Route Analysis in MRA Routeplanner

[RichardD]

I would like to be able to make a quick analysis of a route - to break it down by road type or similar.

For example, on a 250 mile route it would be great to know how much of it was motorway, A road, B road etc.

The ViaMichelin offers this facility, and AI suggests a few alternatives where a GPX file can be analysed, but I have not had much success with them.

Example from ViaMichelin:



Any info would be welcome.

 

[Wapping]

As far as I know, the ability to analyse a route by the type of roads, is not available on MyRoute’s Routeplanner app.

If you’d like to have it made available, I’d suggest you join the (very good) MyRoute forum and suggest it there.

 

[Wapping]

If you subscribe to Kurviger Pro, you can - by way of example only - ask the algorithm to take you from A to B ‘direct’ and then from B to C via varying degrees of twisty qualities, then from C to D, directly but avoiding motorways.

OK, you have to create the routes yourself, but it’s maybe sort of what you are looking for.

 

[RichardD]

If you subscribe to Kurviger Pro, you can - by way of example only - ask the algorithm to take you from A to B ‘direct’ and then from B to C via varying degrees of twisty qualities, then from C to D, directly but avoiding motorways.

OK, you have to create the routes yourself, but it’s maybe sort of what you are looking for.

I achieve the similar thing in MRA by creating (in your example) a direct route from A to B, B to C on roads I choose, and C to D direct with avoid motorways set. I then "expand" each route to get frequent waypoints, and finally join them together in a consolidated route.

At that stage, it would be great to know how much motorway is involved - just so I can calibrate the amount of time and effort that's likely to be required. Personally, I find MRA's "route time" to be on the optimistic side - in general.

I've raised a ticket on MRA - just to ask the question.

 

[Wapping]

I achieve the similar thing in MRA by creating (in your example) a direct route from A to B, B to C on roads I choose, and C to D direct with avoid motorways set. I then "expand" each route to get frequent waypoints, and finally join them together in a consolidated route.

When you create the separate A to B to C, take a note of the distance X. Then create C to D, taking a note of the distance Y.

Next to X and Y, add your estimate of the time taken.

X plus Y = Your overall time estimate Z.

There again, if you find that MyRoute too often underestimates the time taken for your to ride A to B to C to D, then simply add 20% to the estimate, or whatever percentage that suits you.

Me? I create my own routes. I simply look at them and go…. “Um, 250 miles on D roads only….. that’ll take me a better part of most of the day, once I’ve stopped for lunch, tea, coffee and other dawdling about.

 

[RichardD]

Yes, simple enough to add the optimism factor to the total route time, and - like you - I reckon 250 on non-major roads is about a day.

It would just be handy to know the overall amount of motorway/major roads in a given days route - if only to "sell" the route to my mates, some of whom are only up for a 300 mile day if there's a bit of fast progress involved.

 

[Mzokk]

I would like to be able to make a quick analysis of a route - to break it down by road type or similar.

For example, on a 250 mile route it would be great to know how much of it was motorway, A road, B road etc.

The ViaMichelin offers this facility, and AI suggests a few alternatives where a GPX file can be analysed, but I have not had much success with them.

Example from ViaMichelin:



Any info would be welcome.

OSMand+ does a bit of what you might be looking for.

It navigates tracks but provides analysis of the roads (or not) used. The top graph is slope and elevation


When you hit details on each element it gives additional information. This is the detail on road type. So in this example about 100 miles of this 300 mile route are on faster roads



I subscribe to it because it works on Android Auto and only Costs £10 but predominantly use MRA for planning and navigation. But I do use OSMand+ for navigation as well as I like the look of the maps and on little back roads it give warnings of crossroads and stop signs when on some boreens right of way isn't exactly clear. Also it has modes for other uses like cycling walking and horse-riding if that's what you are into!. The BIG downside of the app is that because it is so configurable the user interface is way more complicated than MRA. Also the way it handles via points is completely different than MRA or BAsecamp/Garmin which are fairly similar. I like it, but the effort required to use it effectively means it isn't for everyone.

Portrait



Landscape.

 

[Mzokk]

Oh and OSMand+ does not have a mode for make me a scenic route or circular route. You can create routes using the app or the OSMand+ web page or import tracks from other applications. One handy feature that others don't have is you can set the tolerance for routing the track that you are using in case the roads don't exactly line up (i use 50ft) and the distance that you can go off route before it recalculates. I use 400ft as it allows calling into fuel stations or roadside cafes before it wants to recalculate.

 

[DJ123]

I achieve the similar thing in MRA by creating (in your example) a direct route from A to B, B to C on roads I choose, and C to D direct with avoid motorways set. I then "expand" each route to get frequent waypoints, and finally join them together in a consolidated route.

At that stage, it would be great to know how much motorway is involved - just so I can calibrate the amount of time and effort that's likely to be required. Personally, I find MRA's "route time" to be on the optimistic side - in general.

