Qutie

in the know folks! I'm running into a problem trying to decide what software to buy when I buy a gps unit. I've pretty much decided on the BT-338 unit, if that makes a difference :)
My question is this:

Do all software packages offer an ability to create an alternate route,especially when you are already on the road?

I live in an area where I must travel a two-lane roadway for several miles before I get to a parkway. Ineviiably a truck breaks down, or there's an accident, or road work which can create an hour or more delay...all it takes is one lane to have a problem for everyone else to be stuck (yep, it really sucks ;p)
What I'd like to be able to do is something with the gps to say, here I am now, I want to go there... and I don't want to use this road (the one I'm on, which is backed up), what are my options?

Part of the problem for me at least, is that I don't know the area very well yet. I don't know the exits outside of the ones I take regularly, so I often extend my trip myself by driving all over the place, lol :)

Is this at all possible and if so, are there programs that do it better than others? One of the main reasons I was hoping for demo's was to try to do this. After leaving work at 5:00 and getting home just before 8 several times last month, I've about had it.

I've read the reviews and the topics here, but I haven't seen anything that addresses this particular issue. I know the $1700 units out recently can do it (using...XM I think) but.. that's a bit steep for me!

thank you for any help :)

RobMan

Good question, Qutie. OCN has a route blocking option that allows you to block the road you are on for a chosen distance. Also bear on mind that you could just turn off route and let the program re-route you. Of course, it might just try to put you back on the same route.

Would be nice if you could try demo's.

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CdSlc

The only problem with OCN4 'block road' option is that you can block road for a certain miles from your current GPS location. For example, you start driving to home, you get stuck in traffic, now you tell OCN4 that you want to block the next 5 miles from your route. Now OCN will automatically generate the new route and ask you to get off this road, blah, blah and you should all be good.

The drawback that I find with this 'block road' option is that...I couldn't find a way to tell OCN that generate a route, but I want to block this particular road, because I know there's an accident/construction on that road. So sitting at office I cannot ask OCN to generate a route to home, but I know there is construction on this particular road for 5 miles, so generate a route that does not include this particular road for 5 miles. The only workaround to resolve this problem is to have multiple stops on the route that will take me away from the construction road. This can be pretty tedious.

I don't know whether the other GPS software can do it or not, maybe somebody who uses iGuidance, Mapopolis, Tom Tom or any other software will let you know.

Qutie

yes, that is a big part of the problem. the first 15 or so miles of my trip are on this road, then I can cut across a route to get to one of the parkways, or continue on for another 10 miles to get on the parkway that will take me to work.

There are several exits off the route I take, but it's a lot of small towns and getting around is, for me at least, challenging I'm hoping to be able to just put in work or home address, say avoid this road, and get another way :)

(did I mention the time I got lost because of an emergency detour up here and followed a bunch of cars who also had to take the detour... well, long story short, the last car [of 4] turned into the last driveway [of 4] and... I drove 149 miles that day for a 15 mile trip, lol!)

Tony711sc

Let's say you read about highway construction, hear of a bad accident on the radio, or just run into a bad traffic backup. There are two different situations to that the GPS systems must be able to cope with:

1) TRIP PLANNING PHASE Obviously you want to do trip planning that takes into account known detour info that your GPS system's map data base cannot be aware of (and plan around). Most of today's GPS software packages provide a procedure for dealing with this all-too-frquently encountered situation. They provide an "Avoid Area" method for your trip/route planning before you even start your trip. Some will let you identify road segments to be avoided on any GPS system selected routes. Some will let you identify an area/zone on the map itself that must be avoided. Some will even let you update your route with avoid area information while you are driving down the highway - so you can do rerouting "on the fly".

