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Edmonton - Renaming Whyte (82) Ave

Post by EightBitRanger
After discussing the topic a bit with another user, I'd like to see what everyone else thinks;

I suggested renaming Whyte (82) Ave on the map editor to eliminate any redundancy provided by having both on the visual map as well as vocal navigation. As it sits now, directions are read out as "Turn left on Whyte, Eighty-Two Ave Northwest" and if giving directions to or being given directions by someone, it has never been used in that way in my experience. The only place I recall seeing the name as it is now is on street signs. Which is why I'd suggest changing it to either one or the other:

1) 82 Ave with Whyte Ave as the alternate name: The official street designation given by Canada Post. The only street designation that shows on up Google Maps and Mapquest. Bing Maps has 82 Ave NW and Whyte Ave interspersed with each other.

2) Whyte Ave with 82 Ave as the alternate name: Since moving to the city, rarely is it that I have heard Whyte Ave being described as anything but Whyte Ave. While not the official name, it is the common name.
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Post by doctorkb
Interesting suggestion. When I renamed the entire thing, these are the questions I worked through:

When you're driving, what reference do you see? Street signs or CanadaPost address lookups?
(my answer: street signs -- so "Whyte (82) Ave NW" is correct)

Additionally, if you aren't from here, where is "Whyte Ave" in the wonderful grid system that we have to work with?
(my answer: you don't have a clue -- whereas with "82" you know that it's between 81 & 83).
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Post by doctorkb
I should add that I agree that it looks and sounds clunky.

That said, we have to balance aesthetics with functionality -- and functionality needs to be given a strong bias.

I don't know if renaming it "Whyte 82 Ave NW" would be better or "82 Whyte Ave NW" would be better -- I think those are both close enough to the signage to be suitable. Perhaps "Whyte / 82 Ave NW" could work as well.
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Post by erablian
I agree that Waze should be biased towards strangers to the city rather than locals. But “Whyte (82) Ave NW” does look and sound ugly, so I am conflicted about what is best. Probably the status quo works best despite the inelegance.
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