Did I do something wrong? (to live, moving, vehicles)

[Phisch]

Ok, I had to chime in.

I was driving north on MOPAC and moved to the fast lane before I get to the on/off ramps for 360 because there's a lot of off/on going on over there and I'd rather not be around it. I'm driving 5 mi. faster than the speed limit and there are a few car-lengths between me and the car in front of me.

After I pass 360, I move over to the middle lane. In my rear-view mirror, I notice there's a car on my behind that did it just at about the same time. I'm in a truck and little cars are on their own back there because they're hard to see (I did my mirror-mirror-look before switching lanes).

Eventually, I move to the fast lane again. The dude behind me speeds up, cuts me off and then drives 5 miles below the speed limit all the way to the point where we reach Anderson Rd. exit where he zooms across all freeway lanes to get off while shaking his fist at me.

No, I didn't try to get out from behind him, I had all the time in the world and at that point it was amusing to watch others behind me try to figure out what the guy was thinking. Traffic was pretty heavy so the several car lengths in front of him were pretty noticeable. I had to admire his tenacity and dedication to trying to annoy me.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Phisch

After I pass 360, I move over to the middle lane. In my rear-view mirror, I notice there's a car on my behind that did it just at about the same time. I'm in a truck and little cars are on their own back there because they're hard to see (I did my mirror-mirror-look before switching lanes).

I drive a truck, and I just have to put in here, little cars that are following too closely to be seen are on their own back there. If they're following a safe distance, I can see them in my rear view mirror, but I have had some that pull up so close behind me that I can't see the front of the car in my rear view mirror over the tailgate.

There's a reason those semis have signs pointing out that they can't see y you if you're too close. Same applies with smaller trucks, and vans - if you're driving recklessly by tailgating, they just might not see you.

[Cowboy74]

My wife and I have been discussing this in length for the past 6 months, and while she is much more level headed than I, I am trying to count to 10 more and let it pass. There is something about Austin where people are not paying attention, make last minute decisions, or combination of the two, and on top of that don't seem to use their blinkers. Again, my wife is more of the patient, "that person is an a-hole", and goes on with her day. Somewhere in this string I saw that someone noticed how people hide behind their car. My wife has had to stop me from following someone to their house or parking spot....I am trying to realize I am not the police, but here is my two cents and my rationalization for being more forgiving (God give me strength). I believe the Austinites are frustrated with the traffic increases and the humble drives they were use to. I am an originally from the Panhandle and visit several parts of TX and OK and know the kind people of old, but changing an environment the way today has change environments can have an effect. Secondly, Californians, Detroit dwellers, D.C. transplants (like myself), and many others are used to a traffic pattern and life on the road much different. This and the fact that nobody seems to know how to get around town, and because of this they/we make quick rash decisions, like cutting across 2 lanes of traffic to catch Airport Road off 35 during Rush Hour. This is odd to me as there is a U-turn at 75% of the intersections to accommodate this problem. It isn't ok, but most situations I am trying to tell myself is it really that big of a deal. Trust me, I will still get out of my car and I am willing to bare knuckles in the right situation, but in most situations I am trying to tell myself that person that just cut me off will either have karma come back and haunt them, or they will reflect and change the way they do things. Either way, I would rather focus on several other frustrations that I can control and fix besides the f#*ing yahoo that didn't realize her cell phone affected her judgement and you were just trying to take a left turn, and she didn't have a turn signal on. Keep the faith everyone, wave and say hello a little more, wave more to let people know you know you messed up, wave to say thanks for letting you in when nobody else would. The world needs to change, it seems to be a little angry and frustrated, and I am no different but I am workin on it....Peace...

[S6Sputnik]

Originally Posted by Cowboy74

Keep the faith everyone, wave and say hello a little more, wave more to let people know you know you messed up, wave to say thanks for letting you in when nobody else would. The world needs to change, it seems to be a little angry and frustrated, and I am no different but I am workin on it....Peace...

I agree, but an hour ago I sat and talk to a guy who lost his leg years ago because someone did not know how to drive a car or was not paying attention and ran into him!

At what point does one stand up to an idiot that is making POOR driving decissions that could potentially put you or your family in harms way and make them LEARN what they should already know! .

Thank goodness it is not worth my time to follow these fools home! or I'd be tempted to pound some $0.01 into them

[Franklyn]

Lets face it. The roadway system in and around Austin is pretty confusing. Even to locals. Lots of construction going on. New connectors opening up to the dreaded toll roads. Visitors all the time. Commute time overloads. And the configuration of I-35 is a little "unusual" to out-of-staters just driving through. Heavy truck traffic most of the time. Sudden lane closures. And let me mention another wrinkle some of you might have missed.