2) ENROUTE EMERGENCIES You cannot anticipate every thing before starting your trip, so today's better GPS software programs have to be capable of dealing with detours/rerouting "on the fly" with some kind of "Automatic Rerouting" feature. This is the REAL POWER OF A GPS SYSTEM IN YOUR HAND!!! Let's say that you take a ramp off the highway because of an accident up the highway that has backed up traffic or because you messed up an took the wrong exit ramp - either way you have gone "Off Route". As soon as the GPS system senses that you have gone astray, it will SCOLD you and come up with a string of recalculated rerouting directions. Initially, it will try to get you to make a U-turn and go back onto the the highway that you left. If you left the highway unintentionally, you should comply with those U-turn instructions as soon as possible. However, if you left the highway deliberately (accident backup, etc.), seek out your own detour by zooming out and doing a quick map recon and continue driving in the direction that seems most appropriate. You will be tempted to shut of the volume because, for a while, the GPS system will think that its U-turn calculated solution was appropriate. Eventually, you will proceed PAST that point and the GPS system (which has been CONTINUIOUSLY recalculating rerouting solutions - using you CURRENT GPS location and your programed GPS destination) finally comes up with a NEW solution which usually involves finding a RECOVERY PATH back to your ORIGINAL trip routing (down the highway and, hopefully past the accident site). Occasionally you will get a completely NEW routing to your programmed destination.

MY ADVICE - TRUST YOUR GPS SYSTEM (but appreciate just how its doing its job so that you know when to ignore it - and why!!!!)

P.S. If the NEW GPS route does NOT get you around the accident site, then you have to (again) override the GPS system solution that same way you did when you "jumped" off the highway before.

BTW - iGuidance 2.1.1 provides all of the above rerouting capabilities that I have just described. Hopefully, others more framaliar with the other popular GPS systems will read this posting and will add info on how their systems deal with these situaltions.

RobMan

Originally Posted by Tony711sc

Clip ... ...... They provide an "Avoid Area" method for your trip/route planning before you even start your trip. Some will let you identify road segments to be avoided on any GPS system selected routes. Some will let you identify an area/zone on the map itself that must be avoided. Some will even let you update your route with avoid area information while you are driving down the highway - so you can do rerouting "on the fly". iGuidance 2.1.1 provides all of the above rerouting capabilities that I have just described. Hopefully, others more framaliar with the other popular GPS systems will read this posting and will add info on how their systems deal with these situaltions.

Hi tony711sc. Can you re-confirm that IGuidance lets you do all of these avoidance situations? I am particularly interested in the "identify area/zone" aspect. Is this similar to the "avoid area" blocking feature on MS Streets and Trips for desktop? I use this all the time on the desktop. and it's worth its weight in gold. Can Iguidance do this on the desktop as well as ppc?

I currently use OCN, and I do not like the limited avoid route function. I agree with cdslc's comments above, although I don't think adding an interim stop to force the route away from an area is that big of a deal, it is still a hassle.

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CdSlc

Originally Posted by RobMan

I currently use OCN, and I do not like the limited avoid route function. I agree with cdslc's comments above, although I don't think adding an interim stop to force the route away from an area is that big of a deal, it is still a hassle.

I tried adding an interim stop and it turned out to be a pretty tedious job for me.

As an example, I know on a freeway, there is construction between Exit 5 and Exit 10. So I plan a route and near to exit 4, I put an interim stop on the backroad, thereby OCN asks me to exit at exit 4. Now if I don't put any more interim stop then OCN will put me back on the same freeway at exit 5 and I am back to construction traffic. Now this means I have to put an interim stop close to exit 5. And I have to keep putting interim stop for the next 5 miles, just so that OCN won't put me back into the same construction traffic.

On my drive to work/home, I have to pass through four different freeways, with varying degree of construction. Now if I have to put interim stop on all those freeways for all those construction areas, well, it can be pretty tedious.

