Discussion
I succumbed to one of the frequent marketing emails and bought a Middle East map for my TomTom.
Don't get me wrong, I believe there is no substitute for a bit of common sense and an up-to-date proper map, but I have found my TomTom to be absolutely fantastic here in the UK and the rest of Europe, especially if I am on my own in the car.
I gather that there are so many continual changes to the road layout in the UAE that this may be a waste of money, but I reckoned it might just be worth having until I find my way around. Any thoughts?
Don't get me wrong, I believe there is no substitute for a bit of common sense and an up-to-date proper map, but I have found my TomTom to be absolutely fantastic here in the UK and the rest of Europe, especially if I am on my own in the car.
I gather that there are so many continual changes to the road layout in the UAE that this may be a waste of money, but I reckoned it might just be worth having until I find my way around. Any thoughts?
I think you'll be fine now. Most of the major road network planning was completed in 2004 so these show on nav maps from 05 onwards. Many of the newer 'master developments' now under construction should also be on there and as we all know, they ain't going to be building any more after that!
Regardless of what nav you have, you'll still get lost for about six months, and suffer the usual 40km diversions to get yourself back on track - each of which in my experience will end you up at that massive roundabout of death (in that you wait so long for the lights to change you're likely to have died) up where Emirates road and the link road to Jebel Ali meet.
Happy days!
Regardless of what nav you have, you'll still get lost for about six months, and suffer the usual 40km diversions to get yourself back on track - each of which in my experience will end you up at that massive roundabout of death (in that you wait so long for the lights to change you're likely to have died) up where Emirates road and the link road to Jebel Ali meet.
Happy days!
It's pretty useless tbh.
I have it in the Pathfinder and rarely use it - oddly enough, there's no option to input, 'near the clock tower roundabout'. Not having postal addresses or street names makes life very difficult. I didn't even bother speccing it in the Porsche which would have been resale suicide in the UK but not an issue here.
I have it in the Pathfinder and rarely use it - oddly enough, there's no option to input, 'near the clock tower roundabout'. Not having postal addresses or street names makes life very difficult. I didn't even bother speccing it in the Porsche which would have been resale suicide in the UK but not an issue here.
Asterix said:
oddly enough, there's no option to input, 'near the clock tower roundabout'. Not having postal addresses or street names makes life very difficult.
That's a very good point. Spot the new kid here!
I think a lot will depend on how many useful POIs there are on the TomTom Middle East map. I never fail to be impressed at just how much detailed information these things contain e.g. campsites, hotels, petrol stations, shops, ATM locations etc. It has been absolutely invaluable on European trips... the number of times I have looked for a specific campsite, usually consisting of a tap in a field in the middle of nowhere, thinking 'there is no way this will be stored as a POI' and it's just found it instantly!
I will let you know how I get on with it in a couple of weeks...
Once you get used to Dubai, it's actually a really simple place to get around. Most things are in well defined areas like DMC, DIFC, DIC etc... Some of the industrial regions are a pain but I just get roughly in the right area and then call and get them to 'see me in'. If I have to go anywhere near Deira than I'll usualy drive over to City Centre, park up and get a cab as you will never get any parking.
As Hitch said - the problem is the road system. It's not intuitive at the best of times and mindbogglingly frustrating at worst. Then throw in random major roadworks that pop up overnight and very few direction signs (although this has got far better over the last year) and we can understand why noobs can have a hard time.
As Hitch said - the problem is the road system. It's not intuitive at the best of times and mindbogglingly frustrating at worst. Then throw in random major roadworks that pop up overnight and very few direction signs (although this has got far better over the last year) and we can understand why noobs can have a hard time.
Hitch78 said:
Regardless of what nav you have, you'll still get lost for about six months, and suffer the usual 40km diversions to get yourself back on track - each of which in my experience will end you up at that massive roundabout of death (in that you wait so long for the lights to change you're likely to have died) up where Emirates road and the link road to Jebel Ali meet.
Happy days!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, Hitch how long you been here - you don't do diversions, you just pull over to the hard shoulder and reverse back to the exit you should have taken - tut tut hahahahahahahaHappy days!
I believe it is something like 6 mins and 30 sec's for light changes at the "Green Community Roundabout from hell"
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