Roadtrips: maps or GPS

[Chris]

GPS makes people dumb.

"yeah but my GPS said..."

[Tarkus]

GPS devices are horrible, imho.   If I were to buy a new car that had a GPS system in it, I'd have them take it out, even if it meant paying extra.  The data they have can be horribly out-of-date in many instances, and they can be a serious distraction, just like cellphones. Not to mention they can get people in serious trouble.  In fact, if I remember, a couple years ago, a guy died after his GPS directed him onto this disused logging road in Southwestern Oregon that was barely passable even in ideal conditions.  They're also not able to see in 3D, so they can give incorrect directions in interchanges, too.  (MapQuest can be guilty of that, too.)

As far as them being useful for finding restaurants, etc., even that's problematic.  I played around a little with a friend's Garmin and he was showing me how you could use it to find local Starbucks.  It completely ignored the actual closest one and didn't even know it existed, even though it had been there for 5 years.

I'm a map guy primarily at least for longer trips, and even those can have issues, as often as they tend to re-route surface arterials around here.  It pays to have a good "mental map" and sense of direction, and keep up with local road departments and their construction projects.

-Alex (Tarkus)

[74/171FAN]

Just last weekend my friend was going northwest of Richmond trying to get to US 250(off I-64 at Exit 183) but the GPS put her on the VA 195/Downtown Expressway and she paid the same toll(at I believe the US 1/US 301 exit) 5 times

[un1]

We bought a GPS 3 years ago, and it didn't even have all of the US States on it. So it got abandoned by our family for 2 years...

The last and only time it got useful was when we got lost in Oklahoma. ..

[njroadhorse]

I use maps only because I've grown up with them.  The GPSes are very inaccurate, and I can essentially memorize routes.  Hence why my family dubs me the human GPS (except I'm much more accurate!  )

[PAHighways]

GPS makes people dumb.

"yeah but my GPS said..."

A friend of mine who is directionally challenged was trying to get to a motel in Harmar where the Turnpike and 28 cross.  He knew where it was but plugged in the address into his GPS anyway, and ended up nine miles away.

Personally, I will memorize the route to where I am going if I'm sticking to Interstates or expressways and take maps as a back-up.  If I am going off the beaten path, or following a route to clinch something, I will write it out beforehand then tape it to my dashboard.  This weekend will be my first long-distance trip since getting my new phone which has two mapping programs.

[FLRoads]

Two of my roommates came back from nearby Pensacola tonight using a GPS unit. The unit took them on the quickest route back to the house, but neglected to "tell" them that the most direct way was also via a toll bridge. Yup, they had to give up $3.50 to cross over the Garcon Point bridge. And they didn't pay any attention to the specialized toll shields warning them that a portion of the road was tolled, all because they were "listening" to the artificial voice direct them home. Good thing they had the money otherwise they would have been screwed.

Yup, GPS is so great...

[Chris]

Most GPS navigation software has an option that asks them if they want to avoid tolls. I know at least my TomTom has it 

[Chris]

A swedish couple was navigating to the island of Capri, Italy. They wound up in Carpi, 400 miles away. 

People are really stupid, and trust on their GPS no matter what. They were even asking for directions to a local tourist spot. They didn't seem to know they were not even close to their destination.

For those who don't know, Capri is a beautiful coastal area, and Carpi is a small industrial town in the Po plains.

People really don't plan their trip anymore, just turn on their GPS, and believe whatever it says, even if it doesn't make any sense. 

[mightyace]

People really don't plan their trip anymore, just turn on their GPS, and believe whatever it says, even if it doesn't make any sense. 

I get the same thing in stores when checking out.  Whatever the cash register says must be right.   

In other words, to these kind of people, "The computer is GOD!" 

[cu2010]

I use my brain...then, if my brain fails me, I crack open either my trusty ol' Rand McNally or DeLorme NYS Atlas and Gazetteer...neither has failed to let me down. 

GPS devices are downright useless...I was once travelling with a friend who had one, and he thought that the stupid GPS unit's directions were far better than someone who had lived in the area for 19 years.  Quite insulting, if you ask me. Needless to say...my directions were far better.

Not to mention that the GPS devices don't seem to take into account things like stop signs and stoplights...I'd rather drive 15 miles out of my way at a steady 60+ mph than drive down a shorter road filled with stoplights and speed traps everywhere!

Plus, maps (and my brain) are far more useful for finding alternate routes...GPS devices (and their disorienting maps) don't do a good job with that. 

[agentsteel53]

I don't see why everyone dislikes GPS so much.  For me, it's a map that I don't have to flip the pages on, giving me lots of potential old alignments.  That plus several maps (RMN 2008, RMN 1947, and a California recreational and trails map) tend to be sufficient to show all possible old roads in the area.

[Chris]

My main objection against the widespread usage of GPS is that people do not prepare long trips anymore, and have no idea where they are once they start using a GPS. I bet that most people have no idea to point out where they are on a map after 6 hours of driving when using GPS.

