Real Time traffic around Los Angeles, are you happy?

 

Hi all,
I have a C550 that came with 3 months of free traffic update that will expire soon (in another month). I'm in the Los Angeles area and oftentimes I found the real-time traffic is not very accurate or late. I'm not sure if it's just me. I'm debating if I should get a year for $60 when it expires.

How happy are you on the real-time traffic function? Especially if you are around LA, I like to hear your comments.
Thank you.
-mike-

traffic update question..

If I don't update now before it expires, can I subscribe later anytime I want after it expires?

sorry i cant help with the

sorry i cant help with the traffic in LA, im in NYC, but i know you can subscribe at ANY time even after it expires. I dont know traffic in nyc might be wierd, i guess it does a good a job as it can, but just knowing everyday traffic patterns is key. i renewed mine, because why not

SoCal traffic

motorcyclist wrote:

How happy are you on the real-time traffic function? Especially if you are around LA, I like to hear your comments.

I'm in the SoCal area and feel about the same as you regarding the traffic info. It's nice to have and it can be useful but I wouldn't trust it 100%. I use it along with news radio/traffic for multiple sources.

I've also found the transition between service areas (example: LA to San Bernardino county (& vise-versa) over Kellogg Hill on the 10 Fwy) to be quite delayed at times. Seems as if the transition between counties is not totally seamless and will take sometimes 10-30 minutes to switch over to the next county. FM traffic using the GTM 20 is better at this than the MSN Direct GDB 50 is.

At this point, I would not pay $60 a year for the FM traffic service. $60 lifetime may be worth considering though.

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nuvi 760, nuvi 765T, nuvi 855, nuvi 3790LMT, nuvi 3490LMT - SoCal area

LA Traffic

I have the free trial on a Nuvi 760 and the only 2 times that I really noticed it was 1) was stuck in traffic and the traffic alert popped up- no biggie as I was not going to get off the freeway. 2) was doing 60 and it it said slow traffic.

Those of us that have been driving in LA traffic for years know the only way to avoid it is to drive at off times or listen to the AM radio traffic reports for accidents.

Not sure I would depend on the Nuvi to get me accurate traffic reports.

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Garmin Nuvi 765t

Real time traffic not reliable

When you notice the traffic, it may be an hour before that and it will direct you to avoid traffic (if select) ===>> wasting time & gas sad

I got both msn direct & fm traffic & free for life navigon and none of them reliable. it's just my opinion

L.A. Traffic

I live in the L.A. area and had the Nuvi 680, with MSN Direct. It was interesting to see it but, not that useful. The Nuvi would try to route me off the freeway but, I was not interested in navigating around the streets many miles away from my destination. So, I let my subscription lapse a couple months ago. Just my 2 cents.

Henry

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Heng5 Nuvi 680 & 285WT

Is it useful? maybe... can you trust it? No

I wouldn't trust it. I live in the L.A. area, I get alerts about traffic that is completely wrong by the time I get to the location. Also the warnings at times seem to be for areas that I know usually have heavy traffic and when I get there the traffic is light. Other times I will be in heavy traffic without getting a warning... Try it for 3 months and see what you think... BTW I'm sure you can renew it after the trial period expires if you so desire..

--
It is terrible to speak well and be wrong. -Sophocles snɥɔnıɥdoɐ aka ʎɹɐƃ

Thank you

Thank you all, for all your inputs and comments. I appreciate them.

At this moment, I think I'm not going to renew it. I have another month to go.

Also, the traffic software seems not to be that good. For example, when I have a route activated and pressed 'traffic icon', it started listing some incidents which are way out of my route that I wasn't interested. Why couldn't it list just the traffic conditions on the **route** that I was following?

I have MSN Direct, and it

I have MSN Direct, and it tells me all the traffic alerts, yet there really isn't any way to get around that traffic!

Depends on how you access traffic info

motorcyclist wrote:

For example, when I have a route activated and pressed 'traffic icon', it started listing some incidents which are way out of my route that I wasn't interested. Why couldn't it list just the traffic conditions on the **route** that I was following?

That depends on where you access the traffic information. If you click on the traffic icon on your map screen, it will show you only traffic info that is on your route. If you go into the menu to access traffic, it will show you ALL traffic info in your area, sorted by what's closest to you. If you do not have a traffic icon on your map screen while following a route, it means that it has not detected any traffic to report on your current route.

Will not resubscribe...

Thanks for the info. After using the traffic info for about 3 months around Los Angeles and vicinity, I really don't see any need to subscribe to it. The info are not up-to-date, inaccurate and most of the time, late for what happened on the freeways. I haven't seen a single instance where it helped my commute.

I use the portable Garmin

I use the portable Garmin 880 with traffic via MSN Direct and my experience is pretty much the same -- it is not too accurate. But if you have renewal questions, why don't you ask the service provider directly?

real time traffic

when i used my free subscription i also noticed that it wasn't too accurate. it's not "real-time." There seems to be a slight delay. just like someone said earlier, using AM radio for updates and getting on the freeway during non-peak times is the best way to avoid traffic.

always congested

I use to live in LA. I've commuted on the 210, 101, 110, I-10, 405, 5, 60, 22, any freeways i've left out?

Traffic conditions are always bad in LA, even some nights the freeway would be congested. During rush hour I'm usually on and off the freeway, combining my residential streets with freeway. This combination have save me lots of time. I've had to commute from West Covina to Pasadena and Downtown.

Most cases the Amber Alert sign when used for traffic updates are more accurate.

left out you city on this reply, you may as well not replyed

Your reply with out giving the city you travel is like going to the doctor and telling him to guess why your there.

If you really want to be of some help on this thread, how about some information that makes your post viable. Most of the posts above are totally useless

* The GPSr used.
* The FM receiver used (i.e.gsm20)
* City equipment used in
* Freeways or Interstates Traveled
* Information given, Delayed, accurate or not given

With the proper information, People can then make a educated choice on what they might want to do.

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Using Android Based GPS.The above post and my sig reflects my own opinions, expressed for the purpose of informing or inspiring, not commanding. Naturally, you are free to reject or embrace whatever you read.

No I am not happy.

My commute includes driving on CA57 and CA22. And the traffic information I get on Nuvi is very in accurate. I almost feel like something is wrong with the software.
When Nuvi says there is heavy traffic, actually no, it's not. When Nuvi says there is no traffic, well I find myself stuck in the heavy traffic. That makes me think maybe they put some code in reversed way into the software??? In fact it worked quite well until few months ago but from a certain point, it's not working well.