Maps, GPS, signs...what do you rely on, when, and why?

[westerninterloper]

Depending on your age, I'm guessing that an interest in maps brought you to AARoads. In the Paper Age, I collected atlases, highway maps, and a variety of other geography related print. I purchased a Rand McNally atlas every year, mostly for the slight changes and additions. I havent purchased a road atlas for several years, but I own and use detailed state maps when I travel.

I also started using GPS more regularly in the last 18 months, when I purchased a new car. I use GPS to watch for traffic backups, and to get me back to familiar places when I'm in someplace new. Otherwise, I rely on memory (mostly), and print maps for planning purposes.

The rapid changes in technology made me wonder - what map technologies do you use these, and why?

[kphoger]

Rand McNally for the big picture.  Google Maps for everything else, including accurate distances.  Street View for signage, but I never assume the signage has stayed the same.

[Flint1979]

GPS and knowledge of the area. I pretty much usually know where I am at but at times can get lost.

[Scott5114]

I usually study paper maps when I don't have an exact need to go anywhere, in much the same way that someone would read a novel or something. This gives me a familiarity with a particular region so that when I do need to go somewhere, I have a basic route in mind.

I typically use Google Maps for last-mile routing (i.e. how do I get from the numbered highways to this specific address) and for detail like interchange layouts in cities. I do check the route in Google just to see what it will recommend, though I'm more apt to stick with my initial routing than I am to take Google's suggestion. Most often, I modify the recommended route to match my preferred route in order to compare the estimated times (which allows me to gauge roughly where we'll be stopping for the night).

Once I get on the road, it's all signs. I rarely use GPS or any sort of mobile map while I'm on the road. The only thing I might need it for is checking traffic conditions, and I'll only bother with that if there's an exact time I need to be somewhere. If I need to refer to a map, I prefer a paper map as it's easier to deal with while driving than unlocking the phone, paging through the home screen to find the map app, enabling the GPS (which I normally disable for both battery and privacy concerns), panning/zooming to the appropriate level, etc.

[PHLBOS]

I don't have any GPS system (my cell's an old-school flip type w/no data/internet plan) so that's out unless I have passenger(s) with me w/SmartPhones.

For unfamiliar destinations: I will use MapQuest, Google or Bing maps to plot directions & get approximate travel times; and print those out. 

Even with the above, I still carry paper maps (or atlases) w/me in case I want/need to choose alternate routes.  If I'm traveling in unfamiliar states; I will pick up paper maps at my nearest AAA office (I did such for the recent Columbus meet).  Paper maps & atlases IMHO allow one to see the big picture both literally & figuratively.

Note: when on the road, I do rely on signs to confirm the listed turns, exits & landmarks (if such signs aren't erroneous).  If any signs are erroneous, using the above (maps, websites, etc.) gives me a potential 'heads-up' on such.

[kphoger]

I usually study paper maps when I don't have an exact need to go anywhere, in much the same way that someone would read a novel or something.

If you have an atlas in your bathroom for reading material, you might be a roadgeek.

[Brandon]

I usually study paper maps when I don't have an exact need to go anywhere, in much the same way that someone would read a novel or something.

If you have an atlas in your bathroom for reading material, you might be a roadgeek.

Thank you, Jeff Roadworthy.

[kphoger]

I usually study paper maps when I don't have an exact need to go anywhere, in much the same way that someone would read a novel or something.

If you have an atlas in your bathroom for reading material, you might be a roadgeek.

Thank you, Jeff Roadworthy.

PColumbus73, actually.  Although I was too lazy to look it up at the time.

You know you're a roadgeek when-

You make traffic lights out of LEGOs (the rectangular piece for the back and red, yellow, and green squares, with blue for turn signals!)

As a kid you used Mega Bloks (the big ones) as traffic lights

You read the road atlas or the MUTCD when you're in the bathroom

When playing SimCity, you have numbered freeways complete with exit lists

You redesign road signs on video games (like GTA San Andreas)

You buy GTA San Andreas SPECIFICALLY because you want to drive between different cities.

