Nav Sirius Traffic - Optimal Route N/A

[harder99]

With my 130 mile RT daily commute through Philly, I wanted to find the best traffic-enabled GPS unit. Before I had my 2011 SHO, I used a Garmin Nuvi 1690 which has a subscription based service. It was not always accurate, however, it would at least attempt to find the optimal route based on traffic.

As I wanted something better, I opted for Nav when I ordered my SHO. The Nav will show traffic conditions (hard to read sometimes), however, the optimal (fastest) route is not based on this. It will identify traffic incidents and provide the option to take a detour once the route is selected, but why is the traffic not incorporated into the route selection?

 

[LittleMichael]

I'm in a similar situation, but I don't have that long of a trip. I commute out of Philly into South Jersey everyday. I have around 4-5 routes that I can take, and on any given day, 2-3 of them will have traffic on the way home. I usually use KYW to check before I leave. I winded up dropping the Sirius b/c the traffic route guidance never seemed to pick the best route.

If you don't mind me asking, where do you commute to/from? I love talking Philadelphia/South Jersey/Delware routes lol

 

[harder99]

I'm in a similar situation, but I don't have that long of a trip. I commute out of Philly into South Jersey everyday. I have around 4-5 routes that I can take, and on any given day, 2-3 of them will have traffic on the way home. I usually use KYW to check before I leave. I winded up dropping the Sirius b/c the traffic route guidance never seemed to pick the best route.

If you don't mind me asking, where do you commute to/from? I love talking Philadelphia/South Jersey/Delware routes lol

I found KYW the best method of dealing with traffic also. Not perfect, but only let me down a few times. I commute from NW Newark, DE to Trevose, PA. Alternate routes include the Blue Rt & through West Chester. Don't understand why Monday's are typically light.

 

[LittleMichael]

Wow, that is quite a commute you have there! Trevose is really at a unique area too and doesn't give you many options. I sometimes have to drive up to Trevose for work, but since I live in Philly, it is not too bad.

I'm guessing the ride home is a lot worse than the ride to work? It is for me, anyways. If you are going down 95, you probably get hit with any Sports traffic just like I do. That is always a pain! The KYW website is great - have you looked at their traffic map? I always check that before I leave work.

I've also noticed that Monday's are always light. I think there are a few reasons for this. One of the major ones I can think of is that many people do not have their face-to-face business meetings on Monday. I don't know why this is, but I have meetings all the time and they are never on Monday! This means that everyone is staying at their local offices rather than driving into Philly for business, which opens the roads up quite a bit. We also take our son to the Center City Jefferson doctors, and my wife always does it on Monday since the parking lots are never full.

Going home, have you ever tried hopping over to Jersey and taking the turnpike home? I think that would be faster on sporting event days for sure.

 

[harder99]

Going in is typically never a problem. Going home, especially with the sports, is a nightmare. Sometimes takes me an hour just to get to Philly. I tried the turnpike. 80+ miles that way plus multiple tolls. It is an option, but only as a last resort.

 

[PokerMunkee]

Just move! Life is too short to be driving 1+ hr a day for work!

 

[LittleMichael]

man that really sucks! It is a true nightmare commute.

The only other option I can think of is 295, but the 676/42 interchange is a nightmare. Once you are below that, however, it is smooth sailing. That would be much easier compared to its 95 couterpart. The tolls will still get you, but at least you drop the Philly bridge one.

Even with that route, it still sucks! Ever thought about moving to Philly? Property taxes are cheap as all get out. I have a 2,800sq ft 3 story row home and I pay $500 per year (not month - year). The wage tax + state income tax come out to about 6.5%, which is not too bad. To me it was much cheaper than New Jersey, which is why I moved.

Delaware prices are hard to beat though!

Sorry if I took this off topic!