Some states*, in this situation, would continue to mark the exits from the c/d road to the intersecting road as 30A and 30B, and the exit from the main road to the c/d road would be "30A-B" or "30B-A," depending which direction you're going.

Some states would mark the exit from the main road to the c/d road as "30" and leave it at that - I mean not number the exits from the c/d road to the intersecting road.

Some states would mark the exit from the main road to the c/d road as "30" and then the exits from the c/d road to the intersecting road as "30A" and "30B."

This last option, in my opinion, is unnecessarily complicated. I don't have strong opinions about the other two.

*And in some states, this seems to be a matter for local officials of the state Department of Transportation, so practice will vary from one area to another.
Which is just silly.


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## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

Slovenia uses suffixes for every ramp in interchanges (A, B, C, D, E, F...).

As for designating interchanges by names or by numbers, I think names are easier to remember, because they mean something. You can easily forget, whether you should take exit 34 or 43 etc.


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## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

double


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Interesting is to figure out why some countries add one number for the entire exit (or junction if you will) and others for every off-ramp (or slip road if you will).
> 
> As far as I know, all European countries just give one number to the entire thing, but it seems to be common that each separate off-ramp is given an A/B/C etc suffix in the United States. I prefer the European way though. Suffixes make it unnecessary complicated, signage should be clear enough.


*With mileage-based exit numbers there really has to be suffixes for exits within the same interchange... I'm not sure about collector/distributor systems though, I guess with ones like that the distributor exit would be signed as "Exit 118-ABC" and then you'd have "Exit 118-A" and -B and -C, so maybe if there's another exit within that interchange past exit C that isn't within the distributor it'd be signed as 118-D and not mentioned on the "Exit 118-ABC".

All you need to know is, if you're given decent directions it'll tell you "...Take Interstate 81 South. Take Exit 118-C and turn right at US Rt. 460..."

Also note that before that intersection was rebuilt, Exit 118-C was the only exit there (signed as Exit 118)*


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## piotr71 (Sep 8, 2009)

Verso said:


> Slovenia uses suffixes for every ramp in interchanges (A, B, C, D, E, F...).
> 
> As for designating interchanges by names or by numbers, I think names are easier to remember, because they mean something. You can easily forget, whether you should take exit 34 or 43 etc.


There are _Krzywa_ and _Krzyzowa_ junctions/exits on A4 in Poland. I always confuse them 

I see a slight difference in remembering, named or numbered junctions. Those with names have to be learned first and then memorized, but those with numbers just remembered. We all already know digits and numbers yet, so there is no need to learn them, unlike names. In particular when driving abroad.


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## Gil (Mar 11, 2005)

Penn's Woods said:


> ^^I can see the principle of numbering every exit from the main road, but it does get inconsistent, and it can get silly: for example, suppose they add a c/d road to what was a simple cloverleaf, where the exits used to be 30A and 30B. So now there's an exit from the main road to the c/d road, and then two exits from the c/d road the intersecting road.
> 
> Some states*, in this situation, would continue to mark the exits from the c/d road to the intersecting road as 30A and 30B, and the exit from the main road to the c/d road would be "30A-B" or "30B-A," depending which direction you're going.
> 
> ...


In just about all of the c/d highways I've been on the transfer lanes from the through/express lanes themselves aren't numbered. There's simply an overhead sign indicating which exits you can access in the c/d lanes. The individual exits off the highway are then numbered. The transfer lanes don't actually leave the highway, just from one section to another. Similarly, they wouldn't number the transfer lane from the c/d section to the through/express section.

Very rarely is there a dedicated exit from the through/express lanes. In those cases the exit number is the same as the one used for the exit in the c/d lane. It is after all the same point along the highway.

As for suffixes A and B seem to dominate, but are not always exclusive. I have seen exits with the cardinal direction as the suffix, which makes more sense if you're not paying attention to the signage ahead of time indicating which exit goes where.

