Proposal: Upgrade our ML Divided highways to expressway
Reading over the Waze wiki, it doesn't seem to offer any guidelines on Expressways besides the obvious that its between a Freeway and a Major Highway.
Most road-fans consider a freeway to be is an controlled access divided highway with no at-grade intersection while an a expressway is on controlled access with a limited number of at-grade intersections. (As an aside freeways happen to be coded in Michigan State law while expressways isn't mentioned)
The M-5 Haggerty Connector and the M-53 Romeo bypass are some of the examples of expressways in our state.
However, our numerous wide divided highways such as such Woodward and Eight Mile with their implementation Michigan Lefts actually serve the same purpose. Because of two-phase light timing that the ML allows, through-traffic speed is excellent on roads and they are safer than two ways. These are obviously the preferred travel routes. Unsurprisingly they have been given Major Highway.
However, looking over the Wiki SE Michigan map we have numerous other roads also marked Major highway which are inferior to the big roads. Examples include Twelve Mile, Maple Road, Greenfield, Warren, Evergreen and Long Lake (the latter two, I consider wrong, as they are only one lane each way in many spots). Twelve Mile Road for example, regardless of having 5-7 lanes is marked at 35 for much of eastern Oakland county and has numerous multi-phase traffic signals.
So I propose we upgrade the Waze road type for all of those big roads to "Expressway". Specifically I am talking about anything that is keyed as a Double-Red and Double-Grey (county-owned divided highways like Metro Parkway and Mound) on the Official State of Michigan Map -- http://tinyurl.com/MIstatemap
Note that looking over the map, I'm fairly confident that despite what the legend implies, the double grey line had an extra standard besides just the road being divided. Example Greenfield though it is divided through Dearborn didn't earn a double -- note it does not have Michigan Lefts nor is it designed for high speed. The entirety of Outer Drive though very wide also didn't qualify it as it is low speed and residential.
Most road-fans consider a freeway to be is an controlled access divided highway with no at-grade intersection while an a expressway is on controlled access with a limited number of at-grade intersections. (As an aside freeways happen to be coded in Michigan State law while expressways isn't mentioned)
The M-5 Haggerty Connector and the M-53 Romeo bypass are some of the examples of expressways in our state.
However, our numerous wide divided highways such as such Woodward and Eight Mile with their implementation Michigan Lefts actually serve the same purpose. Because of two-phase light timing that the ML allows, through-traffic speed is excellent on roads and they are safer than two ways. These are obviously the preferred travel routes. Unsurprisingly they have been given Major Highway.
However, looking over the Wiki SE Michigan map we have numerous other roads also marked Major highway which are inferior to the big roads. Examples include Twelve Mile, Maple Road, Greenfield, Warren, Evergreen and Long Lake (the latter two, I consider wrong, as they are only one lane each way in many spots). Twelve Mile Road for example, regardless of having 5-7 lanes is marked at 35 for much of eastern Oakland county and has numerous multi-phase traffic signals.
So I propose we upgrade the Waze road type for all of those big roads to "Expressway". Specifically I am talking about anything that is keyed as a Double-Red and Double-Grey (county-owned divided highways like Metro Parkway and Mound) on the Official State of Michigan Map -- http://tinyurl.com/MIstatemap
Note that looking over the map, I'm fairly confident that despite what the legend implies, the double grey line had an extra standard besides just the road being divided. Example Greenfield though it is divided through Dearborn didn't earn a double -- note it does not have Michigan Lefts nor is it designed for high speed. The entirety of Outer Drive though very wide also didn't qualify it as it is low speed and residential.
Re: Proposal: Upgrade our ML Divided highways to expressway