Types of roads in US/UK

[Kymsec99]

 Ok, so we in the UK know of Freeways, probably the UK Motorway equivalent.
We then have 2 laned A roads (Dual carriage ways), then main route A roads, then B roads... usually through villages, then C roads that mainly connect villages too and are only about 4 feet wider than a car in many cases.
 What other types of tar#mac roads do you in the US have, other than Freeways?

A little story of a man, a bike, a B road and a C road....
I was working on road building and was surveying a quiet village area.
200 yards up the road, was a  B and C road crossroad junction. The B road only ever had about 3 vehicles every 5 minutes it seemed. We were outside a row of village houses, when some chap, fired up his 500+cc motorbike, roared off up the C road towards the junction at about 60mph...AND JUST KEPT GOING STRAIGHT OVER THE JUNCTION! We chatted about him with a neighbour, who said he'd been doing this 5 days a week for 22 years! Lucky man!
Well, 2 days later, he was on the front page of the local paper, as his luck ran out at age 42.
He ploughed straight into a 40 ton truck and died instantly!

[ScooterWolf]

Things can get complex in the US as we have roads built and maintained through Federal spending while others are done so through individual states, then counties as the local caretakers.

Interstates span numerous states, and even time zones, next may be Byways, while routes, designated by a number, are maintained by a state. They also tend to be toll roads (depending on the state you're in).

On local levels you can have routes, drives, boulevards and streets and avenues. Many are the same thing, and vary in lane numbers and regulated speed limits. I take a Drive on one of my commute routes that runs along a river. it's two lanes with opposing traffic only separated by a set of double yellow lines running down the middle. The posted speed is 35 mph, while the flow of traffic is on average 45 - 65 mph (and faster).

- Wolf

[Kymsec99]

Ok, yes a bit more confusing, but probably easy to you who live there.
Was a bit worried about the last bit...35mph and people do upto 65mph with only a yellow line divider.
We have similar (dual carriage way, slow vehicles do atleast 50mph, max limit by law 60 or 70mph depending on the environment, but you will see people doing over 80mph on the odd occasion. Difference is we have a metal deflecter barrier along the whole of these roads, with short breaks for crossroads (rare).

[ScooterWolf]

Yeah, it's crazy. I think despite borders and geographical distances people are self-righteous no matter where they are. People often feel entitled to do what they want when empowered behind the wheel of a car, despite things like the law, or the vehicle in front of them.

We just have to be aware of this when when we ride. I have a list of car brands that fall into this kind of behavior:

BMW
Nissan
Audi
Mercedes

Not all drivers of these cars are dangerous Landsharks, but a good number of them fit the stereotype. I tend to keep my distance.

- Wolf

[GLV55]

... I have a list of car brands that fall into this kind of behavior:

BMW
Nissan
Audi
Mercedes

Some others on my list that I always look out for:

VW Jetta (not sure why, but this model seems to be a magnet for idiots)
Dodge pickups (around here, very aggressive drivers)
Minivans (moms paying more attention to the kiddies than the road)
Anything with a teenager in it (constantly looking at their $#$% phones)

[Tromper]

Some others on my list that I always look out for:

VW Jetta (not sure why, but this model seems to be a magnet for idiots)
Dodge pickups (around here, very aggressive drivers)
Minivans (moms paying more attention to the kiddies than the road)
Anything with a teenager in it (constantly looking at their $#$% phones)

Gets more complex id'ing the local dangerous drivers by car cuz that varies by region.
In the PAC NW Jetta's definitely.  I used to do the VW crowd and there's a bunch that seem to think a stock Jetta's a sportscar....And then they are also a model folks really do build into something now & again..maybe that's where group A gets their ideas...
Minivans/mom car in general tend to be an issue for any number of reasons.  In the PAC NW you start including Subaru's and light SUV's a lot in that group; albeit my wife & I have a running joke/truism about Mean Grinnie Vans (Green Minivans) maniacally running down (everybody) on the road.
And in the PAC NW it's not just the teenagers on their cellphones..  It's pretty much bad drivers in all demographics, & even the occasional otherwise good driver..I bullied one of those into submission by whupping his nicely built 6cyl mustang repeatedly with my S200 the other day...got so frustrated he put it down and started driving..

