GPS Lane assist
Has anybody bought GPS with lane assist, and has it made approaches to junctions easier? It certainly would be a benefit to me if it works as advertised.
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we have a tom tom and yes it does help quite a bit.
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I bought a s/h TomTom700 off eBay about six years ago so goodness knows how old the maps are and from time to time it says "ahead keep/left/right". Usually I've already sussed out where I need to be as I tend to just use it as a check against my own route planning. The MH has a built-in TomTom but I haven't had any complicated lane set-ups to negotiate so far to ascertain how it performs.
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our old TomTom Classic XL (as opposed to our Prehistoric back up TomTom One) has Lane Assist but i think it only applies to motorways (here and in Europe).
it does also have a feature where, eg at large roundabouts, it does display which lanes are for (say) straight on or left/right.
i do find it useful, mainly as the screen changes which is a good reminder that a manoevre is coming up (i dont have the sound on, we would soon fall out...
)having said that, when i use my 'One' (in the car) i dont particularly miss it...
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Our fairly new Garmin shows a picture of the signpost for exit from motorways (Autoroutes n Francs) and also tells you which lane to be in. It works fine but some might consider it too much information when you are concentrating on driving.
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just out of interest found this (while looking for another which report)
https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/sat-navs/article/caravan-and-motorhome-sat-navs-explained
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Tomtom lane assist I’d say is excellent. Isolated screen specific to the manoeuvre. I first used it whilst on a 7 lane motorway section around Manchester. It enabled me to stop the usual head up scanning the area for signs routine.
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We've got the Avtex Garmin CAMC edition - whatever it’s called. It was standard with the MH and also acts as the screen for the reversing camera. It’s programmable with the dimensions of the vehicle.
As with our ancient Garmin, it’s visual display of junctions with clear instructions of which lane to take is one of its best features.
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agree with Peedee....dont rely on a satnav, even one that 'says' Caravan on it...
these devices are blooming clever, but can only act on the data they have to make their decisions.
the main failing in the data currently is that not all roads have a 'width' measurement to compare against when planning a route.
toll roads, low bridges etc are mainly known but not all narrow roads are 'known' to the system, only those (like bridges) which have been measured and categorised with specific width limits.
make no mistake, even a 'camper friendly' satnav can assume a road is 'wide enough' to plan into the route, if it has not been 'signed' as restricted.
setting the route planner to 'shortest route' will exacerbate this problem as the unit will regularly try and 'cut the corner' (where possible) despite the road obviously being 'too narrow', if the road is not categorised as such.
seems obvious, but check all satnav planned routes prior to departure and ensure that 'fastest route' is set rather than 'shortest route' as it prioritises faster, wider main routes....
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Don’t we use our sat navs with a degree of common sense as well? We surely use road signage and, possibly, a paper map whilst regarding the sat nav as an aid rather than an all knowing entity.
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I'm sure you'll all be interested in how a sat nav works (if not stop reading now), I'm not talking about the GPS side which is well known but how the unit works out the shortest route from one point to another? It's all down to Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm named after Edsger Dijkstra, a Dutch computer scientist who wrote the quite simple procedure in 1956 - 59. He only died in 2002. He was a genius!
For a few towns and roads, say 8 towns and a few roads from each one to another it's simple to do on paper and taught in schools. With more and more towns, places of interest, club sites... and all the various roads, motorways.... it takes a computer to work it all out. When you have done it on paper you have an idea of what the computer in the sat nav has to do.
There are some great videos on it so Google it for further information.
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yes, +1. And follow the club's instructions on the final approach and not your sat nav, or like me, you'll be reversing your caravan in Sainbury's car park in Warwick which shares the post code with the site.
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I use copilot and it includes lane guidance. I find it helpful when towing as the additional warning to change lanes as information overload is not something I generally suffer from.
Obviously one should check the final route to and from sites prior to making the journey and total reliance on any device be it paper or electronic invites problems.
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+1👍🏻, all part of the arsenal of getting us there safely-open minds. I have a friend who suffers ‘testosterone overload’ at times of long haul journeys. He argues against the need for satnavs. . . .Until we all set off into the unknown then He positions His vehicle behind one of us who uses a satnav😂😂😂. Gladly He has very few other failings👍🏻
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Yes, the algorithms are clever and require a lot of computation but I do think that SatNavs have a long way to go before they can be truly relied upon. For example, Google maps I have found the most reliable SatNav because the algorithm takes account of current traffic conditions. For some reason it also seems to come up with better routes.
