Cue Sheet Lament

I've looked at a fair number of cue sheets from quite a number of different sources.  My conclusion is that most people make cue sheets that just plain SUCK. 

Why? 

Road names are often wrong.  E.g., this week, I saw a cue sheet that calls for the rider to turn off Fletcher Chapel Road in Durham County onto Northside Road and take that into Creedmoor.  Apparently the cue sheet was automatically generated by some web-based whiz-bang software that is . . . WRONG. 

Turn directions are confusing.  The above-mentioned cue sheet appeared to tell you to turn "direction" and go toward some "whoever noticed that little road unless they live in the little housing development served by that" road, and the next line would tell you to go straight on that road, or not.

Directions are often written out in "long-hand" instead of a "short-hand" code.  Hey, we're riding bicycles and glancing at the cues.  We don't want to wade through "War and Peace" to find the one bit of useful information!

I defy anyone to follow the directions immediately below, and only those directions and get to Creedmoor.  (I copied this from the web-based cue sheet; the only "edits" were to put the mileages on the same line as the turn/road info as the copy function from the web to this put in a carriage return not apparent on the web, and also to put in some "connecting" underscores to make the result more readable and to separate the overwhelming and extra text verbiage from the mileage info.)  I also point out the interesting thing that one is instructed to turn, and then, as an apparent afterthought, oh, the cumulative mileage where you just made that turn was X miles.  How about putting the mileage info first, since that will act as a cue - how about that! - a cue! - to the rider as to when / where to be on the lookout for named road. 

Turn right at Leesville Rd/NC-1539/NC-1839 _____________________________________1.0 miles
Head northwest on Leesville Rd/NC-1539/NC-1839 toward Doc Nichols Rd/NC-1908 ___1.6 miles
Take the 1st right onto Doc Nichols Rd/NC-1908 _________________________________2.4 miles
Head north on Doc Nichols Rd/NC-1908 toward Kinard Rd __________________________2.8 miles
Turn right at NC-1905/Olive Branch Rd __________________________________________4.3 miles
Head north on NC-1905/Olive Branch Rd toward Doc Nichols Rd/NC-1908 ____________4.3 miles
Turn left at NC-98/Wake Forest Rd ______________________________________________5.3 miles
Take the 1st right onto NC-1811/NC-1899/Patterson Rd ___________________________5.7 miles
Take the 1st left onto NC-1814/Stallings Rd ____________________________________5.7 miles
Head northwest on NC-1814/Stallings Rd toward Armitage Dr ______________________6.3 miles
Continue on Fletchers Chapel Rd ________________________________________________7.6 miles
Take the 1st right onto NC-1724/Northside Rd __________________________________16.2 miles
Head northeast on NC-1724/Northside Rd toward Cash Rd/NC-1728 _________________16.9 miles
Turn right at W Church St _____________________________________________________19.9 miles 
Head east on W Church St toward S Main St/NC-50 _______________________________19.9 miles 

There is often too much information on the cue sheet.  It gets in the way of being able to find the important information.  I have to admit that sometimes I have fallen prey to this flaw.  But then I over-react and perhaps don't provide enough information.  But here is an example of too much information:

 6.7  11.9  LT  on New Light Rd/Bruce Garner to Lawrence Road
 1.7  13.6  LT  on Lawrence Road to Horseshoe Road 
 6.5  20.1  RT  on Horseshoe Road/Hwy96 to Cannadys Mill Road 

Notice how each road is listed twice.  The first time at the end of the line giving information for the previous road, and the second time at the beginning of the line giving information for the road in question.  The extra stuff at the end of the first line just clutters up the view, making it difficult for a quick glance / check to confirm one's course. 

One design thing that irritates me because it makes the cue sheet unreadable for me, is when someone makes every other line a dark background.  The claim being that the alternating clear and dark backgrounds makes it easier for people with certain eye afflictions to follow a single line across the page.  Well, for me, it makes it impossible for me to read the text obscured by that dark background.  How about trying a heavy dividing line every third or fourth line.  Then both types of eye afflictions are dealt with in a way that disadvantages neither.  (I tried to copy in a cue sheet with every other line shaded, but the shading did not copy.  Send me a message and I can direct you to some examples.)

A similar problem occurs when the organizers of a ride prepare "colorful" cue sheets.  Often coded to markings painted on the road or on temporary directional signs along the route.  Unless the paper is white, pale yellow, or very pale green or very pale blue, I can't read the text because my eyes are not so young as they once were and the dark backgrounds obscure the text.  Luckily, whenever I have encountered cue sheets printed on paper too dark, the route markings were such that I didn't need the cue sheet. 

Lastly, I will mention the cue sheets where the mileage from point A to point B is shown on the line for the directions for point B to point C.  (The above 3-line sample - red text - may suffer from this curse.) The following also appears to suffer from this curse.

CUM. P-P DIRECTIONS
0.0  0.0 R MD355 Urbana Pike
0.3  0.3 X New Technology Way
0.9  0.6 X bridge over Monocacy River
1.2  0.3 R Araby Church Rd
1.7  0.5 R Baker Valley Rd
3.9  2.2 R MD80 Fingerboard Rd @T/SS 

I'm not saying that I make perfect cue sheets, but gosh there is a lot of junk out there.
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