A problem in Europe are the Gotthard and Tauern tunnels in Switzerland and Austria. These tunnels have SEVERE backups during the summer peaks, waiting times can be as long as 6 - 7 hours to pass through these tunnels.

Modern GPSs can give delay information with HD traffic, but they simply can't deal with completely stationary traffic. They calculate the delay as some 30 - 40 minutes which is in fact 4 - 7 hours, so they don't give an alternative route. (which is often an hour extra driving, but it's worth it when there is a 6 hour delay at the tunnels).

Many people think "oh, my GPS will show an alternative route when there's a traffic jam at the tunnel". Well, they DON'T! That's why nearly all people who rely solely on their GPS wind up waiting 6 hours before a damn tunnel. Smart people who use maps and listen to the traffic information on the radio take another route. GPS-addicts don't do that kind of thinking.

[florida]

I will never buy one. Maps are what I grew up reading and I'll stick to those, plus I can write on them. We did once see someone using their GPS to find a Denny's 

[Chris]

Actually, I find using a GPS to find POI's (point of interest) like shops, gas stations, campsites, etc. pretty useful when you're in an unknown city.

[Ian]

I have a very good photographic memory for maps. I can give anyone directions for the fastest route anywhere within the northeast area. Saying that, I can tell my parents which way to go to avoid traffic back ups or take shortcuts. But for areas I'm not farmiliar with, I can look at a map, pick a route, and remember it for the trip. After I have taken that route, I'll always remember it.

i

[US71]

I go with maps but also "seat of the pants" (going somewhere at random) 

[florida]

Actually, I find using a GPS to find POI's (point of interest) like shops, gas stations, campsites, etc. pretty useful when you're in an unknown city.

Don't be lazy, get out and stretch your legs as you ask for directions....you don't want to get blood clots.

[Chris]

Don't be lazy, get out and stretch your legs as you ask for directions....you don't want to get blood clots.

Bonjour, parlez-vous Anglais? Non? Shit... 

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I can go either way.  I've plotted the super majority of my roadtrips with maps, of various degrees of scaling, but have used a GPS unit to plot specific POI I wanted to note/see (Lincoln Highway, Old US 21 (Ohio), Old US 61 (La/Ms) specificly).
Put it this way.  I don't need a computer to tell me how to get home, but I can program a map program to tell me where the flowers, I want to smell, are.

[flowmotion]

In fact, if I remember, a couple years ago, a guy died after his GPS directed him onto this disused logging road in Southwestern Oregon that was barely passable even in ideal conditions. 

If you are thinking of James Kim, he reviewed GPS and other gadgets for a living, but did not have one with him. He found the road on a plain old state map.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kim

[SP Cook]

GPS is meaningful only to find services near exits or local directions.  The directions GPS (or sites like mapquest) spew out for long trips are worthless and meaningless.

We just opened up a new road in this area.  Not on GPS.  FIVE signs with route number, control city, etc.  The mindless, including I am sad to say employees of at least two major trucking companies, have lost their ability to read and think and follow a route that is 20 minutes out of their way.

[deathtopumpkins]

Don't expect to see that road ever make it on a GPS system until after we've moved on to some new technology. 

I used a Garmin GPS unit for my GIS class last year, and it didn't show the Chesapeake Expy (VA-168) existing even though it has for decades.

I personally use paper maps, but do often plug in routes in Google Maps to get its projected travel times and to look at the actual roads before I drive them.

[froggie]

Chesapeake Expwy has only existed since 2001.  Still, that's been plenty enough time for the GPS manufacturers to update their databases.

[hbelkins]

So when you go on a road trip, what do you take, a road map or your "Tom Tom" (meaning GPS unit)??  I'm curious to see the responses from this one...

I'm usually pretty good with directions and planning routes on a map but the GPS is handy for finding local destinations (motels, restaurants, Walmarts, etc.) in unfamiliar places and I got mine mainly as a roadgeek toy.

I got my wife one because she has trouble with directions and the GPS doesn't always direct her in the best way to go. For instance, she was in Dallas Saturday night for a concert at the Superpages.com Center and the GPS took her off I-30 and down through was she said basically was a ghetto instead of the main route in and out of the area.

If I'm planning a route, I generally know where I want to go beforehand and will scope it out on a map, then run variations through Google Maps, sometimes Mapquest, and DeLorme Street Atlas and MS Streets & Trips to gauge the approximate time each route will take. (Some that appear shorter will actually take longer due to traffic, terrain, etc.). I download the DeLorme maps onto a Palm and use the DeLorme BlueLogger GPS to track myself there. And then I use the Garmin -- and may even start using a netbook with Streets & Trips and a GPS unit -- just for geekery's sake. Given the poor signing practices in some locales, knowing where to turn can be difficult but if the Garmin tells me "Approaching Oak Street" and Oak Street is labeled on the GPS but the sign is missing, it's a big help if I want to turn on Oak Street.

Plus there are downloadable POIs to help you find your favorite stores, restaurants, even the locations of red light and speed cameras and known speedtraps. Very handy.

I consider the GPS to be a tool but also a fun toy to play with.