3 ms·

I have been using Google maps for years to drive from my place to my parents place which takes roughly 7 hours traveling across the midwest of the US. It used t

I have been using Google maps for years to drive from my place to my parents place which takes roughly 7 hours traveling across the midwest of the US. It used to take a rather minimal number of different highways. Recently though it decided to take me on an extremely annoying new route that has me going through a bunch of tiny seemingly abandoned towns with lots of backroads and even unpaved roads all to save less than 5 minutes. Now I have to make absolute sure I select the proper route beforehand. But even when I do that it constantly nags me along the way that it has determined there is a faster route so I need to dismiss it. I can't trust it to not take me on some wild back road through a field.

stickfigure 4y ago
Your definition of annoying is not universal. I would happily pay a minimal number of extra minutes to get a more interesting route. Saving 5 minutes is a bonus. Wild back road through a field? Yes please, every time.
- astrange 4y ago
  That's what Waze is for. But sometimes the exciting route is an unprotected left turn against traffic that needs 10-20 minutes of waiting.
ben_w 4y ago
It literally took me through a field when I was looking for my B&B at the end of a day of cycling the EuroVelo 15 route. Not a road though a field, it wanted me to use a muddy ploughed footpath in the actual field itself.
- pharmakom 4y ago
  I had a very similar experience in France! Do yourself a favour and get a dedicated bike GPS and plan the best route ahead of your trip. It's much more enjoyable this way!
  - habi 4y ago
    I heartily recommend cycle.travel for the planning bit.
  - ben_w 4y ago
    Proper pe-planning wasn’t really an option in my case, as I didn’t know how far I could get each day before I did it and therefore booked hotels and B&Bs about 3 hours before I reached them.
Twirrim 4y ago
Google Maps fundamentally doesn't understand the difference between signposted speed, and practical speed, either. I was on holiday in the UK a couple of years ago, down in south west, and it insisted on sending us down these really narrow, single-car-width country roads (with passing places). I grew up in the UK, and learned to drive on them, so no particular fuss with actually driving down them. The problem is they're "National Speed Limit" roads (60mph / 30mph in built up areas). They're just too narrow, and too twisty, to be able to come even close to it, let alone do it safely. Unless there has been enough cars using Google Maps going down that road, within a recent enough time period so that it knows the road is currently slow, it'll send you down it assuming you're able to go at something approximating the limit. Sod the large road that's just a little bit further away and legitimately can be used at those speeds. It got almost farcical. I'd even attempt to persuade it otherwise, and part way through it would reroute and I'd still end up going down one.
- convolvatron 4y ago
  I was at a cabin in California and thought I'd like to take another path out since the road in was all congested switchbacks and I just wanted a nicer drive, regardless of whether it took another 30 minutes. google sent us on a fire road cut into the side of a cliff over a small stream. we really couldn't go more than 5 kph maximum and had to use a spotter several times to avoid going over the edge. when we encountered a car coming the other direction we all got out and tried to figure out how one of us was going to drive backwards until there was a turnout. it took us 2 hours to to go about 5km.
- zrobotics 4y ago
  Ironically, for motorcycle trips those are the types of roads that I prefer. I can have a route pre-planned, and the app will reroute to the 'faster' route automatically unless I dismiss it. I ended up reverting to paper and only use the phone for route planning.

stickfigure 4y ago

Your definition of annoying is not universal. I would happily pay a minimal number of extra minutes to get a more interesting route. Saving 5 minutes is a bonus. Wild back road through a field? Yes please, every time.

astrange 4y ago
That's what Waze is for. But sometimes the exciting route is an unprotected left turn against traffic that needs 10-20 minutes of waiting.

ben_w 4y ago

It literally took me through a field when I was looking for my B&B at the end of a day of cycling the EuroVelo 15 route. Not a road though a field, it wanted me to use a muddy ploughed footpath in the actual field itself.

pharmakom 4y ago
I had a very similar experience in France! Do yourself a favour and get a dedicated bike GPS and plan the best route ahead of your trip. It's much more enjoyable this way!
- habi 4y ago
  I heartily recommend cycle.travel for the planning bit.
- ben_w 4y ago
  Proper pe-planning wasn’t really an option in my case, as I didn’t know how far I could get each day before I did it and therefore booked hotels and B&Bs about 3 hours before I reached them.

Twirrim 4y ago

Google Maps fundamentally doesn't understand the difference between signposted speed, and practical speed, either. I was on holiday in the UK a couple of years ago, down in south west, and it insisted on sending us down these really narrow, single-car-width country roads (with passing places). I grew up in the UK, and learned to drive on them, so no particular fuss with actually driving down them. The problem is they're "National Speed Limit" roads (60mph / 30mph in built up areas). They're just too narrow, and too twisty, to be able to come even close to it, let alone do it safely. Unless there has been enough cars using Google Maps going down that road, within a recent enough time period so that it knows the road is currently slow, it'll send you down it assuming you're able to go at something approximating the limit. Sod the large road that's just a little bit further away and legitimately can be used at those speeds. It got almost farcical. I'd even attempt to persuade it otherwise, and part way through it would reroute and I'd still end up going down one.

convolvatron 4y ago
I was at a cabin in California and thought I'd like to take another path out since the road in was all congested switchbacks and I just wanted a nicer drive, regardless of whether it took another 30 minutes. google sent us on a fire road cut into the side of a cliff over a small stream. we really couldn't go more than 5 kph maximum and had to use a spotter several times to avoid going over the edge. when we encountered a car coming the other direction we all got out and tried to figure out how one of us was going to drive backwards until there was a turnout. it took us 2 hours to to go about 5km.
zrobotics 4y ago
Ironically, for motorcycle trips those are the types of roads that I prefer. I can have a route pre-planned, and the app will reroute to the 'faster' route automatically unless I dismiss it. I ended up reverting to paper and only use the phone for route planning.