Interesting routing instructions
Mon, 01/25/2010 - 12:34am
 14 years
|
I am planning my 1st trip with a GPS receiver. I will be traveling from Tucson to Los Angeles. The routing instructions from my Magellan 3225 direct me to take I-8 through San Diego and then up to LA. All online maps that I have checked (Google, Yahoo, Mapquest) direct me to go up to Phoenix and then W on I-10. The I-10 directions are about 20 miles shorter. Does anyone know how Magellan might be determining the fastest route? Does it take into account speed limits or typical highway speeds?
I would also be interested for those who have Garmin or TomTom receivers if you get different directions.
Routing can be a mystery
I tried my Nuvi 350 and got the same thing you did - thru San Diego using 'Faster Time'. Then I switched to 'Shorter Distance' and it went up to Phoenix/I-10 and over. That saved about 20 miles and 10-15 minutes shorter. So much for 'Faster Time' being faster.
Routing can definitely be a mystery. Try reading this link and the external link in it. http://www.poi-factory.com/node/26304
Bottom line - you're still in control of the car so you drive where you want to go. GPS is definitely not perfect but can be helpful.
Nuvi 350
Phoenix
It may be that the unit's routing has a slower travel speed through Phoenix due to traffic. It may or may not be accurate considering California traffic, but I'd much rather drive an extra 20 miles to avoid Phoenix too.
I'm in Tucson too and when traveling I avoid Phoenix as much as I possibly can.
Drivesmart 66, Nuvi 2595LMT (Died), Nuvi 1490T (Died), Nuvi 260 (Died), GPSMAP 195