I think I agree with the premise of this. I miss when there were limits on our time with the web each day. I miss not being expected to be up to speed. I really miss magazines. Etc. Windows XP/Panther felt capable enough.
If we could go back I think turn by turn navigation would be the hardest thing to give up.
Though I do like rerouting depending on traffic conditions
This is the biggest reason why I'll use navigation even when I know almost a dozen different ways to go somewhere. Using navigation services, its easier to tell if its worth it today to take the toll roads someplace, or if I should really avoid that bridge today, or what not. Choosing the route blindly can sometimes make a difference of a half hour or $10+ of unnecessary tolls depending on the journeys I take.
Wait until you find out the navigation app lies to you based on where it thinks you "should" be driving.
I can consistently shave 4-5(!!) minutes by taking a right at a light and coming into a further light from a different direction rather than going straight and sitting in gridlock for 4/5ths of a mile that would've taken ~10min. No illegal turn or difficult left or anything.
Basically if I can see the traffic up ahead I ignore my GPS and take the right, instant ETA drop.
I have other local examples but that's the most egregious.
From my understanding its often because those side roads have different "weights", based on expected traffic load on the street designs and what not. Its wanting to push you on to the main streets, often because when it gets too loose about routing people through all the side streets residents complain about the quiet side streets becoming busier than intended and things can become less safe. People don't like their normally quiet residential side streets becoming the new main street because Google decided it might save some people 2 minutes so it routed half the city through there. It definitely varies a good bit from place to place though.
I'm mostly talking about comparing different routes on like 70+mi highway paths through cities around DFW, where each of these highways would have pretty much identical weights its just a question of which of the potentially hundreds of possible routes to take. There's tons of highways crisscrossing each other, for a lot of paths its not just a "hop on the interstate". Which interstate? What path do I carve to cut over? When do I decide to start going South, on US-75 or I-35E or Dallas North Tollway or President George Bush Turnpike or 820 or I-35W? Which highway do I take to go West, PGBT or I-30 or I-20 or 820 or 121 or 114 or 183? Then factor in some of these are toll roads completely, some have optional tolled express lanes, some have HOV lanes, some are toll roads for some stretches but not others.
Having the navigation systems say "You can go this route, and it'll take an 1:20 but be free, or you can take this route and it'll take you an hour but cost you $5, or you can take this route and it'll take you 55 minutes but cost you $14" is pretty nice. Because sometimes that freeway path can also be 55 minutes, or maybe sometimes that $5 tollway path has an accident and will actually take you 1:30. Or maybe you do want to take that tollway for a bit but be sure to get off at that highway otherwise you'll get stuck in that traffic, or the inverse of that. And when you're talking about an hour long route, the traffic situation may change significantly while in route.
Comments
I think I agree with the premise of this. I miss when there were limits on our time with the web each day. I miss not being expected to be up to speed. I really miss magazines. Etc. Windows XP/Panther felt capable enough.
If we could go back I think turn by turn navigation would be the hardest thing to give up.
I actively avoid using navigation. If I’ve already been there once I’ll just try get there without it.
Sometimes I check the route on Google maps first to get an idea, then close it.
I think navigation is like a muscle and you’ve got to train it.
Though I do like rerouting depending on traffic conditions. I guess in some cities that would basically feel mandatory to use
This is the biggest reason why I'll use navigation even when I know almost a dozen different ways to go somewhere. Using navigation services, its easier to tell if its worth it today to take the toll roads someplace, or if I should really avoid that bridge today, or what not. Choosing the route blindly can sometimes make a difference of a half hour or $10+ of unnecessary tolls depending on the journeys I take.
Wait until you find out the navigation app lies to you based on where it thinks you "should" be driving.
I can consistently shave 4-5(!!) minutes by taking a right at a light and coming into a further light from a different direction rather than going straight and sitting in gridlock for 4/5ths of a mile that would've taken ~10min. No illegal turn or difficult left or anything.
Basically if I can see the traffic up ahead I ignore my GPS and take the right, instant ETA drop.
I have other local examples but that's the most egregious.
From my understanding its often because those side roads have different "weights", based on expected traffic load on the street designs and what not. Its wanting to push you on to the main streets, often because when it gets too loose about routing people through all the side streets residents complain about the quiet side streets becoming busier than intended and things can become less safe. People don't like their normally quiet residential side streets becoming the new main street because Google decided it might save some people 2 minutes so it routed half the city through there. It definitely varies a good bit from place to place though.
I'm mostly talking about comparing different routes on like 70+mi highway paths through cities around DFW, where each of these highways would have pretty much identical weights its just a question of which of the potentially hundreds of possible routes to take. There's tons of highways crisscrossing each other, for a lot of paths its not just a "hop on the interstate". Which interstate? What path do I carve to cut over? When do I decide to start going South, on US-75 or I-35E or Dallas North Tollway or President George Bush Turnpike or 820 or I-35W? Which highway do I take to go West, PGBT or I-30 or I-20 or 820 or 121 or 114 or 183? Then factor in some of these are toll roads completely, some have optional tolled express lanes, some have HOV lanes, some are toll roads for some stretches but not others.
Having the navigation systems say "You can go this route, and it'll take an 1:20 but be free, or you can take this route and it'll take you an hour but cost you $5, or you can take this route and it'll take you 55 minutes but cost you $14" is pretty nice. Because sometimes that freeway path can also be 55 minutes, or maybe sometimes that $5 tollway path has an accident and will actually take you 1:30. Or maybe you do want to take that tollway for a bit but be sure to get off at that highway otherwise you'll get stuck in that traffic, or the inverse of that. And when you're talking about an hour long route, the traffic situation may change significantly while in route.