References: Massachusetts Exits Getting New Numbers, Based On Mileage – CBS Boston (cbslocal.com)
For some businesses, state’s changing exit numbers add up to a headache – The Boston Globe
So Massachusetts is finally changing over its exit numbers to mileage numbers. That is a federal mandate for which federal highway money is the carrot. But why exactly is this necessary? Well, it isn’t actually, this is the classic solution in search of a problem.
Several reasons have been offered:
“MassDOT said there are several benefits to the change, including making it easier for drivers to calculate the distance to their destination, better emergency response and bringing Massachusetts in line with how almost every other state does exit numbering. The agency said 90% of the project will be paid for with federal funds.”
It is difficult to believe this is being taken seriously. With the prevalence of GPS and the mapquests of the world, who even needs or uses road signs to figure out mileage calculation? When’s the last time you used a Rand-McNally Road Atlas? Or even saw one? So that’s nonsense. Better emergency response? C’mon, that’s pretty doubtful – local emergency responders know the local roads, so just changing the signs and knowing the mileage from one exit to the next seems pretty unhelpful and completely irrelevant anyway, not to mention they have GPS too. When’s the last time you saw an article about how someone died because some first responder didn’t know how many miles until the next exit? Ever? C’mon.
Bringing Massachusetts in line with other states? Who cares? Keep getting federal money? OK, maybe that works if the feds insist, but if none of the actual substantive reasons is valid, why are the feds still pushing this? This is a complete waste of money and burden on businesses and people who have relied on the current numbers for years with absolutely no ill effects whatsoever. And it has no discernable benefit except making work for someone. In fairness, this mandate from the feds likely predates widespread use of GPS, but even so, what the heck was the urgency in the first place? There wasn’t one, that’s the answer. Just another pork boondoggle for someone courtesy of your elected “representatives.” But someone should have rethought this given the “advances” in technology, rather than move forward with something that, to put it charitably, is just stupid.