maps.google.com WTF

[topaz]

I am finding this unaccountably funny.

Google's route from "Arlington, MA" to 2 Forbes Road, Woburn MA.

Now, Google's route from "Lake Street, Arlington MA" to the same location.

(Lake Street is about half a mile east from Arlington center.)

Comments

[cruiser.livejournal.com]

Makes sense to me. Do you think it would take more than a minute to drive half a mile west from Arlington center?

[points.livejournal.com]

Actually, if you look at the 'expected travel time,' you'll get a rough idea of why it chose that route. Sometimes, I wish you could change the weighting GoogleMaps uses to determine optimal path, so it wouldn't always try and optimize on time.

How many traffic lights?

[happyfunpaul.livejournal.com]

...Especially since GoogleMaps is not-so-hot at estimating time-of-travel in the Boston area. For example, GM has no concept of "number of traffic lights you're likely to get stopped at, possibly for multiple cycles," which is often the greatest determinant of travel time around Boston.

For instance, I live in Brighton near the Charles River, such that the river roads (Nonantum, Soldiers Field, Storrow, etc.) are often the quickest way to and from places because of their paucity of traffic lights. GoogleMaps, however, doesn't like the river roads because they're twisty and so appear to be longer than straight-ish local roads like Galen St./Centre St./Tremont St. (coming from Watertown) or Arlington St./Market St./Western Ave (going east). GoogleMaps doesn't consider the river roads to be actual highways either-- 'cause they're not-- but it still ought to consider award them a higher average-speed adjustment than it does.

In fairness, estimating time-of-travel, or even figuring out which of two routes takes less time, is an exceedingly difficult task around here. I've found that "the best route" often varies depending on time of day. In Tim's Lake St. example, I'd go Rt. 16 to I-93 (as, indeed, GoogleMaps chooses for the return route) most of the time, but at heavy rush hours, Rt. 16 backs up heavily in Medford and I-93 might have worse-than-usual traffic, so I'd probably seek a different route on local roads.

[yesthattom.livejournal.com]

Noted.