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 usually have both; GPS for inside cities, if I need to find a shopping mall or some other POI for instance, because nearly no maps show those in Europe.
For planning; GPS can't match a map, a map shows you interesting features along your routes, possible interesting alternative routes, how many cities there are on your route, and for reference when seeing places signed your GPS doesn't show at every interchange.
Most people, however, turn on their GPS and have no idea how far something actually is. They don't pay attention to signs anymore, and newspapers regularly have articles about dumbass drivers who follow their GPS so closely without thinking they end up in pedestrian tunnels, creeks or other places a car isn't suppose to be.
Maps, I have good photographic memory so I look at a map and then I can usually remember my route.
GPSes are ruining society and I refuse to carry one or ride in a car with someone who has one in their possession
ME :nod:
^^ I'm the same way.
I look at a map and follow routes from memory.
Be well,
Bryant
I am a GPS.
I agree with an earlier post. A GPS is good for finding points of interest within a city, but for long distance trips I prefer a paper map.
Honestly I've never really needed a map...
I don't like those GPS things. Something about having a computer tell me what to do creeps me out.
Now, the portable map (sans automated directions) could be useful, but it's really not necessary and not worth the expense.
I don't find myself driving unfamiliar places that often, anyway. And when I am, it's easy enough to consult google maps before I go to find it. Not for directions, though. I much prefer to just locate the destination and then come up with my own route. In my experience, this is often better than using the route they give you, simply by virtue of the fact that the computer doesn't have a brain, can't think, and thus has limited capability for these things. It also helps a lot to be able to supplement your own knowledge into things. For instance, if the directions send you down a road that you know has horrible traffic, or is under construction, you may wish to go a different way.
I take neither.
I just have a couple maps handy in case I've forgotten exactly which route I need to take. I have no plans to get a GPS unit, but sometimes I wouldn't mind something that could say whether a certain restaurant is in town or not. It would be nicer rather than searching the town for it but not find it at the time, only to check online later and find it in an unexpected part of that town.
Maps... Never trusted GPS since one day a friend was picking me up from my house and his GPS first told him it was miles away in a different city, but then that it was in Connecticut! 700 miles off! Plus there are the classic cases of them being wrong and people taking them too literally...
And so I think I'll just stick with my trusty maps and memory, tyvm.
I love maps, and buy a new road atlas each year, but my car does have a GPS, but I don't use it for directions as much as I use it to find places of interest, restaurants, etc. It makes it easy, if we're out, to find a place my wife and I, along with our picky eater 4 year old, can agree upon. :-P
I usually take nothing for day trips and on longer ones, I take my "roads traveled" atlas (a 2001 road atlas with all of the roads I've ever taken highlighted in orange), so I can choose routes for new lines on my map. I also take that same atlas when county collecting. Otherwise I try to score new official state maps on longer trips, and sometimes use those.
Quote from: John on February 01, 2009, 01:05:06 PM
Maps, I have good photographic memory so I look at a map and then I can usually remember my route.
Me too!
Quote from: voyager on February 01, 2009, 03:24:04 PM
I am a GPS.
I've had people call me that!
I get directions off of a source like google maps, but I only use them as a last resort or for the last few miles in a city to the hotel or other site. I will take a road atlas in the car, and my wife usually navigates. Many side trips are born that way!
The map's in my head!
I usually use my memory or a map.
A couple of reasons:
1) I've just been too cheap to buy one.
2) In a place that's growing rapid like middle Tennessee (was), it's hard for those GPSs to be any more up to date than a map.
3) I don't trust computer routing.
Maps. They're just easier.
Someone posted on MTR about someone hearing a "turn left now" prompt from a GPS, and immediately turned left...right onto a friggin' railroad track.
I pretty much have the 2 digit (and by extension, 1 digit) interstate system memorized in my head in terms of what goes where, so I work as a map on long-distance trips. For exact destinations on city streets, I admit it, I use the GPS. But what do what? I can't be a detailed map of every populated place in the country!
