SFist Mail: Stop Using "the" Before Freeway Number

I have been enjoying SFist. Thanks for the neat articles, links, etc.

As a native San Franciscan, one of the things that I would like you to please consider is how the writers refer to freeways in the Bay Area. In the Bay Area (unlike SoCal) there is no article “the” that precedes the freeway identifier number. For example, The James Lick and Bayshore Freeways (US 101) are “101”, NOT “the 101”. The Southern/Junipero Serra Freeways are “280” or “Interstate 280”, NOT “the 280”, and so on. (Unless it is used to refer to “the 280 Extension”). In SoCal, the use of “the” is perfectly acceptable; in the Bay Area, it simply demonstrates the ignorance of the writer or speaker. “I-280” can be somewhat acceptable, but it ranks right up there with the use of the word “ain’t”.