No avoid areas feature: install TTN5 or wait for an update?

MikeIB

I received TTN5 this morning after 2 weeks. I'm now hesistant to install it after all the reports of problems, and in particular the absence of the avoid areas feature. Are there alternative features that can be used as a substitute for avoid areas? If I can't avoid errors for things like one way systems, or closed off roads that aren't on the map or avoid traffic hot spots like city centres, surely TTN5 must be a retrogade step.

Can anyone who used to use avoid areas tell me whether the pros of TTN5's new features outweigh the lack of this feature?

andy-c1 · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 1:54 pm Post subject:

you can still use avoid but you have to do it every trip
well you have options you can calculate alternatives ,also avoid roadblock ,travel via and avoid part of route ..+ minimise traffic delay if you have traffic
in cal alternative you have a few options as well
fastest/shortest/avoid motorways/walking/bicycle/limited speed

i used to use avoid for roads i would never go on but tt would try make me use
1 example was tunbridgewells to biggin hill it made me go on the m25 then turn off onto a contruction road which was closed
_________________
TomTom 5001

MikeIB · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 5:34 pm Post subject:

Thanks.

I'm not clear though whether I can, for instance, avoid an area such as the centre of Croydon? I don't use the traffic facility (too costly) so I avoid areas that I know will be congested. What you describe sounds rather like the (can't remember the exact name) avoid the next 100m, 200m etc of the next few roads coming up which you can select while driving in TTN3. On that basis, it sounds far less flexible than the avoid areas function.

So I am right in thinking that you can (i) avoid a road or part of a road but (ii) it's not possible to avoid an area? If so, does any one know whether Tom Tom are likely to add back the original (seemingly superior) capability?

Rifleman · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 27, 2005 Posts: 19

julianbarker · Lifetime Member Joined: Apr 12, 2005 Posts: 431

Why can't you plot an itninerary? I can. Plot it, save it - load it when you want to travel. What it won't do navigate an itinerary without a fix meaning you can't view it. But planning it is fine.

linknet · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 05, 2005 Posts: 872

MikeIB · Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:32 pm Post subject:

I decided to do a full backup of my machine and then give TTN5 a go. And what can I say... I prefer the interface in many ways - particulary the ability to turn the screen around 90 degrees, see the road names while navigating, and the POI warning system. But, more importantly, the route quality is diminished.

As pretty much expected, without the avoid area facility the product is much less useful. Try avoiding a town centre and you end up driving miles out of your way. Try avoiding several altered road layouts and firstly it's very difficult and secondly it doesn't really work. Since this isn't a bug per se, I don't suppose we'll see a fix for this problem in the near future. A real shame as I'm going to seriously consider reverting to the old maps that came with TTN3.

I'm also amazed at the road speeds. It seems to assume you'll average 37 mph in a 30 mph zone (at least if you try the demo mode). In addition to it's illegality, the likelihood of that speed being achieved in town seems highly remote (at least anywhere I drive).

andy-c1 · Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:13 pm Post subject:

you can use avoid part of route under find alternative
it blocks out quite a large chunk of an area you want to avoid ,i have used it a number of times and works quite well
ok so it doesn't stay there like tt3 ,but you can still use it when you want
_________________
TomTom 5001

MikeIB · Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 9:41 pm Post subject:

Well, it might work if you want to avoid a road or avoid a small village in the middle of nowhere, but try avoiding a city centre and you'll end up miles out - it's just too coarse. In my short experience it has been hopeless.

geraint · Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:03 pm Post subject:

In the town where I live, there are still a number of unmade roads. Also, due to road building, a couple of roads have become dead-ends. In TTN3, I used the "avoid area" facility to avoid these roads so that I wouldn't be navigated down them at the start of each journey. Now that TT have done away with this function in TTN5, it always sends me down unmade roads, so I have to use my local knowledge and wait for TTN5 catch up.

I think it was a useful facility, which partially made up for the old maps they're (still) using. If TT can't get their maps up to date, they should consider reintroducing the avoid area function.
_________________
Geraint

TomTom for iPhone v1.9
App version: 8.300 (777309)
Map: Western Europe v875.3668

	PocketGPS
	Web