I wonder to what extent the algorithm takes account of road category and how it compensates for likely congestion in towns and villages. We know that all units assume greater average speed on motorways (unless you deselect) but what average speed assumptions are made for, say, B and D roads, dual carriageways etc.
There is also no intelligent learning system. Feedback on best routes etc.
Another 30 years should see some improvements!
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In reality do we need sat-nav at all apart from the last few miles? If I'm going to Scotland, for instance, I merely find the main road heading north. It's only the last 15-20 miles that requires a degree of precision. The same coming home. Head south and stop when I get my feet wet.
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We don’t need sat nav and managed for years without it but it’s an aid and makes travelling easier. The technology is there so why not take advantage of it. Every little helps.
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There is no substitute for road craft and reading signs and following the arrows marked on the road.
peedee
Except when other people inconsiderately use the road and position their vehicle on top of the markings! Often it is the markings in an adjacent lane that one needs to read.
The road works on the motorway interchange adjacent to the Club's site at Strathclyde Park are now as complete as they ever will be. Most of it is four lanes wide, and some of the lanes have as many as five pieces of information as to where the lane leads. But please don't be put off by this. Most of it is misleading or wrong anyway, so just head off where you fancy - everyone else does.
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yes more and more information is being delivered to the little computer from traffic updates via whatever internet signal is available.
I suppose the basic algorithm has been adapted and developed since it's first outing in 1959 when even a portable computer such as a ZX81 or BBC model B was 20 years away and a mobile phone/tablet was almost science fiction.
I suppose now the sat nav will ignore certain roads if you tell it your outfit's size and it calculates it won't fit the road, or change the average speed based on real time updates.
I suppose with driverless cars you just tell the car where you want to go and relax? Automatic autonomous caravan hitching and pitching will happen soon as well?
You'll be 'driving' along in your driverless car, press the club site button on your car's infotaintmnet screen, select the club site you want with choice of pitch (by that time) sit back, snooze, and the next thing you wake up by the side of your van which has pitched (perfectly to the peg) and levelled itself and also connected to services. In a MH you could even go to bed and wake up the next morning on your chosen site. Be good for those going over there?
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and you can concentrate more on traffic ahead without being distracted by looking for hidden or confusing signs.
Was it just last week or so that the driving test now has a longish section following sat nav instructions?
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getting somewhere is much easier with a co-pilot/navigator in thenpassenger seat, pointing out upcoming complex junctions or sneaky turn offs....
no so easy when on your own, miles from home, maps on knees dont do it for me going rourd a large roundabout...
this is where the sat nav comes in, giving a similar advance warning of whats ahead, well before you get there.
as CY says, they are really useful when visiting 'foreign' parts, especially the last few miles, and similarly, when escaping from unfamiliar cities, to find your best route out and on your way.
once the route has been programmed, i check it against the map, to see if this is the way i want to travel....if not, i make changes, for instance when following site ditections, the device can be set to take these particular routes.
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We have Lane Assist on our TomTom. It's a nice to have feature but I suspect if you are relying on it you could potentially get caught out especially if you need to change lanes to the right (in the UK) On the TomTom, probably the same of other brands the map displays indicates the need to keep left or right some miles before the action is required so you do have pre-warning which should alert you to a possible lane change in very good time.
On the point of how clever or otherwise sat navs are I do find the inability to learn very frustrating. Perhaps Milton Keynes is a unique example but all of our main grid roads are capable of taking vehicles as large as HGV's so no issue with a motorhome or towed caravan. However TomTom will always insist (but always ignored) a certain route whereas I know the shortest and quickest route. I suppose one could alter the settings but I prefer not to do that mid journey. If there was an option to save a route just by pressing a button it would be so much easier.
David
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As ever. Thanks for the interesting replies. Certainly plenty to chew over. Merry Christmas all.
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If you are travelling 800 miles across Europe to Italy there will be points where you have forgotten the motorway exit or next town. We find it invaluable but agree that the final guidance is the most valuable. We have used Archie’s POIs on more than 20 occasions and, so far, so good.
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Often have the Nag Nav on and the sound off until we get into the final approaches where it can be invaluable spotting the turns in busy areas.
Lane assist is useful and the photo/diagram telling me what lane I ought to be in very visual and clear on our Garmin.
However, the most useful 'aid' is my wife sat with a good quality map open on her lap who often tells me especially when abroad to ignore the Nag and go to the next junction - my Garmin does like to take short cuts even though its been programmed correctly.
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