Please explain inner/outer loops!

[Anonymous]

Imagine driving on the beltway. Look to your right - out the passenger window. If you are facing towards DC, you in the inner loop. If you are facing away from DC, then you are in the outer loop.

[Anonymous]

I think the confusing part about the usage of outer loop vs inner loop is that those phrases suggest that there are two loops. But there is really just one, and you are either on the outer part of it going counterclockwise, or the inner part of it going clockwise.

[Anonymous]

Now I understand why they are so many crashes on the beltway. People driving who don't know what side of the road to drive on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have lived here since 2002 and I don't understand which is which either.

imagine you are DC and wearing a belt (i.e., beltway). the part that touches your body is the inner loop, the part facing away from you is the outer loop

+1. If you know where DC is, you shouldn’t have any problem

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the confusing part about the usage of outer loop vs inner loop is that those phrases suggest that there are two loops. But there is really just one, and you are either on the outer part of it going counterclockwise, or the inner part of it going clockwise.

No, there are two loops. One goes counter and the other goes clockwise. OMG.

[Anonymous]

this question explains so much about bad drivers and DC in general.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the confusing part about the usage of outer loop vs inner loop is that those phrases suggest that there are two loops. But there is really just one, and you are either on the outer part of it going counterclockwise, or the inner part of it going clockwise.

That's exactly why I had so much trouble. In Houston there are two actual loops around the city and they use the terms differently.

[Anonymous]

In the Southern Hemisphere are the loops reversed?

[Anonymous]

Since no one looks at paper maps anymore! We all just listen to some navigator voice and drive. Lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the confusing part about the usage of outer loop vs inner loop is that those phrases suggest that there are two loops. But there is really just one, and you are either on the outer part of it going counterclockwise, or the inner part of it going clockwise.

No, there are two loops. One goes counter and the other goes clockwise. OMG.

There is ONE road with ONE name - 495. The lanes traveling in the clockwise direction are the Inner loop. The lanes traveling in the opposite direction are the Outer loop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the confusing part about the usage of outer loop vs inner loop is that those phrases suggest that there are two loops. But there is really just one, and you are either on the outer part of it going counterclockwise, or the inner part of it going clockwise.

No, there are two loops. One goes counter and the other goes clockwise. OMG.

There is ONE road with ONE name - 495. The lanes traveling in the clockwise direction are the Inner loop. The lanes traveling in the opposite direction are the Outer loop.

Okay, One road with two loops, happy?

[Anonymous]

Just know OP that in the inner loop, time speeds up a tad; time also slows a bit in the outer loop. It’s not really noticeable but if you were to do something like ten consecutive loops, you would lose or gain about five minutes depending on which loop you were on. It has like something to do with algebra and quantum mechanics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the confusing part about the usage of outer loop vs inner loop is that those phrases suggest that there are two loops. But there is really just one, and you are either on the outer part of it going counterclockwise, or the inner part of it going clockwise.

This. I think it’s a stupid way of distinguishing clockwise and counter clockwise.

I lived in Dallas for a few years before I moved here - they have two separate roads/highways that encircle or mostly encircle the metro area, which is why I was confused the first year or so I was here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the confusing part about the usage of outer loop vs inner loop is that those phrases suggest that there are two loops. But there is really just one, and you are either on the outer part of it going counterclockwise, or the inner part of it going clockwise.

That's exactly why I had so much trouble. In Houston there are two actual loops around the city and they use the terms differently.

Yeah, I have lived in the DC area over 30 years and always understood this.

My brother lives in Houston and I remember when they constructed the "outer loop" there and I kept getting confused when they started talking about the outer loop being another roadway completely. It was brief, but it took a couple of visits for it to sink in and not have my instinctive reaction be that they were talking about the two sides of the same road.