SultanOfSwing

It's a darker green and a bolder typeface in the UK, this makes it easier. Plus the black-on-white of the majority of non-primary road signs there is about as easy as it gets readability.

It's because they are based on mile markers. From his example, exit 212 would be (approximately, not exactly) 12 miles from exit 200. It isn't exact because it could be 12.8 miles but still be based on mile marker 212.

Bob

That might be the theory, but that's not the case in much of New England.

It was a whole bundle of fun when Maine tried to change things from sequential to mile marker. It was a mess and still a bit of a bodge.

kins

Meh, in Maine we quite like CT drivers but I'm sure you know what we call MA drivers...

Sally Redux

I never really know where I am

Speedwell

What in the heck were you supposed to use if you went back to the UK and had to drive? Would you have to produce your UK license if stopped?

Fortunately (maybe not so fortunately for them) they let me drive in Scotland on my US license, which is legal for US citizens; I don't know the rules for green card holders though. My husband doesn't hold a UK license.

SultanOfSwing

That's one thing about the US roads, they do lack the route confirmation/'reassurance' signs you get on UK roads, where you'd have a sign marked with the road number and a selection of control cities with their distances from the sign.

In general, I like that I can find my way around here with relative ease, just based on learning the numbered highways in the area and knowing which numbers are north-south vs east-west. This only works in practice with US-highways and Interstates, most state/county highways break the rules for numbering.

Bob

Yeah, I know, massive arseholes, but that's only because they're knobs.

CT drivers are terrible though, but NJ/NY are still king on the rude front.

NH/RI are close contenders for both fronts though

hungryhorace

I was wondering wtf this comment means re exit signs as here in New England, like you say, they're just like England for the most part!

hungryhorace

The UK has mile markers also.

jeffreyhy

The mile-based exit numbering system is not universal in the USA. The transition began in the 1960s with the Interstate Highway System and a few of the oldest Interstate highways still use the sequential numbering system. Some states are much further along than others in transitioning lower level limited access roads.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit_nu..._United_States

Regards, JEff

Guindalf

My US license is valid back in England. In fact, my UK license became invalid as soon as I had a US address!

I didn't know that they couldn't take my UK license away at the time or I would have fought for it. All it became was a piece of paper, but it was something I would have liked to have kept - besides, it had all my UK details so if I ever went back to live, I could reference them in my new application!

materialcontroller

I believe they are now metric.

Speedwell

What difference does it make how they measure them? They're still the same size, aren't they?

...

Oh, wait...

SultanOfSwing

I know, but they don't base their exit numbers on them, like (as I've just discovered not all, but at least my corner of) the US does.

SultanOfSwing

Wouldn't surprise me - another bloody EU concession. Can you at least still get pints at the pub?