Avoiding Toll roads

[drinkingparrot]

I've been using a Tom Tom rider pro for the last 3 years, and have just received my BMW nav 4. I previously had a Quest, and so have used Garmin before. It took quite some time to get used to the Tom Tom after the Quest which I used to think was easier to navigate around than the Tom Tom. I have been reading through the manual and playing around with the Nav4 for a few days now and it's just struck me or maybe I haven't worked it out yet when setting up a route it doesn't give you a choice to avoid toll roads if it chooses toll roads as the preferred or quickest route, as the Tom Tom unit does, which I found saves you a packet especially travelling through France and Spain, And so am I right in assuming that to avoid Tolls in future I will have to pre plan all routes on mapsource or the likes before venturing forth, which if that's the case isn't very flexible if you decide halfway through a holiday in Europe you want to change your plans you cant with any surety avoid those dreaded Tolls. Or as I say. am I missing something ?.

 

[BBB61]

You should be able to go to the avoidances menu and click on toll roads on the Nav 4.

 

[drinkingparrot]

You should be able to go to the avoidances menu and click on toll roads on the Nav 4.

Thanks I've got it, I couldn't find it, and was suprised that it could not be an option. I haven't used it in anger yet, looking forward to getting some miles in with it.

 

[Wapping]

You do of course have to be careful if you leave the device set to 'Avoid toll roads' permanently.

As others have found, it will then refuse to route you across many of the larger mountain passes that levy a toll to cross them. Several punters report hours of frustration because they have made that mistake. The same thing also might happen if you set the device to avoid seasonal closures. In short, the device does not know the seasons, so may well default to missing out all and any roads that might be closed, irrespective of whether it is deep winter or high summer. Again, frustrating.

Similarly, punters forget that they amended thir default position to be avoiding tolls. They then get incredibly frustrated when the device keeps avoiding the short length of motorway they want to take, instead sending them on a twenty mile excursion. Simarly, they howl with annoyance when the dumb device keeps ordering them off some motorways at every junction. Take care.

It's probably best to uncheck the options, simply ticking them as and when you specifically want to avoid toll roads, goat tracks, U-turns or whatever. That way you'll not encounter the same problem as others.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

You do of course have to be careful if you leave the device set to 'Avoid toll roads' permanently.

As others have found, it will then refuse to route you across many of the larger mountain passes that levy a toll to cross them. Several punters report hours of frustration because they have made that mistake. The same thing also might happen if you set the device to avoid seasonal closures. In short, the device does not know the seasons, so may well default to missing out all and any roads that might be closed, irrespective of whether it is deep winter or high summer. Again, frustrating.

Similarly, punters forget that they amended thir default position to be avoiding tolls. They then get incredibly frustrated when the device keeps avoiding the short length of motorway they want to take, instead sending them on a twenty mile excursion. Simarly, they howl with annoyance when the dumb device keeps ordering them off some motorways at every junction. Take care.

It's probably best to uncheck the options, simply ticking them as and when you specifically want to avoid toll roads, goat tracks, U-turns or whatever. That way you'll not encounter the same problem as others.

If they supplemented with a map then they wouldn't have this problem

 

[Wapping]

If they supplemented with a map then they wouldn't have this problem

They still encounter it, even with a map. Howling at the moon and raging at the sun, when their dumb GPS refuses to route them over the tolled Grossglockner pass. A pass they can plainly see on their map (should they have one) or have heard about as a 'Must do' road and I guess can see displayed on their GPS screen but is (apparently) unknown to the dumb device.... Because they have selected 'Avoid toll roads' which the (clever) dumb device duly does, as instructed to.

It is clear from lots of posts in the Travel section that many bods simply fire up their GPS, asking it to take them from A to B. They like it, as that way they discover 'all sorts of little roads' whist avoiding boring motorways which the foreign blighters have the cheek to charge Englishmen to use, whilst still getting them to where they want to go........ and above all it requires no thought. It's when it fails to perform these tasks in the simplest manner possible that the fun and games really start.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

They still encounter it, even with a map. Howling at the moon and raging at the sun, when their dumb GPS refuses to route them over the tolled Grossglockner pass. A pass they can plainly see on their map (should they have one) or have heard about as a 'Must do' road and I guess can see displayed on their GPS screen but is (apparently) unknown to the dumb device.... Because they have selected 'Avoid toll roads' which the (clever) dumb device duly does, as instructed to.

