TomTom Horrible Routing
I have a Via 1505 with updated maps. I recently went on a trip to Fla. where the GPS was more harm than good. It is set to Fastest and IQ enabled. It sent me thru Jacksonville on 95 instead of 295 ...
Forum Discussion
az99 wrote:
I think it is advertising BS from my poor experiences. I find it hard to believe it is faster driving thru downtown Jacksonville or DC than taking the bypasses.
All GPS units use a route calculation system that measures trip time based on the legal speed limit of the routes. Thus a straight through route will figure fastest if the speed limits are near equal.
One factor I like about my Rand McNally is that I was able to adjust the ETA figuring so that the high speed limits are not so heavily weighted in the calculations.
But, I've also lived in a fairly largish city for an extensive time - and surprisingly - straight though tends to be a bit faster than the bypasses (Dallas / Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin). More slow traffic, but 60 miles at 45 mph avg is faster than 75 miles at 55 mph avg. Though a couple minutes longer in time, the longer route seems faster due to the speed I'm traveling.
I've seen a lot of traffic analysis of DC over the years (always afraid I would get stationed there while I was in the Navy). Straight through is often faster. The bypasses around DC are notorious for their delays.
However straight through is usually more hectic - especially if pulling a trailer/ driving an RV. I go around normally, but I know it will take a bit longer most of the time. The extra time is worth the lower pucker factor.