[J N Winkler]

My approach is essentially the same as Scott5411's, with the following additions:

*  I have PDF county maps for Kansas and the neighboring states loaded on my phone.  Roads being shown on GIS when they are not actually open to public travel, or even roads as such, is not a problem confined to well-known places like Death Valley:  I've found "false roads" on Google Maps as close to Wichita as Medicine Lodge, Kansas.

*  In the roadtrip car, the phone is always in the console bin, while in the daily driver (normally used only within Wichita and the surrounding area), the phone is in the trunk.

*  The GPS logger is always running, though I have location sharing disabled.

*  On occasion I will keep a partially folded map in the front passenger footwell, but as a general rule I try not to consult either paper map or GPS except when I am pulled out of traffic.

Where paper maps are concerned, I personally prefer state official maps to AAA maps and Rand McNally atlases.  However, I have found that both paper and electronic maps are at best indifferent in terms of accurately conveying quality of driving experience (QODE), because even at high resolution they are too generalized to represent many of the relevant quality dimensions, such as pavement condition, geometric design (or the consistency thereof), etc.  In the past I have tried to use photologging for this purpose and found it is excellent, but also quite expensive in terms of time to review, storage space for data, and access for state DOTs that do not host it online.

[Michael]

For local trips, I'll just look at Google Maps and memorize the route.  For our church group's Atlanta trip in 2015, I memorized most of the route, but still printed out a set of maps for each of the two vans (just normal minivans).  We had two-way radios to keep in contact between the vans.  Since there's someone from our church that now lives in the Raleigh area, we were able to stay at their house on the way down and back so we didn't have to do the full trip in one day.  Partway through the trip to Raleigh from Auburn, our leader gave me his phone to use the GPS on as a backup.  I was impressed with the accuracy of the arrival times.  The only specific time I remember is that we arrived in Raleigh from Atlanta only a minute later than it said we would.

This trip was my first use of a GPS for a road trip.  Specifically, it was the GPS on Google Maps.  While I didn't actually need to use it, there were a few times it came in handy.  On the way back to Auburn from Raleigh, our leader decided to go through Washington DC instead of around on US 15 like we did on the way to Raleigh since we'd just miss rush hour.  I'm not familiar with the DC area, and I didn't think about asking the family we were staying with if I could use their printer to print out directions.  South of DC, we hit a traffic jam, and the guy driving the other van didn't feel comfortable in the heavy traffic.  I was able to look at the map and see an upcoming exit so we could get off I-95 and the guy driving could switch with someone else.  As we got moving again, I noticed that traffic started moving on I-95 just past one of the next interchanges, so I had us just stay on US 1 to get around the traffic jam.  Once we got on I-270, I knew how to get home.  Our leader decided to use I-81 instead of US 15 north of Harrisburg, and he went on I-476 in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to avoid trucks on I-81.

[kphoger]

For our church group's Atlanta trip in 2015, I memorized most of the route, but still printed out a set of maps for each of the two vans (just normal minivans).  We had two-way radios to keep in contact between the vans.

This is what I do when I lead mission trips to Mexico.  In each vehicle's binder, I include a list of planned stops and also maps of the route through major cities.  And we communicate by walkie-talkie–which usually ends up being stuff like "hey, did you see that dog back there?".  The walkie-talkies also come in handy when passing on two-lane highways:  the car in front can radio back to say whether there is oncoming traffic or if there's a gap for passing.

[kkt]

Signs when driving for local directions.  Maps in the car in case I get lost.  Studying Google maps, street maps, the AAA USA atlas, the DeLorme state atlases ahead of time for trip planning.

[Roadgeekteen]

My family uses gps but I will probably not use it much when I grow up except when I am near my destination and need an address.

[jakeroot]

I'll get one thing out of the way immediately: I have never owned a paper map, so I use the internet exclusively. But I'm also a millennial, so that shouldn't surprise anyone.