It is clear from lots of posts in the Travel section that many bods simply fire up their GPS, asking it to take them from A to B. They like it, as that way they discover 'all sorts of little roads' whist avoiding boring motorways which the foreign blighters have the cheek to charge Englishmen to use, whilst still getting them to where they want to go........ and above all it requires no thought.

Motorcycle touring for the 'dumbed down' then

 

[Wapping]

Don't get me wrong.

GPS devices are bloody good.... until they go wrong.... either on their own or with outside 'help'.

My Nav4 developed a case of demonic possession in the French Alps, rendering it useless until I could do a hard re-set at home. Outside of that it has performed 100% well... But I still take a map or more, ppaer and pencil and plot where I (not it) want to go

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

My Nav4 developed a case of demonic possession in the French Alps, rendering it useless until I could do a hard re-set at home.

Outside of that it has performed 100% well... But I still take a map or more, paper and pencil and plot where I (not it) want to go

Fortune favours the brave...

A lot of people would have been reduced to jibbering wrecks, paralysed by the fear that their precious SatNag have thrown a terminal wobbly abroad and rendering their holiday null & void - unable to proceed without convenient 3D graphics of the venerable road ahead

I've seen it, you've seen it and we've certainly read about it here

 

[The Grey One]

A Garmin (or if you must, a TomTom) is a navigational aid. It does not, and cannot, do the same job as a map, just as a map cannot do what a SatNav does. Both need a bit of input from the user. If you can't read a map then it is just patterns on a sheet of paper. If you don't know how to use a SatNav its just an expensive and frustrating waste of space.

Mostly,here at our place ,we use SatNav routes not simply to get from A to B but to put our guests on some interesting roads/avoid hold ups/take in views and other sights. A lot of our routes don't go directly to anywhere in particular they just use the best biking roads in that area. Even those with a destination, say a route to Bled, will often take a round-about route.

All this could be done using maps alone but would be much harder both for us to give the directions and for the riders to follow. We do have printed versions of our routes but often we have had to simplify the route to keep the instructions manageable.

We find that the majority of users have never read a manual or looked to see what the device can do. Before loading routes we always check preferences. For instance on a 660 the "avoid seasonal closures" options is,by default, ticked. Something like half of the users don't even know the option exists so if we loaded routes without checking the device would refuse to take them on most of the high roads around here.

For around here, and I would expect the same would apply anywhere in the mountains, the best settings are "Faster Time" -("shortest route" will take you straight through the middle of most towns and on the open road take you on some interesting roads and in so doing introduce you to some startled farmers!) Preferences are best set to avoid "Motorway" and "unpaved road" but not "Toll Roads" Toll roads are often just those roads you have come to the mountains to ride and if you are staying with us most are free anyway.

Once you know how to do it changing preferences is a matter of a few seconds so un-ticking the "Avoid Motorways" option for the journey home is no problem at all. It really does pay to invest a little time in finding out how the device works.

John

 

[aspiring]

also if you"re heading to dover or the channel tunnel from up north it will try to avoid the dartford crossing by sending you through london instead of arounnd the m25,same on your way back,it will try to send you up back roads from dover to avoid the dartford crossing

 

[drinkingparrot]

Feck it, I'll stick to the bus

 

[Wapping]

Feck it, I'll stick to the bus

Along with the window lickers.

Enjoy.

 

[Wapping]

also if you"re heading to dover or the channel tunnel from up north it will try to avoid the dartford crossing by sending you through london instead of arounnd the m25,same on your way back,it will try to send you up back roads from dover to avoid the dartford crossing

....and if you have a device set to avoid motorways too, you'll even miss the M25 and the M20 / M2. Enjoy your scenic 'little road' travels.

 

[B4ndit]

Use Tyre. Then you can choose exactly where you want to go.

 

[Deleted account Cooperman]

It takes no time to preview the route before you set off, just to make sure it has not 'shook a seven'

 

[The Grey One]

Use Tyre. Then you can choose exactly where you want to go.

So you can, on your computer screen. The device still decides which route it will actually send you so you still need to get your routing preferences right otherwise it may not match the route you have planned.

John