So, tony711sc just like RobMan, I would also like to know whether iGuidance provides the kind of feature that you have mentioned.

lawman

Originally Posted by CdSlc

The only problem with OCN4 'block road' option is that you can block road for a certain miles from your current GPS location. For example, you start driving to home, you get stuck in traffic, now you tell OCN4 that you want to block the next 5 miles from your route. Now OCN will automatically generate the new route and ask you to get off this road, blah, blah and you should all be good. The drawback that I find with this 'block road' option is that...I couldn't find a way to tell OCN that generate a route, but I want to block this particular road, because I know there's an accident/construction on that road. So sitting at office I cannot ask OCN to generate a route to home, but I know there is construction on this particular road for 5 miles, so generate a route that does not include this particular road for 5 miles. The only workaround to resolve this problem is to have multiple stops on the route that will take me away from the construction road. This can be pretty tedious. I don't know whether the other GPS software can do it or not, maybe somebody who uses iGuidance, Mapopolis, Tom Tom or any other software will let you know.

There is a software that does this. Its in my Garmin iQue mapping software. Its called "Avoidance". I can add roads or areas that I want the routing system to avoid. So, when I generate a route, it avoids or goes around those roads/areas I've indicated. I had to do this because a road that I used was blocked off permanently from traffic.

JakeRich

OCN5 has the "block road" function in Navigation mode. If you find yourself stuck in traffic, you can command a "Block road" for a distance between a few hundred feet to 31 miles. It doesn't have that function in the planning mode, but it does have waypoints that you can use to force it off that road. I guess the theory is that if you know a road is bad, you'd plan around it with waypoints, but if you already have a route and come on a traffic jam you can block the bad road with a few taps.

You can also just ignore the guidance and get off road with pretty much any of the packages and it should re-route you. I remember being caught in SF one day, headed north on Hwy 101 when I came up on a big backup. I just got off the freeway and headed north on the streets. My mapping software kept wanting me to go back to 101, but I ignored it, kept heading north until it gave up on 101 and came up with a street-level route to my hotel. Worked very well!

Qutie

Thank you all for your responses! So, it sounds like Iguidance and OCN at least do it, in different ways. Think I'm getting closer to a decision, going to read over Jake's reviews again, and take a look at their specs :)

Safe driving!

Tony711sc

Originally Posted by RobMan

Hi tony711sc. Can you re-confirm that IGuidance lets you do all of these avoidance situations? I am particularly interested in the "identify area/zone" aspect. Is this similar to the "avoid area" blocking feature on MS Streets and Trips for desktop? I use this all the time on the desktop. and it's worth its weight in gold. Can Iguidance do this on the desktop as well as ppc? I currently use OCN, and I do not like the limited avoid route function. I agree with cdslc's comments above, although I don't think adding an interim stop to force the route away from an area is that big of a deal, it is still a hassle.

There may be a more direct way to get the "Avoid Roads" feature to function in iG 2.1.1, but IT WORKS!! - it is neat and convenient to use "on the fly" to get rapid rerouting for:

1. 1. Last minute info before starting your trip
2. 2. Actual weather, road or traffic conditions encountered during the trip.

Follow these steps to set up the "Avoid Roads":

• 1. GO TO the map screen page (with the Tool Bar on the bottom).
• 2. TAP on the item "Tools" (on the Tool Bar).
• 3. TAP on the "Hotkey Options" to open the "Set Hotkeys" page
• 4. FOLLOW the instructions to set up the keys to suit your personal needs and preferences.
• 5. Having set up "Avoid Roads" option on one of the hotkeys, you can HIT IT at ANY time to go to the "Avoid Roads" page which lists every street and road (in sequence) in the chosen trip route.
• 6. Go down the list and FIND and TAP the road(s) that must be avoided
• 7. HIT the "Nav" button - and iG 2.1.1 will automatically recompute and display your NEW route.
• 8. EXAMINE your NEW route to see if you need to make any additional EXCLUSIONS.

For your info, my current Hotkeys setup is:

• 1 - Enter Destination
• 2 - Fullscreen
• 3 - Detour
• 4 - 3D Mode

I hope that this helps you and others and, if you find a better or other "solutions", share them.