TomTom One single track road obsession Aaaargghhhh ????

jblackmore

The only real gripe I have with our TomTom ONE V1 is that it seems obsessed with taking me down farm tracks and single track roads !!

Navigating at the weekend from Taunton to EX15 2DT it took us down about 6 miles of single track roads, some with grass growing down the middle - it was much faster to just skirt round on the main road, so I can't understand why TomTom prefers the farm tracks ?

Is there a way of avoiding this, I can only assume the mapping data has mis-categorised these single track lanes as minor roads, but assume this is something you can't alter.

My previous ViaMichelin satnav software helpfully allowed you to set your own avg speeds for different types of roads, so by setting minor roads to 15mph you could bias it away from using them, which was very useful - but I don't believe you can do this with TomTom unless its hidden in a file somewhere ?

Any suggestions (other than ignore TomTom and plan your route using a roadmap) welcome !
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Currently using TomTom ONE v3 and Live 1005 Camper

JockTamsonsBairn · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:29 pm Post subject:

Are you using shortest route?
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Jock

TomTom Go 940 LIVE (9.510, Europe v915.5074 on SD & 8.371, WCE v875.3613 on board)

jblackmore · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:57 am Post subject:

I always choose Quickest Route - but TomTom doesn't seem to provide it :-(

Versions are:
App 6.560 (7914/021211) OS:1713
GPS v1.21, Boot 5.05
Map Great_Britain-Map v605
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Currently using TomTom ONE v3 and Live 1005 Camper

Robin2 · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 9:50 am Post subject:

My wife's Garmin i3 is even worse for picking very minor roads. On a parallel test when we were caravanning near Cowbridge, the Garmin chose some roads that even TomTom spurned. Fortunately we didn't have the caravan on the back at the time!
Robin
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TomTom One v3 Europe, Navcore 7.903, Western Europe 835.2420
TomTom Go 720 Europe, Navcore 8.351, Western Europe 855.2884
Satmap Active 10
Plus a lot of other PDA GPS kit, seldom used

JockTamsonsBairn · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:02 am Post subject:

trafcam · Regular Visitor Joined: 30/10/2002 11:57:49 Posts: 155

I had a similar issue when I chose "shortest route" from Buxton to Sheffield, I was expecting to have to get out and open gates at any time. But when I switched it to "fastest route" for the return journey it was fine - went for the motorway instead. I don't recall the version I was using.

alix776 · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 3:02 pm Post subject:

I think you have it set to shortest in the preferences menu go to routing and set it to fastest or limited speed

and you followed it and drove down roads you considered unsuitable Question

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currently using aponia truck navigation on windows phone. Good bye IOS don't let the door hit you on the way out .

Oh the joys of being a courier.
device Lumia 950 xl

trafcam · Regular Visitor Joined: 30/10/2002 11:57:49 Posts: 155

alix776 · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 3:40 pm Post subject:

sorry traffcam my comment was aimed at the origunal poster not at your self
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currently using aponia truck navigation on windows phone. Good bye IOS don't let the door hit you on the way out .

Oh the joys of being a courier.
device Lumia 950 xl

jblackmore · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:32 pm Post subject:

I definately have fastest route set, and example route is in original posting (Taunton to EX15 2DT) avoiding M5 motorway (not sure if I did re-calculate road, avoiding part of route, M5 or if we just ignored the motorway junction and stayed on the A38/B3181 (a better route than TomTom chose) and let it recalculate.

As for following the TomTom down an unsuitable road, I wouldn't have driven into the sea, or down railyway tracks, but as I'm sure everyone finds, you think maybe its just a short stretch of single track road cutting across onto a decent road, so keep going longer than perhaps you should - after all, if I just ignore the TomTom and drive my own route, it makes owning a TomTom a bit pointless.

From the responses, it sounds like this is just something people accept, I guess its because these single track lanes are rated national speed limit, and so TomTom/Map providers consider them better roads than a main road nearby which might be a 50mph limit !

Shame there is no way of putting a 'nasty road' POI where you like, and the routing algorithm would try to avoid these (ie give them a 10 minute delay weighting), so at least you could do this for annoying routes.
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Currently using TomTom ONE v3 and Live 1005 Camper

rugrat2 · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:22 pm Post subject:

yes it is annoying always happens when I have caravan on back, what gets me is it takes u off a great A road routes u round little uns and puts u back on exactly same A road WTF... Mad

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Neil.......ttgo..Mio p550...2.8 lwb exeed pajero. where cant I go..

DennisN · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 11:05 pm Post subject:

gardenshed · Frequent Visitor Joined: Jul 05, 2007 Posts: 466

in defence of tomtom this has NEVER happened to me if i have had fastest route selected, I have done this when i have shortest route selected, but use commonsense to avoid farmers yards Laughing

I travel over rural wales and staffordshire so i sometimes prefer the more scenic short route to break the monotony of faster roads, and it makes for interesting stops for lunch, sandwiches and a flask Rolling Eyes

jblackmore · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:13 am Post subject:

I was driving a classic vehicle on bank holiday weekend, so M5 is a carpark and I ignored it, the TomTom then cuts through a single track road from Culmstock for about 6 miles with few passing places 'directly' to destination, coming back I took the road out to Cullumpton, and came back on the B3181/A38 which is a two lane decent road so took half the time - I'd call that faster personally, so consider this to be bad routing.

I don't understand why half the people on this list agree TomTom is obsessed with single track lanes to avoid an extra 50ft of A road, the other half (TomTom employee's?) argue with any criticism as if its perfect.

Sounds like this is due to poor road classification on maps, single track lanes are National Speed Limit, so if the map provider doesn't actually check/reclassify these roads, the routing assumes 60mph is achievable on them, and they are preferred to main roads which are slightly longer route, even though this is obviously ridiculous.

I see on the news this week that local councils are petitioning the satnav companies to correct these problems which cause tailbacks and lorries on single track roads and through small villages which traffic cannot get through, so it can't just be me !

Sounds like map share doesn't address this properly either, not allowing you to mark a road 'single track' or 'access only' to avoid these routing errors, shame you can't drop a 'access only' POI on the bad routes, and this be included in routing algorithm, which I can't believe would be that hard, but I assume TomTom want you to keep buying newer maps so they can profit from this.
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Currently using TomTom ONE v3 and Live 1005 Camper

alix776 · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:32 am Post subject:

no one is saying that tomtom is perfect. but dennis says as he has tested the routing

as for coucils petitioning companies for proper routing and avoidence of narrow lanes. the data for the maybe on the way in the not to distant future. but these maps will cost more and many drivers maybe unwilling to pay the extra as many navigation units ie ttgo etc are bought buy the drivers them selves not there companies
at end of the day if a driver follows a navigation unit blindly them its the drivers fault not the unit

the on in kent recently was down to bad management by highways agency and the organisers of tour for not providing adaquate alternative route signage
_________________
currently using aponia truck navigation on windows phone. Good bye IOS don't let the door hit you on the way out .

Oh the joys of being a courier.
device Lumia 950 xl

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