Wikipedia:Notability (Transportation) (failed proposal)

Streets and roads

All Wikipedians agree that there cannot be an article about every little side street in the world. But a major street or road that is of high importance to the region where it is located is notable. there should be a general guideline as to what makes a street or road notable for inclusion in an article of its own. Some possible guidelines are:

1. City Links - Roads that link two or more cities, towns, or communities, and stand out against a group of smaller streets or roads in their respective areas are notable. These are roads are frequently found on a folding wall map or road atlas that does not display every little side street, but does show main roads. If you were to look at a detailed street map of a neighborhood, these are the roads that you would view as the "main road" (or few roads) of the community or town, that are printed in bolder lines.
2. City Grids - In the downtown area of a major city with a gridlike pattern of streets, the major streets that are considered the city's main streets are notable. However, more minor streets (which there are in most downtowns) are not considered notable, unless some other factor else establishes them as such. For example, in Manhattan, where there are a few major north-south streets which transverse the town a long distance (mostly numbered Avenues), these are notable. But not all west-east numbered streets are notable. Most of these are narrow, with one lane for thru traffic, and parking on each side. A few (like 79th and 86th Streets, for example) are wider, transverse Central Park, have bus lines operating on the streets, and other stand-out factors like these, and therefore, are considered notable. (In Washington, DC, not all lettered or numbered streets are notable. But a few major ones, like K Street or 16th Street are notable.)
3. Side Streets - A side street or small road divided by a yellow line that is contained to one area and is not close to being the "main" road in the area is generally not notable. Exceptions are if the street plays some role in popular culture (such as being the location of a major news event, is featured in a movie, or is distinctive in some way compared to a common street), or is the subject of some highly notable writing.
4. Numbered highway systems - Roads that are part of a national or jurisdictional numbered highway system are generally agreed to be notable due to the selectiveness of the agencies that admit routes to those systems. (Only a fraction of the many thousands of roads in a typical U.S. state are selected as a state-maintained numbered highway.) In jurisdictions with parallel primary and secondary systems (such as Missouri, which maintains a 'primary' system of numbered routes and a 'supplementary' system of lettered routes), generally the primary system is regarded as notable, while the secondary (and tertiary, etc.) systems need to be evaluated on a route-by-route basis. At the county/parish level and below, notability needs to be assessed for each individual numbered route. Note, however, that there are many streets that are not numbered routes that all agree are notable. Besides, some jurisdictions do not have numbered routes.
5. Lists within Articles - Roads that are contained to one town, suburb, or other similar area that have a high importance within that area alone, but do not connect to other areas, and do not merit and article of their own can be mentioned with a few short paragraphs within the article about that town. Such lists may also include roads that do have articles, accompanied by the {{main}} tag. See Owings Mills, Maryland#Transportation for an example. Such a list, however, is not to be indiscriminate and include every little side street. A road that is listed must have some significance, such as a major landmark being located on the road.
6. "List of streets" Articles - In a major city, a page listing streets within the city can be created to list streets that do and do not have articles. See List of streets in Baltimore, Maryland for an example. Once again, such a list cannot be indiscriminate and include every little side street. The list may include streets that link to an article or have some other noted signifigance.

Examples

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  In the downtown area of a major city, large streets would be considered notable. Smaller "back" streets would not.
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  In a major city, outside of the downtown area, or in a smaller city, these major streets would be considered notable. Smaller streets would not.
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  In a suburb, these major roads that connect to a nearby city or other suburbs would be considered notable. Smaller streets contained within the suburb would not.
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  This major road connecting two towns would be considered notable. Other roads connecting either town to any other city or town would be considered notable. Small streets contained within the town would not.

Transportation services

Another question that has been brought up is what transportation services are notable? This includes rail lines, rail stations, bus lines, etc. Here is my opinion on each:

National/Continental rail services

The services themselves are notable, and many of their stations (and some defunct stations) are notable. As for whether their individual routes are notable, that is on a case-by-case basis. Some routes, such as the Northeast Corridor, are clearly notable.

Commuter rail services

Commuter rail (such as subway or light rail systems) are notable. In addition, there can be an article about each line in a major system, and many (but not all) of the stations are notable, too, especially in major cities where each station is a major work of architecture. In some systems (especially light rail), when little information can be provided on most individual stations, there should be a list of stations on the line on a single page.

Municipal bus services

An agency (public or private) providing regularly scheduled mass transit services in a city, town, or region, no matter how small, is notable. But there is a question as to whether bus lines are notable. It is preferable, whenever possible, to list all the bus lines operated by such an agency within the article on that agency. The best format for such a list is a chart with columns describing the rudimentary details and external links to the maps and schedules of each bus route.

In a major city with a large mass transit agency, bus lines can be notable for inclusion in their own article if they have a verifiable history, and the result can be at least several paragraphs about the route. Past timetables, system maps, and brochures detailing planned modifications published by the agency are valid sources for verification of this information. It is recommended that if several lines fit some common characteristic (such as corridor served) to include them in a group article, such as Pennsylvania Avenue Line (Washington).

Intercity bus services

Intercity bus services providing regularly scheduled, fixed-route service between two or more major cities or regions are notable. Notability is not limited to large companies like Greyhound Lines, but may also include smaller, regional companies like Chinatown bus lines or Megabus. Individual routes, if published, shall be described within the article.

Locally operated bus companies providing only chartered services are not inherently notable.

Airlines

Commercial airlines offering services to the public are notable. Cargo and charter only airlines are not inherently notable.