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ad.nl%2Fmultimedia%2Farchive%2F00181%2Fbord_doodlopend_nav_181063a.jpg&hash=8d7496b27e8e5aaaf90cc02c7784f793e7df55a0)
This sign says "We are building a new city. Do not trust your GPS. This road is REALLY closed".
Also, truckers shouldn't use GPS in a city since we have too many low tunnels and bridges;
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg181.imageshack.us%2Fimg181%2F7633%2Fmt2mg3.jpg&hash=688dc9863223279fc75510b8d6f51ff3203a0485)
This Dutch sucker took the advise of "turn left now" to serious, and drove 200 meters on ice before he broke through it:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ad.nl%2Fmultimedia%2Farchive%2F00191%2FAuto1_191586a.JPG&hash=0ec15cc3c76ffaf5371f17188d8098bbe95b0be3)
When i took my trip east this past fall, my mom gave me her Garmin GPS and i was told "Try it out and see if this was something your dad wasted his money on befoer he passed away"
While most of my route was already planned in my head (Joey K told me where i needed to go), the Garmin earned its salary on the addresses....it did save me quite a bit of time as i was able to punch in the addresses of highway garages and it took me straight there..and in a couple of instances, saved me from some lengthy searching (Providence and Portland, Maine) for places...
Although i had to admit, just for funsies, i had it on driving back from Bangor....it was VERY odd to be essentially looking at the map of Maine 'upside down'..almost disorienting in a way
I despise GPS, honestly. I've driven a car that had one, and hated it. Nothing like knowing you have 1600 more miles of this exact same road to drive.
I use maps, and have a great sense of direction. Plus, I don't trust that the people who make the GPS units truly understand what is the best route. All they're taking is raw data, parsing it, and producing the 'primary' route between two points.
Most GPS units that I've dealt with (they may have gotten better), tell you to take I-70 east to I-135, to I-35.
Anybody who has driven US287 will tell you that's, by far, the best route between those two cities.
Sykotyk
GPS?
Hellz no!
I could have bought one last December with my new car, but I opted not to - for good reason
The only set of eyes I trust are my own.
GPS makes people dumb.
"yeah but my GPS said..."
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)
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
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. ..
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! :cool:)
Quote from: Chris on February 08, 2009, 03:52:28 PM
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.
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...
Most GPS navigation software has an option that asks them if they want to avoid tolls. I know at least my TomTom has it :coffee:
A swedish couple was navigating to the island of Capri, Italy. They wound up in Carpi, 400 miles away. :banghead:
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. :no:
Quote from: Chris on July 28, 2009, 10:55:31 AM
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. :no:
I get the same thing in stores when checking out. Whatever the cash register says must be right. :banghead: :pan:
In other words, to these kind of people, "The computer is GOD!" :pan:
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. :-D
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! :D
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. :biggrin:
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.
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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotthard_Road_Tunnel) and Tauern (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tauern_Road_Tunnel) 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.
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 :-D
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.
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
I go with maps but also "seat of the pants" (going somewhere at random) :)
Quote from: Chris on July 28, 2009, 04:10:29 PM
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. :D
Quote from: florida on July 29, 2009, 01:19:06 AM
Don't be lazy, get out and stretch your legs as you ask for directions....you don't want to get blood clots. :D
Bonjour, parlez-vous Anglais? Non? Shit... :)
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.
QuoteIn 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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kim)
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.
Don't expect to see that road ever make it on a GPS system until after we've moved on to some new technology. :-D
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.
Chesapeake Expwy has only existed since 2001. Still, that's been plenty enough time for the GPS manufacturers to update their databases.
Quote from: flaroadgeek on February 01, 2009, 11:52:16 AM
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.
Quote from: froggie on August 31, 2009, 06:15:46 PM
Chesapeake Expwy has only existed since 2001. Still, that's been plenty enough time for the GPS manufacturers to update their databases.
Whoops, thought the expressway itself was built in the 90s and the connector part on the north end in 2001.
Other way around, as it turned out...