Is it just me or have you guys also noticed that the routes suggested by Google Maps have gotten worse?
It seems that it only takes into account current traffic jams and not the ones which will occur 30mins into the trip.
For instance, there's this spot in my city where I know there is a traffic jam at around 3:20 PM every day. I usually set off from home around 2:50 PM, which means I'll hit that congested area by 3:20 PM. Interestingly, there are a couple of alternative routes I could take to avoid getting stuck. However, Google Maps keeps pushing me towards the route that's bound to get jammed, simply because there's no traffic showing at the exact moment (2:50 PM) when I'm starting. Doesn't it make sense for the app to use past data to predict the traffic jam?
On the other hand, it often insists on taking me through strange shortcuts and weird backroads just to save a minute or two.
I came here to look for someone talking about it and totally agree, Google Maps routes are getting really worse over time and now I switched to Apple Maps almost exclusively.
I can understand the jam thing but the weird route thing is crazy, especially because that route often makes you spend more time not less. It prefers weird backroads with lots of turns instead of straight larger roads (and that's stupid) but a thing I noticed traveling a lot for work in a hilly area is that it doesn't seem to take road pendency into account. Sometimes it makes you go up and down a hill instead of staying in the valley road that goes around it: it take twice the time IRL but is like it thinks "whoa, 5km instead of 7, that's a great optimization" and that's incredibly stupid.
Apple maps is more conservative and tries to stick to larger roads if possible only sending you into more obscure ones if it is very convenient.
Another thing is that Google Maps is really aggressive on labeling something as a road: sometimes they are off roads, tractor paths or large trails that a car cannot travel on but it doesn't care.
Those are my impressions traveling mostly in Italy and bordering countries.
> It prefers weird backroads with lots of turns instead of straight larger roads (and that's stupid)
Part of that could be driving style.
Getting to one nearby city really has two main routes for me—the single lane highway, or the backroads with a bunch of weird turns and stuff.
You hop on the highway and besides a couple of towns you pass through you more or less just space out for an hour and then you’re there. Your speed on the highway is pretty much fixed. There’s heavy enough traffic that even if you were to try and pass and drive aggressively you’re never really beating the map estimate. Often you come in a bit longer because it only takes one person doing 15-20 under the speed limit to just create a rolling roadblock.
The back roads, however, are basically empty. How fast you get there is pretty much up to you.
The highway is faster and less stressful for my wife. The back roads are faster and less stressful for me. I’m not even speeding much or driving aggressively. I’m just comfortable actually doing the speed limit through those areas and passing where necessary.
I don't use maps much because it talks too much and unlike Yandex you have to both listen to it and look at it to make full use of it. It's zooming features are shit. It doesn't reroute automatically when it think you've already arrived etc etc.
But I do recall seeing some sort of green, fuel save mode which I assumed would prefer straights to hills etc.
I haven't driven in mainland Italy but Google Maps is nearly useless in Sicily. Their road network is designed for itinerary-style navigation which to my knowledge no navigation app has a concept of. Like you said it's foolish to assume that backroads are conveniently navigable as if the only differences are speed limits and number of lanes (and maybe hills for "eco mode").
I noticed this one too as I was planning my route last night. Google Maps can’t detect one way streets anymore and suggested roads that are marked no entry. I’m glad I zoomed in and was able to read the sign.
I am not sure what is happening to Google Maps lately but this is bad.
This is something I have wondered a lot about: whether the routing is based on current conditions, or if it takes into account what usually happens on your route as your journey unfolds.
Your comment seems to suggest the former.
I live in France and school vacation, especially during the winter break, yield to horrendous tragic keeps from the Paris region towards the Alps. I needed once to drive through them, but not towards the ski resorts, just more south.
There were several possible routes but the fastest one was chosen despite the fact that it would hit the bottleneck right at the worst time. Another route, summer 20 min longer, was not taken into consideration at all despite avoiding the bottleneck.
Similar experience and I which I knew why they offer a particular route.
I often end up regretting using Google maps if I know the routes, usually I feel I'm happier with my choice, not sure if it's a psychological thing but I don't think so because I feel I consistently make better choices based on my knowledge of an area.
I guess there can be a lot to know about a road, especially in regional areas which Google probably knows nothing about.
The other thing I find interesting is that most people I know cannot drive anywhere without Google maps or similar, so there are probably a lot more people using these routes than alternatives.
Even worse: here in Hamburg, a major German city with very high Google Maps usage, The S-Bahn line S1 is closed through the tunnel right in the centre of the city an entire month, and yet it has not been updated at all. Same thing occurred when the S1 from the airport to HBF was closed last month. These are very high capacity lines and it is tourist season. Anyone trying to use Google Maps is going to be very confused. Closures are only taken into account like 50% of the time.
Hamburg has almost half the population of Berlin, yet Google can't keep up with major scheduled line closures.
Google Maps has become noticeably worse at public transit directions in the last few years. In NYC it seemingly does not ingest service changes from the MTA API, I’ve had multiple friends complain about it.
Apple Maps is updated in near real time, I tell anyone who listens to use it for PT directions. The “Transit” app is great too.
It's deeply concerning that the only alternative to Google Maps being terrible is to use Google's Waze. The only thing stopping another Inbox situation is the threat of anti-competition law.
how does anti-competition law apply to that kind of situation though? I think anti-competition law would only apply when they bought waze, so while it may be disadvantageous for users if they discontinue it, I don't think there's anything in anti-competition law stopping them from killing waze now that they own it
I tried it. It started pinging me mid drive to call out the nearby Burger King or something and offer to reroute me there.
Last thing I need when I’m trying to navigate unfamiliar urban areas while operating a heavy piece of machinery at high speed is more distractions and more things to process.
Fair enough. I block the ads at the DNS level, but still get a placeholder white box on my phone. On Android Auto though I've never seen anything, although I'm sure its coming.
In the app, you also can't adjust your departure time to see if there's a better time to leave. You have to use the web UI which doesn't have a way to share this information (beyond a starting point and finishing point) with the app.
I wish google would do weekly updates here. I live in a small city in the midwest USA and one road has been closed for construction for over a month and google maps still wants me to go that way.
It seems that it only takes into account current traffic jams and not the ones which will occur 30mins into the trip.
For instance, there's this spot in my city where I know there is a traffic jam at around 3:20 PM every day. I usually set off from home around 2:50 PM, which means I'll hit that congested area by 3:20 PM. Interestingly, there are a couple of alternative routes I could take to avoid getting stuck. However, Google Maps keeps pushing me towards the route that's bound to get jammed, simply because there's no traffic showing at the exact moment (2:50 PM) when I'm starting. Doesn't it make sense for the app to use past data to predict the traffic jam?
On the other hand, it often insists on taking me through strange shortcuts and weird backroads just to save a minute or two.