How do I get accurate online driving directions?
January 9, 2010 5:50 AM Subscribe
Recommendations for sites that have reliable driving directions?
I've typed in the same address for google driving directions and yahoo but got different results. How am I suppose to figure out who is correct, and what is reliable? Has anyone else encountered this problem, know what website they use for driving directions and how they fixed this?
As a side note: I didn't even realize they had different driving directions until a couple of times on a trip, I found myself lost. It was only afterwards, that I saw the discrepancies.
Bonus points- if the website tells the high volume of traffic at what specific times of day, and how to avoid major interstates.
I've typed in the same address for google driving directions and yahoo but got different results. How am I suppose to figure out who is correct, and what is reliable? Has anyone else encountered this problem, know what website they use for driving directions and how they fixed this?
As a side note: I didn't even realize they had different driving directions until a couple of times on a trip, I found myself lost. It was only afterwards, that I saw the discrepancies.
Bonus points- if the website tells the high volume of traffic at what specific times of day, and how to avoid major interstates.
It's very likely that both results you got were "correct". It's not like there is only One True Route between a given point A and point B. Unless there's something highly unusual about the routes you are looking up, all of the major sites will be very reliable and very accurate.
posted by Perplexity at 6:15 AM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Perplexity at 6:15 AM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Seconding MapQuest...I've used it a number of times and have never gotten lost using it.
posted by Telpethoron at 6:17 AM on January 9, 2010
posted by Telpethoron at 6:17 AM on January 9, 2010
Mapquest and Google should both be fine. Like Perplexity says, there is not always one correct route between two locations. I personally prefer Google because of the ease of use, the option to choose walking directions or public transportation, and the addition of traffic status. Google will also tell you travel time with and without traffic.
posted by melissasaurus at 6:40 AM on January 9, 2010
posted by melissasaurus at 6:40 AM on January 9, 2010
The biggest problem I have had with internet map/direction sites is that sometimes they aren't up to date with construction issues. This can be frustrating if you are in an unfamiliar city and have to re-route on the fly.
posted by ian1977 at 7:08 AM on January 9, 2010
posted by ian1977 at 7:08 AM on January 9, 2010
How were they wrong? I haven't really noticed issues with Google finding addresses, although specifically locating where a given house number is on a road is often done by estimate, which can be very far off.
(To be honest though, a $100 GPS is way better than printing maps, because if you leave the route, it's no big deal.)
posted by smackfu at 7:23 AM on January 9, 2010
(To be honest though, a $100 GPS is way better than printing maps, because if you leave the route, it's no big deal.)
posted by smackfu at 7:23 AM on January 9, 2010
"There's not just one correct route" is a fine answer if all the sites in question show the same destination. I've seen a case where the actual location destination was wrong on Google Maps, and if the destination location is wrong, it doesn't matter what route it shows, you'll still end up in the wrong place.
Ah, I found the old reference to it—in fact, I discovered this example over a year ago and it's still wrong in Google.
997 E. County Line Rd., Greenwood IN, in Google (about 1.5 miles too far west)
997 E. County Line Rd., Greenwood IN, in MapQuest (correct, or at least within 0.1 mile)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:29 AM on January 9, 2010
Ah, I found the old reference to it—in fact, I discovered this example over a year ago and it's still wrong in Google.
997 E. County Line Rd., Greenwood IN, in Google (about 1.5 miles too far west)
997 E. County Line Rd., Greenwood IN, in MapQuest (correct, or at least within 0.1 mile)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:29 AM on January 9, 2010
DevilsAdvocate, the weird thing is that the two sites have different zip codes for that address. And if you search on Bing Maps for that address with 46143 vs. 46142, you actually get both the Google and Mapquest locations.
How am I suppose to figure out who is correct
Google street view and Bing bird's eye view.
posted by smackfu at 7:49 AM on January 9, 2010
How am I suppose to figure out who is correct
Google street view and Bing bird's eye view.
posted by smackfu at 7:49 AM on January 9, 2010
I use Google for most everything BUT its Maps. I call it getting Google mapped. I think Mapquest gives more direct and succinct directions. Google maps is ofter flat wrong on an address (go figure, they photographed everyone!) or gives roundabout directions using formal street names that are not used locally. Where Google might call a road 17A, everyone else including the sign makers call it Rose highway type confusion.
