Road code - Designation dependent on physical characteristics

Chad Bryan, Gleaner Writer

A trip across the island will take the traveller along roadways with definitions like avenue, boulevard, lane and terrace, among others, attached to the name. Matthew's Lane in Kingston and Parke Lane in St Andrew, Bustamante Highway in Clarendon and Ken Jones Highway in Portland, Michael Manley Boulevard in Portland and Norman Manley Boulevard in Westmoreland are a few of the popular roads in Jamaica, but each designation has a specific reason.

A boulevard, French for the Dutch word meaning bastion, is a wide road which is a multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided by a median which runs down the centre. It has roadways along its sides for slow travel usages such as parking lanes, bicycle and pedestrian usages, and an above-average quality landscape and scenery. Some of the most popular roads with the boulevard designations include the Washington Boulevard and Knutsford Boulevard in St Andrew and the Norman Manley Boulevard in Westmoreland.

Normally, highways are thought of as high roadways that allow for speedy travel. However, countries with different laws have varying definitions. Under American law they are normally thought of as major roads and, in British law, it normally designates any road open to the public. In its simplest form, however, a highway is a main public road that connects towns and cities. Highway 2000 is perhaps Jamaica's premier highway.

Roads are thoroughfares on land between two places that have been paved or improved otherwise to allow for travel by some conveyance, whether by horse, cart or motor vehicle. Some popular roads include Half-Way Tree and Constant Spring roads in St Andrew and Brumalia and Caledonia in Mandeville.

Similarly, streets are public thoroughfares, however, they are located in a built environment. People may freely assemble, interact and move about this public parcel of land that adjoins buildings in an urban context. Some popular streets are North Street, Wildman Street and Port Royal Streets in Kingston and St Andrew and St. James Street and Barnett Street in Montego Bay, St James.

Alleys define those narrow streets or passageways behind or between city buildings, whereas a drive defines a short private road leading up to a private house. Popular drives in the Kingston area include Liguanea Drive, Norbrook Drive, Sunrise Drive, Cherry Gardens Drive and Beverly Hills Drive.

A cul-de-sac, known in some circles as a 'close', is a road lined with private houses which are only accessible by vehicles from one end, or a close-ended street designed for vehicles to turn around. It may also include a decorative centre island. Bird Sucker Mews is an example of a cul-de-sac in Kingston.

Avenues are the principal walk or approach to a house which is withdrawn from the road. Oftentimes avenues are wide and are usually a tree-lined road and path. Chelsea Avenue and St Lucia Avenue in New Kingston are among some roads with the designation in St Andrew.