New arrival time announcement

[grwebster]

Today on my while using my GO 630, I go into very slow traffic on the QEW comming out of Toronto. After about five minutes of delay, it announced the new arrival time followed by the comment that I was still on the fastest route. My question is does the TOMTOM try to determine another route if you get in slow traffic? I have no traffic service here.

 

[dhn]

There is a setting under the planning preferences, second page, about what to do in a slow traffic situation. If you have no traffic service (antenna or plus services), it may have determined that the IQ routing time data where you were on the QE was faster than reality at that time and advised you of the situation.

 

[Arno]

That second page says:

If we discover a significantly faster route while
you are driving (due to changing traffic conditions):

and the option

( . ) ask me if I want that route

is enabled, if there is no movement the announcement comes on about every five minutes:

No faster route available. New arrival time hh:mm.

It startled me the first time I had device on my desk, powered up, not connected though HOME and the announcement came on. I wondered what was going on. When it came on a second time I had a look and found that a previously planned route was still there, not having been cleared.

I have also experienced that standing on the QEW WB where the 403 joins and when there was an accident just before Trafalgar Rd. Luckily that happened after the experience at the desk.

 

[grwebster]

I am thinking that it saying that even with the delay that the route is still the fastest assuming that you get back up to speed immediately. There is no way it can figure out how bad the slow-down will be without having a traffic update.

 

[Arno]

I think that after five minutes of no movement the software is recalculating the planned route.
Since it does not get Traffic information it then pronounces the new arrival time and points out that there is no shorter (time wise) route available.

If your 630 comes with EPT, just plan a route along the Gardiner but drive underneath the raised section on the Lakeshore and see the unit going crazy while sitting a red lights. (York/Bay down ramps ad go to Spadina.)

 

[dhn]

The 630 doesn't have EPT, Arno. The 930 does.

 

[grwebster]

How do these units work in downtown TO with the tall buildings? I found that my LG unit jumped around quite a bit, but was still somewhat usable.

 

[dhn]

A few weeks ago while driving on Bloor from the DVP to west of University, my unit lost the signal a few times around Yonge and again near Bay.

However, the unit was not mounted near the windshield but was being held by a passenger.

 

[Arno]

Couple of weeks ago I went to Richmond and Simcoe taking the DVP exit.
I did not notice anything on the map but it could have switched to EPT momentarily between cross roads.

 

[grwebster]

Nice to know it is pretty stable.

 

[mvl]

I took my 720 and 930 to Manhattan quite a bit. The 720 (similar hardware to 630) starts jumping around once buildings get about 20 stories high. The 930 has EPT, and it cuts into EPT mode and doesn't jump around.

 

[GarCor]

An interesting thing that I have found while traveling a long route ( say 12-13 hrs) the arrival time varies a bit but not all that much and I usualy travel within 5-10 kl over the speed limit and stopping for fuel and pee brakes only I usually arrive within 5min of the original poster time.

I have learned that these people that exceed the speed limit by 15-20 KL are gaining nothing except risking a speeding ticket or worse a serious accident Even though in there own mind they think they are gaining all kinds of time