Anybody had any experience of using RDS-TMC in the UK?

[+Crid]

OK, technically this isn't really a geocaching question but a car GPS question.

 

I've currently only got handheld GPS units, although I do use them in the car with City Navigator maps. But I'm contemplating buying a car GPS, and while looking into the matter I discovered RDS-TMC. As I understand it, it uses data broadcast over RDS on existing radio stations to identify snarl-ups. Having recently had a journey from hell back from the west country (traffic jams on the M3, M25 and then part of the M20 being completely shut), the idea of the GPS automatically routing around these kinds of things has a certain appeal.

 

Can anybody comment on how good or useful the feature is in practice? How extensive is the data? Is it of benefit or do you just get routed off a motorway onto an A-road that's also crawling along?

[+rutson]

As it's not a Geocaching question, I would suggest posting over here. Plenty of knowledgeable folk there

[+Jaz666]

It's a bit hit and miss. I've heard reports of it frequently directing drivers off a motorway to avoid a jam that has long since cleared.

 

If money isn't so much of an issue, have a look at the new Tom Tom x40 units that are due out in the next month or so. They feature quite a few new traffic avoidance innovations.

[+Brenin Tegeingl]

As it's not a Geocaching question, I would suggest posting over here. Plenty of knowledgeable folk there

 

Funnily enough neither is the All New All New Groundspeak UK Pub Quiz

 

which strictly speaking belongs in Off Topic Fourm

 

As some cachers use a seperate GPS Navigation device to get to the general caching area, it is a Geocaching related question.

[+rutson]

As it's not a Geocaching question, I would suggest posting over here. Plenty of knowledgeable folk there

 

Funnily enough neither is the All New All New Groundspeak UK Pub Quiz

 

which strictly speaking belongs in Off Topic Fourm

 

As some cachers use a seperate GPS Navigation device to get to the general caching area, it is a Geocaching related question.

 

*shrugs* Just thought a technical GPS device forum may illicit more useful responses.

[+Pieman]

I have been in search of a workable way to find out traffic info in a timely way for a long time. I had Trafficmaster, which can really wind you up when you are in a 3 hour traffic jam and it keeps telling you "traffic flowing freely". In pratice, it reported snarl-ups correctly about 60% of the time which wasn't accurate enough for me ever to believe it. My Tom Tom has a subscription service which is completely useless- it always claims my route home from work has a 90 minute delay (normally 0-5 minutes).

 

The other day while I was sitting in a jam listening to the radio I was trying to remember if I had ever heard a traffic report on the radio that was of use in helping me avoid a jam as my hold-up on the M56 was unreported. I could remember one in 30 years of driving.

 

Then, a traffic report came on the radio reporting the hold-up due to a crash. At that very instant the traffic started to move again as the crash had been cleared. Unfortunately, I don't think that the flow of traffic information is quick enough and unless the information is correct for the large majority of the time, you will get fed-up with the system diverting away from main roads for phantom hold-ups (and missing the real ones).

Edited September 18, 2008 by Pieman

[+purple_pineapple]

I have been in search of a workable way to find out traffic info in a timely way for a long time. I had Trafficmaster, which can really wind you up when you are in a 3 hour traffic jam and it keeps telling you "traffic flowing freely". In pratice, it reported snarl-ups correctly about 60% of the time which wasn't accurate enough for me ever to believe it. My Tom Tom has a subscription service which is completely useless- it always claims my route home from work has a 90 minute delay (normally 0-5 minutes).

 

The other day while I was sitting in a jam listening to the radio I was trying to remember if I had ever heard a traffic report on the radio that was of use in helping me avoid a jam as my hold-up on the M56 was unreported. I could remember one in 30 years of driving.

 

Then, a traffic report came on the radio reporting the hold-up due to a crash. At that very instant the traffic started to move again as the crash had been cleared. Unfortunately, I don't think that the flow of traffic information is quick enough and unless the information is correct for the large majority of the time, you will get fed-up with the system diverting away from main roads for phantom hold-ups (and missing the real ones).

 

sounds about right! i think the only sure fire traffic-avoidance system is to arrange for someone else to be travelling about 30 minutes ahead of you. They can then txt you to let you know where any queues are, you avoid them, and then go caching further up the road while they catch up!

[+rutson]

Now I'm back from work with a little more time to look:

 

A whole forum dedicated to the discussion of TMC

 

A quick glance through a few topics is not very positive!

 

[edit coz I foobarred the link :$]

Edited September 18, 2008 by rutson

[+The Wombles]

I have TMC on my in-car Satnav. I regularly travel from Wiltshire to Watford and the TMC often reports delays on the M25 but they are seldom real. However, sometimes it tells me about jams in usual places and when confirmed by radio then I consider going round.

 

I used to have a Trafficmaster map display and it was rarely worth diverting although it did reassure that the jam was not too serious. However, I didn't get sufficient additional useful information to warrant the cost when TMC is free.

 

Whilst the idea of dynamic alternative routing is attractive, in practice the jams are rarely serious enough to make this worthwhile and the information is frequently flawed. I'd not pay for either system in the future.

[+slimey]

If money isn't so much of an issue, have a look at the new Tom Tom x40 units that are due out in the next month or so. They feature quite a few new traffic avoidance innovations.

 

I believe they work by receiving details of average speeds of vehicles which have recently driven along the road you're on - and if the average drops too much then it can report it as a delay on that road.

 

Of course, it depends on enough tomtom users using the road you're on, but otherwise it's a great idea.

 

(Oh, and I wish my tomtom would learn my average speeds for the roads I drive every day, to be able to give more realistic arrival time estimates...)

 

Simon