As a result of driving for Uber/Lyft, I am an avid user of Waze; about 90% of my trips are calculated through that app. Waze's estimation is usuall spot-on, down to a minute or two. This is contrary to Google Maps, which is far too optimistic for my liking (it'll say 17 minutes, and it ends up taking me 23-25 minutes).

Just driving around my area, my phone is always in my windshield dock, with Waze open, so I don't consult roadside signage as often as some people do (I can tell when I need to turn by looking at the map, instead of counting down street numbers or looking for sign salads).

If I'm in the country, I don't use Waze as often. It can be hit-and-miss with rural accuracy, so I'll usually consult roadway signage in these situations.

[Scott5114]

I'll get one thing out of the way immediately: I have never owned a paper map, so I use the internet exclusively.

You...You haven't?

Are you all right? Do you need me to send you one?

[kalvado]

I usually study paper maps when I don't have an exact need to go anywhere, in much the same way that someone would read a novel or something.

If you have an atlas in your bathroom for reading material, you might be a roadgeek.

Maybe just ran out of toilet paper?
Newspapers are a better choice in that case, though...

[Brian556]

When driving in unfamiliar areas, I often use a hand-sketched map. I also make single page laminated maps by screenshoting PDF state maps. These are extremely convenient and easy to use.

[sparker]

Generally Rand McNally or my own memory (at last count, had 23 full cross-country trips and at least 50 regional trips as a driving adult; raise that about 25% considering trips taken as a kid).  If I'm going to be spending much time in any one area, I'll look up the local AAA office and scarf up as many state/local maps as I can.  I've never had to rely on GPS, although I do have a bracket to mount my tablet below the dash; generally use that to record observations about any road changes I may come across. 

[jakeroot]

I'll get one thing out of the way immediately: I have never owned a paper map, so I use the internet exclusively.

You...You haven't?

Are you all right? Do you need me to send you one?

Well, I've had a smart phone longer than I've had a drivers licence. So, I was already using my phone for everything. It was just natural progression.

I actually do have a paper map. But it's a 1970 map of Canada and the Northern US, produced by the Canadian Government Travel Bureau. Apparently, I take US-99 to BC-499 to get to Vancouver from Seattle.

[jwolfer]

For daily driving I don't need anything really. But I use Waze to see if there are wrecks, traffic jams etc. I also try and beat times... Waze is pretty accurate on times.
I go to work via back way... Avoiding the busy street my office address is on.  Drives GPS crazy

I plan long trips with Atlas but i have gotten in the habit of seeing what Waze and Google maps suggest. Also you can see road closures, construction etc. I use GPS as a suggestion, but go my own way.

I find GPS wants to keep you on freeways as much as possible. It's fun to see how long it takes GPS to stop trying to get you to turn around and actually agree with me :




Z981

[Rothman]

Rand McNally Road Atlas and Google Maps through my phone.

[briantroutman]

I spent a great deal of my childhood with maps or atlases spread out across the floor, looking at cities and route numbers that seemed a world away. Today, a lot of that mystique is gone: I've been to or lived in many of the places that seemed impossibly far away as a child. I still love the tactile experience of looking through paper maps–nothing will ever replace that–but I have to admit that I'm not using them much for functional navigation these days.

Since by now I know routes to places that I visit even infrequently, I can navigate to most places just by memory or by relying on mental maps. If I could print them out, my mental maps would look something like subway maps–sometimes making distances seem smaller and routes seem more direct than they actually are. For example, If I were in Denver and needed to come up with an all-Interstate route to Oklahoma City (without looking at a map), I'd know I could either take I-70 East to I-135 South and then I-35–or–I-25 South to I-40 East. I'd know that the I-25 route is a little longer because of that westward curve north of Albuquerque, but I'd tend to think of the routes as being generally comparable. In reality, the I-25 route is over 200 miles longer.