The best direction source I use is the telephone. I call the person or store to which I am heading and ask them the best way to get there. They rarely fail.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:53 AM on January 9, 2010
The best direction source I use is the telephone. I call the person or store to which I am heading and ask them the best way to get there. They rarely fail.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:53 AM on January 9, 2010
The two main map services are NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas. Depending on which service/map the website uses, you can get different directions. I think NAVTEQ is generally regarded as having "better" maps in the US. I know that MapQuest and Yahoo use NAVTEQ, but am not sure about Google. You can also try sites based on OpenStreetMap like CloudMade. I've been surprised with its detail, especially for things like bike trails.
posted by yukonho at 7:56 AM on January 9, 2010
posted by yukonho at 7:56 AM on January 9, 2010
smackfu: the address Google is showing as 997 E. County Line Rd. is actually 997 W. County Line Rd., and is the same location you get if you plug 997 W. County Line Rd. into MapQuest, and the correct zip code there is 46142.
I think the problem comes from the fact that County Line Rd. is the dividing line between Indianapolis and Greenwood, and the two cities use different origins for their east/west street numbering. Addresses on County Line Rd. between Meridian St. and Madison Ave. are E. County Line Rd. for even-numbered addresses on the north side of the street (Indianapolis), and W. County Line Rd. for odd-numbered addresses on the south side of the street (Greenwood). Both maps label that section of the street itself as E. County Line Rd., the Indianapolis designation. Mapquest handles this correctly and knows odd-numbered addresses on E. County Line Rd. are not on that part of the street but are east of Madison Ave. Google does not, and is incorrectly applying the Indianapolis numbering to odd-numbered addresses in Greenwood.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:10 AM on January 9, 2010
I think the problem comes from the fact that County Line Rd. is the dividing line between Indianapolis and Greenwood, and the two cities use different origins for their east/west street numbering. Addresses on County Line Rd. between Meridian St. and Madison Ave. are E. County Line Rd. for even-numbered addresses on the north side of the street (Indianapolis), and W. County Line Rd. for odd-numbered addresses on the south side of the street (Greenwood). Both maps label that section of the street itself as E. County Line Rd., the Indianapolis designation. Mapquest handles this correctly and knows odd-numbered addresses on E. County Line Rd. are not on that part of the street but are east of Madison Ave. Google does not, and is incorrectly applying the Indianapolis numbering to odd-numbered addresses in Greenwood.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:10 AM on January 9, 2010
That's not to say MapQuest is always right either. Take the Holiday Inn Express in Bad Axe, MI, 55 Rapson Lane W. Google and MapQuest both point you at 55 Rapson Rd., which I can tell you from personal experience is an unpaved road some distance north of the town itself, and with nothing but farmland as far as the eye can see. Google even places a Holiday Inn Express on the map at that location! And the Holiday Inn Express website itself displays the incorrect Google Maps location.
Here's the hotel's actual location. None of the roads around it are named "Rapson Lane W." on the map, but there are a few streets there which don't have names shown.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:32 AM on January 9, 2010
Here's the hotel's actual location. None of the roads around it are named "Rapson Lane W." on the map, but there are a few streets there which don't have names shown.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:32 AM on January 9, 2010
Mapquest and Google should both be fine.
Both had trouble with the Big Dig in Boston, with construction changing the routes so often. When they tried to adapt, they often got it wrong, missed a merge or some such.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:27 AM on January 9, 2010
Both had trouble with the Big Dig in Boston, with construction changing the routes so often. When they tried to adapt, they often got it wrong, missed a merge or some such.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:27 AM on January 9, 2010
Map Quest used to get me lost all the time. Google may not always give me the "best" route, but it's always been "correct."
posted by cmoj at 12:03 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by cmoj at 12:03 PM on January 9, 2010
In a word: No. All of the map services have errors of some kind in them and thus are not 100% reliable. If you need to get to new addresses often, get a map and a cheap Tom Tom navigator and learn to use the gps. It has many idiosyncrasies and some nice features for re-routing. But it will guide you to the wrong place occasionally, you can count on that.
posted by Authorized User at 6:25 AM on January 10, 2010
posted by Authorized User at 6:25 AM on January 10, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by netbros at 6:06 AM on January 9, 2010