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Notability
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Wikipedia has many articles on streets, roads, and highways. The world has so many of these that obviously, not every one of them can be notable. Detailed street maps exist, showing every little side street in the area they cover. These published directories, when up-to-date, provide reliable information. But even though every single street in the area they cover is found within them, they do not render any of these routes notable for inclusion in an encyclopedia.

Assumption has it, main arteries are always notable, side streets are never. That is not always the case. There are always exceptions to the rule either way. Regardless, Wikipedia is not a map composed of words. Any street, road, or highway article must be encyclopedic. This means it is not simply a description of what is seen on the map. Yes, what is seen on the map may be described in the article. But such articles should describe additional information beyond what can be found by opening a paper map or visiting a mapping web site. This is equivalent to the Wikipedia guideline that Wikipedia is not a dictionary, requiring that articles go beyond a dictionary entry.

Contents 1 Criteria 1.1 Maps or directories as a source 1.2 Books as a source 1.3 In the news 1.4 Landmarks 2 Invalid criteria 2.1 Being a "main" road 2.1.1 Length 2.1.2 Width

[edit] Criteria

Streets, roads, and highways, at the very least, must meet Wikipedia's general notability guidelines, meaning coverage in multiple, reliable sources independent of the subject, in order to be worthy of an article.

[edit] Maps or directories as a source

Street and road maps, whether paper or online, may be used to verify the accuracy of information found within articles on streets, roads, or highways. For example, they show accurately where a road starts and ends, its junctions, and often landmarks along the road.

But a map cannot count as one of the sources counting toward establishing notability. This is because detailed maps, which many of exist, list every road and every side street, and allowing a map to establish notability would render every side street as notable.

[edit] Books as a source

Published books (other than maps or directory-like publications) in most cases are considered a reliable source. Published non-map books that provide factual information about a particular street, road, or highway, such as its history, are valid in establishing notability.

Trivial mention in a book itself does not help render a street notable. For example, if in a 200-page book, one sentence says "The boy walked down Oak Street" when this is the only mention of Oak Street in the book, this does not help render Oak Street as notable.

[edit] In the news

News reports about a road may help establish notability if they describe some permanence in the road. For example, news reports describing plans to build, expand, or permanently modify a road (or the outcome thereof), or telling about the road in how it relates to communities or landmarks along the road, are valid in establishing notability.

For example, the permanent closing of Pennsylvania Avenue around the White House, being sourced, is one of several factors contributing to Pennsylvania Avenue's notability as a street.

On the contrary, a temporary construction project that in the end does not alter the design of the street, but is only a routine repair or temporary road closure and detour, does not help render a street notable. Also, trivial information mentioned in the news (e.g. an accident or crime that just happened to occur on the street), even if these are multiple occurrences, is not noteworthy.

[edit] Landmarks

Merely having one or more notable landmarks with an address on the street does not make the street notable, even if sources pertaining to the landmark(s) mention they are on that street. However, sources that describe and focus on the street and how it relates to the landmark(s) may help render it notable.

For example, Wall Street in Manhattan is synonymous with New York's financial district. Fifth Avenue is reknowned for its many sites to the point that its name is associated with those sites.

[edit] Invalid criteria

Certain features of a street or road may give the perception that they are notable and therefore worthy of an article. However, any number of these features do not alone render notability.

[edit] Being a "main" road

A street or road may be viewed as a "main" road that runs through a city, town, or neighborhood. This is a matter of human perception and just that. While it may be the main road for a defined area, it may be minor in the overall picture of a larger area.

If this "main" road is part of a larger defined route that is notable (such as a numbered route), it is acceptable for its name to redirect to the article on the larger route, where if described in that article, can be a targeted redirect. If the name is shared with the title of one or more other articles, it can be placed on a disambiguation page or hatnote.

[edit] Length

A road is not considered to be notable solely on the basis that it is x number of miles/kilometers long. No length will guarantee any road reliable sources. And coming up with a number to fill that "x" is not possible under Wikipedia guidelines.

On the contrary, if a road has reliable sources, it is considered notable, even if it is very short.

[edit] Width

Likewise, with does not define a road as being notable or not. If a road has multiple traffic lanes, a median strip, a shoulder, or any other similar characteristics, this does not define a road as notable.