With the majority of off-ramps here (in Ontario) being parclos you usually only have the one off-ramp for each exit. Older exits, or those with challenging geometries may require two ramps, but those are gradually being replaced where possible.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

I'm not talking about long c/d lanes serving multiple interchanges, like on the 401, (the same thing you describe can also happen where there's a HOV lane), but about one that just appears for the duration of one interchange, like here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=39.640959,-75.801694&spn=0.004883,0.00825&z=17

(You have to zoom in pretty close to see the c/d road, but it's there.)


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

Penn's Woods said:


> I'm not talking about long c/d lanes serving multiple interchanges, like on the 401, (the same thing you describe can also happen where there's a HOV lane), but about one that just appears for the duration of one interchange, like here:
> 
> http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=39.640959,-75.801694&spn=0.004883,0.00825&z=17
> 
> (You have to zoom in pretty close to see the c/d road, but it's there.)


I guess both problems could be easily solved: on the main road you indicate EXIT and then you put the letters/numbers for the off ramps/accesses.

For instance, in the case of this map, the main I-95 would get something like EXIT 109 A-B. Then, over the secondary lane only, A and B would be proplerly marked.

If auxiliary lanes carry traffic exiting/entering in many streets, at the beginning of the segregated section a HUGE sign should display: divided lanes: EXPRESS - LOCAL/EXITS 130 to 144.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

Suburbanist said:


> If auxiliary lanes carry traffic exiting/entering in many streets, at the beginning of the segregated section a HUGE sign should display: divided lanes: EXPRESS - LOCAL/EXITS 130 to 144.


Like the top pair of pictures here (which aren't very good, but they're the best I can find):
http://www.njfreeways.com/NJGSPLocalPictures.html


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## aswnl (Jun 6, 2004)

flierfy said:


> You are free to make proposals. It still won't become the generally applicable terminology. Neither in this forum nor anywhere else.


The terminology used in my proposal is generally applicable within a language, I thought. It would just be nice that in international discussions English speaking natives would think about the fact that in the rest of the world other terminology is used, and that they'd better not use certain words if they don't want to be misunderstood.

An international forum doesn't mean all non-English speakers have to adapt to all idiot US/UK-terminology - it also requires some adaptations from English speaking forum users. I think that's only fair - they already have the HUGE advantage of being able to discuss without having to translate all the time.


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## urbanlover (Feb 14, 2005)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Interesting is to figure out why some countries add one number for the entire exit (or junction if you will) and others for every off-ramp (or slip road if you will).
> 
> As far as I know, all European countries just give one number to the entire thing, but it seems to be common that each separate off-ramp is given an A/B/C etc suffix in the United States. I prefer the European way though. Suffixes make it unnecessary complicated, signage should be clear enough.


Actually, I think it adds to the clarity when ramps are not part the same exit such as at a cloverleaf.


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## geoking66 (Jun 27, 2006)

Having been to SoCal a few times, the exit signs are quite confusing, especially since highways have colloquial and official names which change at different times. The following was something I quickly came up with as a result (for some reason Inkscape wouldn't let me make the left four arrows white).


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## myosh_tino (Apr 8, 2010)

geoking66 said:


> Having been to SoCal a few times, the exit signs are quite confusing, especially since highways have colloquial and official names which change at different times. The following was something I quickly came up with as a result (for some reason Inkscape wouldn't let me make the left four arrows white).


While that is not typical signage in California (or anywhere in the US for that matter), it's not bad. In California, there are separate shield specs for use on guide signs and as route markers (reassurance shields). The ones you are using are route marker shields. Also, the I-405 exit from US 101 has only a single exit number, 19A, even though the ramp splits after leaving the mainline.

Working off of your version, here's mine...









The actual exit signs for the 101-405 interchange kind of look like this...









And when this sign is replaced with a newer reflective sign that contain exit numbers it might look like this...


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