What is the difference between roads and streets

While road names being different in the UK may come as no surprise motorways instead of interstates, anyone? Australia, for example, sees boulevards in a slightly different light, with these generally meaning long roads which regularly curve. So, while there are notable exceptions from around the world, the code cracked by the video shows that there is an unmistakable pattern to the networks on which we travel.

Picture yourself walking from point A to B. Often there is only enough space for a one vehicle in an alley or for none at all just for pedestrians. A cul-de-sac is a street that is closed at one end. Sometimes the end of the street has a large round paved area from above it has the shape of an old light bulb making it easier for vehicles to turn around and go back out.

A highway is a major public road, usually connecting towns and cities. In some countries UK, NZ etc, the word motorway is used instead of highway. A pedestrian street is a street that has been closed to road vehicles. They are paved and you can only walk along them. When giving directions, sometimes people leave out the Street part of a street name. For example:. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close.

Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Civil Engineering. Running diagonally across Manhattan, the famous thoroughfare doesn't have avenue or street attached to its name unlike, say, Wall Street. Boulevard : A wide street with trees and other vegetation on one or both sides and, often, a median to divide traffic.

Court: A street ending in a loop or a circle, aka a cul-de-sac. Crescent: A winding, curved road that typically attaches to another road at each end. Place — A road with no throughway. Court — A road with no throughway that ends in a loop or cul-de-sac.

Plaza or Square — An open public space that's surrounded by businesses or streets. The video also touches on the differences between high-speed roads like highways, interstates which don't have to go between states at all , and frontage roads. Now you can take all that excellent information and bore the hell out of your relatives on Thanksgiving, elucidating how strange it is that Evergreen Terrace doesn't actually run along the top of a slope. Skip to main content News.

As Edwards emphasizes, there are exceptions, but here are a few of the meanings behind the most common names: Road — Anything that connects two points.