14 ms·

This is why I desperately want a routing mode for 'easiest' drive. Surface streets only, no left turns onto busy highways just to save a minute, no weird shortc

This is why I desperately want a routing mode for 'easiest' drive. Surface streets only, no left turns onto busy highways just to save a minute, no weird shortcuts through neighborhoods, keep me on the highway. I've had so many times where google has had me drive through sketch areas of LA which ended up taking more time dealing with cross traffic. All they have to do is give up on quickest route.

kilroy123 6y ago
I agree 100% and this is a more serious issue in other countries. I've seen Google Maps lead you down some extremely dangerous areas just to save like 5 minutes. Yeah, there's a reason roads in that area are so open.
- dkdbejwi383 6y ago
  It’s another example of unintentional bias at play. Most “Googlers” living in safe, well-maintained suburban USA assuming the rest of the world is the same.
  - howlgarnish 6y ago
    Anybody living on the Bay Area is painfully well aware that there are seriously sketchy neighborhoods. It's probably more an issue of data: there are no street-by-street crime maps for most of the world, and neither can Google feasibly collect this on their own.
    - Solocomplex 6y ago
      They absolutely could make a "safe zone" map overlay, but the political consequences would be PR suicide.
  - Dirlewanger 6y ago
    While I agree with the sentiment, that's a complex problem to solve, what streets are "dangerous" and what aren't. Especially at scale.
globular-toast 6y ago
I've taken to just planning my route myself. Common sense and a good map rules when it comes to navigation. At the very least you should check the route that has been calculated before starting.
LoSboccacc 6y ago
Even roads that should be real are in different state of maintenance, there's some very bad roads here in central Italy, the likes that will tear a wheel apart from your car but due registration show white or even yellow on Google maps. I do most of my intercity navigation trough state and road signage, with the navigator on but only for the last stretch, like driving me to the address once we're close. Around here, "navigator shortcut" had already become a derogatory term for their inane suggestions. There's some that provide a truck mode, but I don't know what weights they have on their algos. Via Michelin used to have a main roads mode, but they didn't give turn by turn back then only planning.
- roytries 6y ago
  In the Netherlands we have signs like the one below. Telling you to stay on the highway and turn off your GPS. Because Google Maps and other software makes you take all these weird short-cuts. Putting trucks through small towns etc.. I think they also have them in Belgium. (https://images.trafficsupply.nl/imgfill/800/800/i-114795-69c/tijdelijk-bord-situatie-gewijzigd-gps-uitschakelen.png https://images.trafficsupply.nl/imgfill/800/800/i-114795-69c...
  - viraptor 6y ago
    To be honest, unless you know why the sign says this, it's not completely clear. Is it warning that your GPS will turn off? Is there EM interference around the area? Should I follow the road unless I've got GPS active? I suspect it would take me a moment to process this into some action.
    - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
      Yt doesn't help that there's a substantial number of "the best way to X is Y" (language varies) type signs that are not there because it's the best way, but because a semi truck once got stuck or because there's a turn involved that's terrible at rush hour or some other reason that boils down to the "wrong" way being the better option except for some edge cases.
    - 6y ago
TomJansen 6y ago
This. If you use Google Maps with biking it is even worse, with really inefficient turns and shortcuts
- namibj 6y ago
  Use OSM and BRouter. OSMAnd works with it, but it's not trivial to set up after the UI changes from some months ago.

kilroy123 6y ago

I agree 100% and this is a more serious issue in other countries. I've seen Google Maps lead you down some extremely dangerous areas just to save like 5 minutes. Yeah, there's a reason roads in that area are so open.

dkdbejwi383 6y ago
It’s another example of unintentional bias at play. Most “Googlers” living in safe, well-maintained suburban USA assuming the rest of the world is the same.
- howlgarnish 6y ago
  Anybody living on the Bay Area is painfully well aware that there are seriously sketchy neighborhoods. It's probably more an issue of data: there are no street-by-street crime maps for most of the world, and neither can Google feasibly collect this on their own.
  - Solocomplex 6y ago
    They absolutely could make a "safe zone" map overlay, but the political consequences would be PR suicide.
- Dirlewanger 6y ago
  While I agree with the sentiment, that's a complex problem to solve, what streets are "dangerous" and what aren't. Especially at scale.

globular-toast 6y ago

I've taken to just planning my route myself. Common sense and a good map rules when it comes to navigation. At the very least you should check the route that has been calculated before starting.

LoSboccacc 6y ago

Even roads that should be real are in different state of maintenance, there's some very bad roads here in central Italy, the likes that will tear a wheel apart from your car but due registration show white or even yellow on Google maps. I do most of my intercity navigation trough state and road signage, with the navigator on but only for the last stretch, like driving me to the address once we're close. Around here, "navigator shortcut" had already become a derogatory term for their inane suggestions. There's some that provide a truck mode, but I don't know what weights they have on their algos. Via Michelin used to have a main roads mode, but they didn't give turn by turn back then only planning.

roytries 6y ago
In the Netherlands we have signs like the one below. Telling you to stay on the highway and turn off your GPS. Because Google Maps and other software makes you take all these weird short-cuts. Putting trucks through small towns etc.. I think they also have them in Belgium. (https://images.trafficsupply.nl/imgfill/800/800/i-114795-69c/tijdelijk-bord-situatie-gewijzigd-gps-uitschakelen.png https://images.trafficsupply.nl/imgfill/800/800/i-114795-69c...
- viraptor 6y ago
  To be honest, unless you know why the sign says this, it's not completely clear. Is it warning that your GPS will turn off? Is there EM interference around the area? Should I follow the road unless I've got GPS active? I suspect it would take me a moment to process this into some action.
  - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
    Yt doesn't help that there's a substantial number of "the best way to X is Y" (language varies) type signs that are not there because it's the best way, but because a semi truck once got stuck or because there's a turn involved that's terrible at rush hour or some other reason that boils down to the "wrong" way being the better option except for some edge cases.
  - 6y ago

TomJansen 6y ago

This. If you use Google Maps with biking it is even worse, with really inefficient turns and shortcuts

namibj 6y ago
Use OSM and BRouter. OSMAnd works with it, but it's not trivial to set up after the UI changes from some months ago.