TOM TOM funnies
Discussion
I've noticed a few funnies with this. I think I'm running version 3, on an IPAQ.
If your destination is more than about 10 miles, then the software won't do a new plot if you take a wrong turning. This isn't too much of a bad thing unless you happen to be on a motorway.
Went to newbury a couple of weeks ago from yorkshire and took the wrong turning onto another motorway. Instead of working out a new route, it took me to the next junction (10 miles away) and did a U turn on the roundabout!. Sod that!, it added 20 miles to the journey. However, if you choose 'recent locations' as a destination, it does a re-calc.
Bit annoying.
If your destination is more than about 10 miles, then the software won't do a new plot if you take a wrong turning. This isn't too much of a bad thing unless you happen to be on a motorway.
Went to newbury a couple of weeks ago from yorkshire and took the wrong turning onto another motorway. Instead of working out a new route, it took me to the next junction (10 miles away) and did a U turn on the roundabout!. Sod that!, it added 20 miles to the journey. However, if you choose 'recent locations' as a destination, it does a re-calc.
Bit annoying.
bryan35 said:
I've noticed a few funnies with this. I think I'm running version 3, on an IPAQ.
If your destination is more than about 10 miles, then the software won't do a new plot if you take a wrong turning. This isn't too much of a bad thing unless you happen to be on a motorway.
Went to newbury a couple of weeks ago from yorkshire and took the wrong turning onto another motorway. Instead of working out a new route, it took me to the next junction (10 miles away) and did a U turn on the roundabout!. Sod that!, it added 20 miles to the journey. However, if you choose 'recent locations' as a destination, it does a re-calc.
Bit annoying.
It may depend on whether you are specifying fastest route, shortest route or whatever and any preferences you have set for the types of road to use.
Whilst there is potential for any system to have been programmed to miss apparently logical alternatives you do need to remember that it will make a decision based on the the criteria - so if the journey calculated at a few meters shorter for one route than another, that is the one it will present unless you ask for an alternative. Likewise if it calculates a journey 1 minute quicker using motorways than across country, that it the one you will be offered - even if it means doubling back.
That being said, the mapping database is imperfect as are most of them in one way or another so you may have hit an anomaly there which is not obvious and which makes the decision logical to the program based on the information provided to it but illogical to you based on your perception.
Either that or the Wiltshire scammers have doen a deal to get more traffic to pass by their cameras!
In my experience TomTom will always try to take you back to the original route - that is give you a U turn - until you get far enough down your new route that it is quicker to go another way - If you are using 'fastest' route it will nearly always route you back to the motorway as its quicker than taking you via the back roads. I have sometimes found that simply clearing the route, going back into 'navigate to' and setting the destination can find a new route without a U turn.
To avoid getting routed back to a closed road just select 'find alternative' and select 'avoid roadblock' :-)
To avoid getting routed back to a closed road just select 'find alternative' and select 'avoid roadblock' :-)
TomTom is much better than some others at accepting that it needs to re-route rather than turn you around.
For example Medion Navigator 4.4. Start it at work, it directs me home down the normal route that I would use anyway. A little out of the way, but quicker than the more direct route. However start at home, get directions to go to work, and it insists on sending me through a town centre and down some lanes. Not only that, but I can be half way to work before it will finally give up trying to get me to revert to its original planned route. And every few seconds, it has to say "please make a legal u-turn" in that irritating voice. If I wrote navigation software, I would include a tick box for "never make me do a u-turn".
Given that the roads are nothing special, I don't see how it can be so right in one direction, and so wrong in the opposite direction, for the same journey.
Having said that, Tom Tom Go 300 yesterday failed to tell me to leave the M56 for the M60 when I was going to Oldham. It drew it correctly on the display, but didn't mention that I should leave on motorway for another. When I went to the next exit and turned around it was good at getting me back on track, but given that it was to blame in the first place I felt it was the least it could do. If it had speech recognition, it's ears would have been burning.
For example Medion Navigator 4.4. Start it at work, it directs me home down the normal route that I would use anyway. A little out of the way, but quicker than the more direct route. However start at home, get directions to go to work, and it insists on sending me through a town centre and down some lanes. Not only that, but I can be half way to work before it will finally give up trying to get me to revert to its original planned route. And every few seconds, it has to say "please make a legal u-turn" in that irritating voice. If I wrote navigation software, I would include a tick box for "never make me do a u-turn".
Given that the roads are nothing special, I don't see how it can be so right in one direction, and so wrong in the opposite direction, for the same journey.
Having said that, Tom Tom Go 300 yesterday failed to tell me to leave the M56 for the M60 when I was going to Oldham. It drew it correctly on the display, but didn't mention that I should leave on motorway for another. When I went to the next exit and turned around it was good at getting me back on track, but given that it was to blame in the first place I felt it was the least it could do. If it had speech recognition, it's ears would have been burning.
There is a well known 'undocumented feature' (some might say serious fault) with Navigator 5 - it often tells me to turn left when the map shows right - and vice versa and once insisted that that only way to cross a roundabout was to do a U turn, bear left then turn right. Mad. I have learned not to trust the voice prompts but take a quick glance at the map every now and then see how far it is to the next turn - and no matter what the voice tells me I check the map to see if its right.
Many people have reported this but as ever with TomTom support they tell me its only me thats having the problem. Aha.
Many people have reported this but as ever with TomTom support they tell me its only me thats having the problem. Aha.
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