[ScooterWolf]

Unfortunately, we’ll all had those encounters with Soccer Moms, distracted teens, and PU trucks (who have no idea what a turn signal or side view mirror is). When I’ve visited my mom and sister in Portland, OR, it seems slow casual drivers are also par of the course, but it may only seem that way for an East Coast guy.

- Wolf 

[Tromper]

Oregon can be pretty fierce on speed enforcement, I found that folks drive the limit or lower throughout the areas I've been through there.
An oddity for the U.S.

[LidoCA]

Yeah, it's crazy. I think despite borders and geographical distances people are self-righteous no matter where they are. People often feel entitled to do what they want when empowered behind the wheel of a car, despite things like the law, or the vehicle in front of them.

We just have to be aware of this when when we ride. I have a list of car brands that fall into this kind of behavior
Not all drivers of these cars are dangerous Landsharks, but a good number of them fit the stereotype. I tend to keep my distance.

- Wolf

My list would be pretty close to this. I would substitute  Nissan for Toyota Prius. A very close second place to BMW. I don't know why.

[chaz35]

Around here, North Texas, contractors in pickups, 18 wheelers, UPS/ FedX drivers (I am not kidding) are dangerous.  Everybody is in big hurry, running late.  Law enforcement is random and spotty at best.  Over 3000 dead drivers in TX annually, sad but true.

[gregspeople250]

There's no national standard with respect to normalizing of roadways as you have in the UK. If you follow the speed limit in any state, +~9 MPH, you'll generally be in the flow of traffic and left alone by the constabulary. There are occasional drivers driving slower and faster. Our police often ignore slow driving while becoming excited when confronted with fast (~+10 MPH to limit) drivers.
Roads are "all" scoot-able if your scoot' is up to the speed of the flow of traffic. Road conditions vary quite a bit depending upon tax support. Road taxes are gathered from numerous sources, depending upon area. Federal dollars support many road projects and are often awarded to connected elected officials. (We appear to be enacting/returning to earmarking federal laws which are bound to create even more lopsided funding (didn't we rid ourselves of earmarks for this reason?).)
Portland and Oregon drivers sometimes seem in a trans. Slow driving is often the norm except on the occasional stretch of highway near Portand.

[ScooterWolf]

I wonder if there is a strong difference in driving attitudes between US East Coast and West? I've extensively on both, having driven from LA to Portland (and back) close to 10 times. I've never been afraid to drive on the West coast (even in LA), but have more fear and apprehension on the East Coast, knowing how aggressive, and blatantly incompetent drivers are in regard to breaking rules, the law and having attitudes of entitlement (driving with cellphones, driving 1- 20 mph above the flow of traffic, changing lanes without signaling).

I can only dream of people driving 10 + mph above the posted speed limit.

- Wolf

[Kymsec99]

 Lol, don't get me stared on Road Tax! In the UK, it used to be collected for spending on roads/road safety. NOW, its just a tax that tops up government and a bit of it does go back on roads. We are 20 years behind on repairing 'potholes'. Same with with National Insurance that comes directly out on Payday and was purely to pay for our health service. Theres no paper trail anymore. Local taxes are more audited and a basic costing does get posted each year.
 As for 4 wheel drivers, our main enemies are 'white van man, black BMWs that plough on at 100 - 150mph in the fast lane on our 70mph motorways! You see something approaching you're rear in youre mirrors in no time, flashing you to get the hell outta the way! Cheeky sods! Taxi drivers are a law unto themselves, regularly shooting through red lights....cutting me up! SUVs here are getting much more agressive too!
 With the cuts in spending, the is about a 70% drop in Police presence on the road compared with 5 years ago! Its madness now. So many more crashes and fatalities and ofcourse...,the Police have to attend all these crashes, which kinda makes no sense. They may aswell be out there in proper numbers acting as a deterrent, just like 5 years ago. Every fatality costs well over £1 million in overall cost, so theres no money saving and less people alive....crazy!

[ScooterWolf]

Okay, I won’t complain about the state of roads, or their management in the US again. How are there no open revolts over this state of affairs?

- Wolf