If my time isn't pressed and the cost of a mistake or delay is low, I'd prefer to rely on my knowledge and mental maps. Sometimes when visiting an unfamiliar city (let's call it "Anytown" ), I'll intentionally rely on signage–in part as a test of the completeness and accuracy of the signage, but also to see what the state DOT considers to be the preferred route into Anytown. Likewise, I'll sometimes rely on TO trailblazers to get me back to a numbered route in an unfamiliar area, but all too often, I've been burned by incomplete signage leaving me stranded at a critical intersection where I should have turned off.

When time is an issue, I tend to enter my destination into my phone's GPS, even if I already know the route. For those of you who think of GPSes as being only a crutch for the weak minded: There are too many variables that are beyond even the sharpest person's knowledge. On more than one occasion, I've laughed off what I thought was a stupid route suggestion from Apple Maps only to find myself coming to screeching halt behind an accident, a temporary road closure, or whatever moments later. Sure, there have also been times when the suggestion has been incorrect too, but in either case, the obstacle is something I couldn't have verified unless I got within sight range of it–by which time it would have been too late to alter my course. When using the GPS, I'll look at the route overview first to get a sense of the path it's suggesting and make sure it corroborates with what I know of the area, and I typically have a solid enough base of knowledge to find my way through the area if I have to ignore the GPS unit's directions.

[corco]

I rely on paper maps for long distance navigation, never using my GPS.

I do use GPS only once I am inside the city for getting to very specific local destinations - usually if I am going to a location in the middle of a big city. I study the route in advance too, though, to make sure I generally know where I'm going, relying on the GPS mainly to remind me what turns I need to make.

This isn't always foolproof - last week I was driving in Tijuana and had Google try to navigate me to the Ready Lanes to get back across the border, but it navigated me along a route that would have required me to change lanes across a jersey barrier. Because I had studied the routing in advance, I was able to re-drive around the loop and access the lanes from the correct intersection further downstream. See: https://goo.gl/maps/DkhVPyhhSvM2, the Goog's recommended routing doesn't work - you have to go to the second roundabout further south (recommended as the alternate 17 minute/6.2 km route), and I only knew that from studying in advance.

So you need a mix - the GPS helped me get to the right general area, but it was my own advance studying that actually got me there without being too lost.

[kphoger]

Also you can see road closures, construction etc.

Yep, I'm learning the value of this.

It isn't foolproof, of course.  For one thing, if Google doesn't know a road is closed, then it won't show that it's closed.  And for another thing, it doesn't always do well when one half of a divided highway is closed but the other roadway carries both directions of traffic; sometimes, it will refuse to route you along one direction of travel, simply because that roadway has been reported as closed.  All of that notwithstanding, I have taken to looking at Google Maps again a few days before leaving on a trip, seeing what construction projects and closures are marked along the way, and then looking up details for each one on the state DOT website.  Then, based on the details, I decide whether to stick with my original plan or plot a different route.

[bzakharin]

I've never owned a paper map, and haven't looked at one since starting to drive (at age 33, long story), but I've studied free maps, like the ones the phone books (used to?) include for fun before that. These days I do the same on Google sometimes.

As to what I rely on, for anything I drive regularly, I drive from memory. I check Google or my phone ahead of time for traffic issues and call 511 while driving where there are areas congestion can be expected. If I end up off of a known route due to congestion, I try to follow relatively major routes in the general direction I need to be going, and stop and look at the phone to plan out my route from wherever I am to wherever I'll be joining my regular route.

If the drive is short and/or simple, I'll just plan it out by looking at Google ahead of time and following the pre-planned route. Otherwise, I *will* use my phone as GPS during the drive, though I'll ignore it until I'm about to leave the familiar area / freeway, though sometimes ignoring the GPS too long has gotten me into trouble. On rare occasion I will print out a Google directions sheet where the route is simple enough that I may or may not need to glance at it a few times, but complicated enough that I think I may get lost without aid.