AA and RAC route planners

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Tue 14 Apr 2009 16:18
AA and RAC route planners - daveyjp
There are a lot of comments about GPS sending drivers on strange routes. I tend to consider a route before asking the GPS.

I have to go somewhere unknown to me tonight which is in the sticks so I checked the above websites for a route.

AA got me within about a mile then advised to turn left - a quick look on the aerial photo reveals the last mile or so is down a lane which looking at Google Earth is little more than a track between fields and it didn't look car friendly - you can see foliage down the middle of the lane and two worn tracks either side. I won't be going that way and it's a long way round to get to the other end of the lane where I need to be.

I then tried the RAC which for some reason chose a 20 mile route which took almost an hour - allowing for traffic it could be over 90 minutes. Whilst the route was almost a straight line I don't fly a helicopter - apart from one short section the route completely avoided the motorway netweork which isn't that far from where I'm going.

I've devised my own route using motorway as much as possible which gets me within striking distance and the the GPS can take over from there.

It shows there's no substitute for the old fashioned way.
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Tue 14 Apr 2009 19:47
AA and RAC route planners - smashing
i agree...like a dolt i used to follow the AA planner when i went to see my ex gf at lancaster university (im at leicester uni) told me to go down the m69 then m6 toll and up the m6....soooo carried on doing that untill my stepdad enlightened me to the a50 :) great stretch of road and cut my travel time considerably. I check recently and they have finally updated their way of finding the quickest route and lo and behold it advises to go up the a50 and then the m6 which is what i do :)
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Tue 14 Apr 2009 21:11
AA and RAC route planners - Altea Ego
"you can see foliage down the middle of the lane and two worn tracks either side. I won't be going that way and it's a long way round to get to the other end of the lane where I need to be."

you wont be doing much driving in devon then.

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Tue 14 Apr 2009 23:08
AA and RAC route planners - daveyjp
No problem if there is some tarmac. I went to look at where the AA route advised - I would have needed a tractor, the ruts were over a foot deep.
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