I've raised a ticket on MRA - just to ask the question.

For your motorway sections you could change the colour of the waypoint to flag the start & end of that leg of the journey. So it would be fairly easy to calculate the distance of it.

 

[glenn2926]

Can one just hover over the start of the motorway section then over the end of it. Read the mileage, do the maths and get the distance driven on the motorway. It’s what I do if I need that information on Basecamp.

 

[RichardD]

Yes, I can do all of the above. Additionally, I can use the "Calculator" button in the MRA toolbox. This tells me the time and distance between any two given waypoints.

Being lazy, I was just looking for a built-in analysis tool - similar to the ViaMichelin website.

With the information used to calculate the route distance and time (using average speed by road type), I think it would be straightforward to automatically provide the analysis.

 

[Wapping]

….if only to "sell" the route to my mates, some of whom are only up for a 300 mile day if there's a bit of fast progress involved……..Being lazy, I was just….

As it’s your mates that ask you….. tell them to work it out.

Job done.

 

[RichardD]

Fast response from MRA...

Thank you for contacting MRA Support and for attaching a screenshot.

Unfortunately that is not possible with MRA but thank you for this, we appreciate ideas and suggestions so I will pass this on to the development team

 

[Rasher]

I often put a waypoint at start and end of motorway sections, then just add them up to get an idea of motorway miles, years of trips has given me data, and expereince, so I know UK Motorways 60mph average is often ahrd to achieve, but France it is fairly eays to manage 65+ (setting cruise to genuine 81mph speed limit)

Main roads in Europe is around 50mph if I am not too anal about the 80KPH "limit" on deserted D roads, hard to get much more without going ape shit as you still have towns and villages, N roads can be a bit higher, but baiscally I assume 65 for Motorways and 50 for N/D roads is it is pretty close.

In good dry conditions we typically beat the times given by MRA - I use Google, Here and Tom Tom calculation engines and assume if good weather, no roadworks, diversions or getting lost that we will beat them, but larger groups, bad weather or bad luck can add delays so I leave a bit of wiggle room.

For each hours ride I assume a 15 minute fuel / piss / coffee stop will be required, and add an extra 30 mins for the lunch stop - so a 5 hour ride (250 miles back roads) will include about 2 hours of stops = 7 hour day, Mountains are much slower, in the alps / pyrenees averages come down to 30-35mph riding pass after pass, so I only plan for 150-180 miles, and you tend to stop more.

I also try to plan for things changing, I may split a route into two halves (AM / PM) and then do a second version of each in case of bad weather or delays, so you have 4 possibilities, so if it is pissing down in the morning I may take the easier AM route, or if it starts pissing down at lunch time take the easier PM route. Worst case just pump the Hotel address in to the nav and lat it take you the fastest way there - no point teetering about on wet muddy back roads in pissing rain IMHO.

 

[Wapping]

A pretty good assessment from Rasher.



I have though never been entirely convinced that taking a busy motorway in heavy rain, with God knows how much high speed spray, is necessarily ‘better’ than riding the less busy D roads in the same rain. But we digress.

 

[glenn2926]

I often put a waypoint at start and end of motorway sections, then just add them up to get an idea of motorway miles, years of trips has given me data, and expereince, so I know UK Motorways 60mph average is often ahrd to achieve, but France it is fairly eays to manage 65+ (setting cruise to genuine 81mph speed limit)

Main roads in Europe is around 50mph if I am not too anal about the 80KPH "limit" on deserted D roads, hard to get much more without going ape shit as you still have towns and villages, N roads can be a bit higher, but baiscally I assume 65 for Motorways and 50 for N/D roads is it is pretty close.

In good dry conditions we typically beat the times given by MRA - I use Google, Here and Tom Tom calculation engines and assume if good weather, no roadworks, diversions or getting lost that we will beat them, but larger groups, bad weather or bad luck can add delays so I leave a bit of wiggle room.

For each hours ride I assume a 15 minute fuel / piss / coffee stop will be required, and add an extra 30 mins for the lunch stop - so a 5 hour ride (250 miles back roads) will include about 2 hours of stops = 7 hour day, Mountains are much slower, in the alps / pyrenees averages come down to 30-35mph riding pass after pass, so I only plan for 150-180 miles, and you tend to stop more.

I also try to plan for things changing, I may split a route into two halves (AM / PM) and then do a second version of each in case of bad weather or delays, so you have 4 possibilities, so if it is pissing down in the morning I may take the easier AM route, or if it starts pissing down at lunch time take the easier PM route. Worst case just pump the Hotel address in to the nav and lat it take you the fastest way there - no point teetering about on wet muddy back roads in pissing rain IMHO.

Very similar to how I plan and calculate routes mostly. We do tend on the first day to have a longish first stint until breakfast. I use Basecamp but very similar working out.