TomTom Traffic

TheGas · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 10:27 pm Post subject: TomTom Traffic

I have purchased 12 months for my TomTom 720

As I live in Weston-super-Mare and drive up the M% over the Avonmouth Bridge with huge trailbacks, I expected to be notified of the slow fraffic and miles of tailbacks, but everytime I do an update it tells me there are no problems even when I am in a very SLOW long line of traffic.

Does the system work? All of the settings appear to be correct.

MrT · Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:25 am Post subject:

If the traffic is there every day at the same time it is quite likely that the IQ routes in your TomTom unit know that this traffic moves at say 30mph at this time of day and as such you may not see this reported and it is already taken into consideration. If for some reason there were additional delays over the normal delays this would probably be shown as a delay. Having not driven this road, I do not know what is normal and what is not.

Are you seeing traffic incidents in other places when you touch the traffic bar and browse the map? Is there a green circle at the top of the traffic bar, this indicates that the traffic info is up to date?
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Drivelux

DennisN · Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 9:01 am Post subject:

Is this on GPRS or RDS-TMC traffic? Either way, I'd expect the traffic bar and then the map display to have at least an indication of narrow lanes. One problem with Traffic is the speed of updating - there's got to be at least half an hour from an incident (accident, traffic queues, whatever) happening to it being put out on the traffic service. To be honest, your own experience is rather more reliable for this journey on a "normal" day.

MrT I wouldn't expect IQ routes to know anything about this - IQR is historical, not current and there won't be any history of "today's" roadworks on the Avonmouth bridge. The alternative to cross the river is probably a 20 miles or so diversion, maybe more if you pull off the M5 in time to avoid the build up of traffic before the roadworks (but you pull off into Bristol, sort of frying pan and fire, really). Despite them widening a stretch of M5 thereabouts a couple of years ago, it's simply a case of (don't) grin and bear it where the M5 is concerned. Fortunately for me, I live east of Bristol, so I hardly ever use that part of the M5. But I verified the Specs cameras on that stretch recently and it was a 50 mile triangular trip.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

MrT · Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 9:20 am Post subject:

I did not know anything about roadworks, I just assumed it was the normal slow morning rush hour traffic into Bristol which IQ routes would probably have known about.
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Drivelux

DennisN · Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 9:26 am Post subject:

Rick-uk · Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:19 pm Post subject:

Very often approaching these roadworks in either direction I am warned of delays (anything up to 33 minutes) This is using RDS-TMC and it usually offers to reroute me.

Living just off junction 19 the alternative is long and expensive (50p for bridge if I choose that option)

DennisN · Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 12:21 am Post subject:

By chance, today I had a job from Avonmouth and whilst that wasn't over all the roadworks, it did take me north on M5 after the bridge at 4pm. My 920 with RDS-TMC showed narrow lanes, my XL Live with HD traffic showed me nothing. On this occasion I suffered no delay at all.

So, TheGas, it doesn't look as if the service isn't working, likely to be something with your device. It might be useful if you answered MrT's questions.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

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