Unneccessary instructions XXL530

[Tbrock1]

I'm traveling down a straight highway and every .25 mile for 4 or 5 miles TomTom is telling me 'in .25 miles keep to the right and keep to the right' It also happened in Fort Lauderdale FL going straight down Sunrise Blvd. Apparently a joke from one of the programmers? Anybody else notice this?

 

[Andy_P]

Are there exits off to the left? You don't say....

 

[canderson]

I'm traveling down a straight highway and every .25 mile for 4 or 5 miles TomTom is telling me 'in .25 miles keep to the right and keep to the right' It also happened in Fort Lauderdale FL going straight down Sunrise Blvd. Apparently a joke from one of the programmers? Anybody else notice this?

I decided it wasn't funny a long time ago. What's happening is that you are passing a lot of "exit only" lanes on the freeway. Your TomTom is attempting to get you to avoid disappearing onto one. It's a right PITA. There appears to be a checkbox on many models that should shut this nonsense off, but it doesn't work. Hasn't worked since my first TomTom with Navcore 7, and it doesn't work with my latest TomTom with Navcore 9.

I could go into a whole host of reasons as to why this feature is a bad idea as programmed, but my least favorite two are the fact that these instructions occupy PAGES of the text description of the route, and worse, that often it's telling you to "keep left" when the exit you need (to the right, of course) follows soon. Besides, the nag gets old, doesn't it? See thread on this topic here:

https://www.tomtomforums.com/general-tomtom-discussion/19604-distance-next-exit-only-lane.html

 

[Tbrock1]

On the first one we were on a 4 lane divided state highway with no exits.
I Ft Lauderdale we were on a city street with only cross streets.
Every time it says 'keep right' the direction arrow shows a jog in the road but there is none.
I had an old TomTom 300 and it never did that.

 

[Rick F.]

I live in Florida and I see this too on a number of streets. On SR-7 or 441 there are some turn lanes for left-hand turns. Almost everyone TT says "keep right". On my older TT (3rd edition) I don't remember it doing this.

Yes, frustrating.

 

[canderson]

On the first one we were on a 4 lane divided state highway with no exits.

Now that's peculiar. I assume there were exits somewhere, though. Can you identify where you actually were when this happened? Would like to look at the map in the area in question to see if any sense can be made of the instructions you were getting vs. what the map data shows - to see if the problem is the map or something else.

 

[canderson]

... and not that I think it will help, but perhaps SOMEONE will get this to work on some unit, some day...

Change preferences
Voice preferences
Speech preferences
Click the "Disable 'keep to highway lane' instructions" box so it's checked

That SHOULD shut this silliness off, and since I've not had every possible version of firmware in hand on a TT unit, keep hoping it will actually change the behavior of a TT for someone.

 

[Tbrock1]

I checked it the last time I was in Fort Lauderdale.I was on Sunrise Blvd between Andrews Ave & A1A. It said to keep right at several intersections that had left turn lanes.

 

[Rick F.]

I sure can't figure out the rhyme nor reason why TomTom gives these instructions. Along US-441 or SR-7 in S. FL there are numerous places to make a left turn. This is on a 6 lane highway (3 lanes going N, 3 lanes going S.) Sometimes TT tells me to "Keep right" or "Stay in the right lane". Other times when the map shows the exact same type of turn, TT is silent (thank you TomTom for keeping quiet ).

Below are a few screen captures I took while traveling on SR-7.

This one above shows a left turn lane, but TT doesn't say anything... which is a good thing. You can tell there's not going to be an instruction because there' no blue arrow there.

Here's one where TT is saying, "Stay in the right lane". Don't know why TT chose this one and not the previous one because they're identical.

Here's another one coming up in less than 1/4 mile where Susan is going to tell me to 'keep right'. You can tell because there's a blue arrow ahead about .2 miles.

 

[dhn]

Your first screenshot shows no left turn possible from a left lane, Rick. The subsequent two shots do.

 

[Rick F.]

Well, I happened to take that screen shot at a turn lane where it's just for a U-turn. There are others (one of which I should have captured instead of this one I guess ). There are others where there are streets to turn left onto and TT doesn't warn to keep right.

The question remains, why isn't TomTom consistent with their 'keep-right' etc? Or... ignore the turn lane altogether. To get in these lanes you actually have to veer a bit to the left like most left-hand-turn lanes.

 

[dhn]

Rick, using 'Tomtom' and consistent' in one sentence is an oxymoron, isn't it?

 

[Rick F.]

You're right! What was I thinking?

 

[Tbrock1]

The aggrivating part of this is you are busy listening to 'keep right' and then pops up 'take the next left' and you are in the right lane of a 6 lane street. If not for the annoying 'keep rights' every block or 2 you would have had a mile or more to get in the left lane. Thats my complaint I want to be able to see my next 'real' turn!

 

[dhn]

But your unit will always show the direction of your next turn, regardless of how many miles up the road it is.

Though few obey the rule, aren't you always supposed to stay in the rightmost through lane of a highway?

 

[canderson]

But your unit will always show the direction of your next turn, regardless of how many miles up the road it is.

I've seen you say that before, and still don't agree. What my TomToms (720 and 740) show at the bottom is the next maneuver, and if that maneuver is to AVOID making a turn, it's going to show that. For example, as I approach a right-hand exit-only lane, it shows the jiggle line to the left to avoid the exit. It does NOT show an eventual exit to the right (or left, for that matter) 2 miles (or 200 feet) down the road.

So I get hammered three different ways with this issue when it comes to RH exit-only lanes:

1) Constant nags from audio
2) Next maneuver indication at bottom may be only an avoidance maneuver
3) Text summary of route contains each and every avoidance maneuver, which I must page through to find the next real turn.

 

[Tbrock1]

Mine agrees with canderson. It shows a 'jog' and not the eventual turn.

 

[Tbrock1]

I tried contacting 'support' with the 'keep right' problem. After following their 1 set of instructions and some very large dowloads I was left with a TomTom stuck in the start screen that would not shut off. I called support and after some more very large downloads I got a TomTom that rebooted sporadically and started issuing directions for an old route and showing no satellite connections. After another call my TomTom has worked for 2 days with no problem. Other than the bogus 'keep right' warnings and no keep left warning when I was in a right lane that exited.