GPS systems. They can't keep up with all the changes. It takes them time to update.

On our recent visit there we had over a dozen episodes of trying to rely on the directions given by the GPS unit in our rental car, only to find out "Exit 51A", for instance, no longer existed where the voice-of-the-map said it did. Instead we had already passed it. ??? . And the toll roads? You're driving along an access road trying to find a gas station and the road suddenly costs money? What's that about?

Result? Unneeded braking, then accelleration, than rubber necking to find the next access road exit. Etc., etc. This happened time and again, and eventually forced us to stay more on surface roads just to give freeway users a break.

From what I saw the average Austin freeway driver is pretty much on par with similar motorists in other states. Some good, some bad, some ugly. So the only thing that surprises me a little with this thread is that it seems to disprove the hypothesis that "an armed society is a polite society". But I could be wrong.

[caseri]

GPS systems. They can't keep up with all the changes. It takes them time to update.

On our recent visit there we had over a dozen episodes of trying to rely on the directions given by the GPS unit in our rental car, only to find out "Exit 51A", for instance, no longer existed where the voice-of-the-map said it did. Instead we had already passed it. ???

I have a TomTom, and it's accurate I'd say 95% of the time. Not sure about other brands, but when I use the GPS it always asks me if I want to avoid the toll roads. It has a problem with the 183A, it does not think it's a toll road for some reason. A lot of restaurants/shops/etc aren't here yet, but even if you look at Google, their not updated yet either. I have the most problems in Northwest Austin. Leander, Cedar Park, Round Rock and so on.

It's around $80 just to update the maps on TomTom, I'll wait a year before we do that just to make sure we get our money's worth

[S6Sputnik]

Originally Posted by Phisch

Ok, I had to chime in.

I was driving north on MOPAC and moved to the fast lane before I get to the on/off ramps for 360 because there's a lot of off/on going on over there and I'd rather not be around it. I'm driving 5 mi. faster than the speed limit and there are a few car-lengths between me and the car in front of me.

After I pass 360, I move over to the middle lane. In my rear-view mirror, I notice there's a car on my behind that did it just at about the same time. I'm in a truck and little cars are on their own back there because they're hard to see (I did my mirror-mirror-look before switching lanes).

Eventually, I move to the fast lane again. The dude behind me speeds up, cuts me off and then drives 5 miles below the speed limit all the way to the point where we reach Anderson Rd. exit where he zooms across all freeway lanes to get off while shaking his fist at me.

No, I didn't try to get out from behind him, I had all the time in the world and at that point it was amusing to watch others behind me try to figure out what the guy was thinking. Traffic was pretty heavy so the several car lengths in front of him were pretty noticeable. I had to admire his tenacity and dedication to trying to annoy me.

What is up with folks getting off at Anderson LN?

[DCguy03]

Originally Posted by caseri

A lot of restaurants/shops/etc aren't here yet, but even if you look at Google, their not updated yet either...

It's around $80 just to update the maps on TomTom, I'll wait a year before we do that just to make sure we get our money's worth

Caseri I was in the same boat as you a few months ago! Used to have the same problems, since new restaurants/hotels/addresses open up all the time. The TomTom maps are accurate, but even if your map is just 30 days old it is missing the new businesses, address changes, etc. from that past month. I mean, in any metro area think of how many new businesses open up each month!

So I've been using Map Share on my TomTom, and it has helped fill those gaps between map updates. It works like this:

• Driving along, I see a new Tex Mex restaurant that just opened up. It's new, so it is not built into the map.

• I "flag" it directly on the GPS
• Later (not while driving, haha) that evening I pop the GPS into the dock by my comp, and it syncs my data.
• The modifications I make show up right away on my device only. Then, if I want to, I can set it to get daily updates that other users have made.
• And if you choose to get Map Share data from "the community," it doesn't just blatantly send you every single map change. If it did that, people's inaccurate changes would go through. So instead, it will send community updates only for changes that multiple people have "flagged."
• You can learn more/join up here: TomTom, portable GPS car navigation systems - mapshare

btw, if you are thinking about buying new map updates from TomTom, their maps are 30% off right now @ their site. TomTom, portable GPS car navigation systems

What do you think? Have any of you guys used Map Share?

[iceshots]

I have used the TomTom map share but only allowing those changes verified by TomTom. I have not loaded other user's change directly yet. It is an easy way to get updates without paying for a whole new set of maps.

One frustrating thing is that you cannot add roads. You can only change the allowable directions, or block them off. There is a new inerchange near my current home which now has direct access from the road I am on, but TomTom keeps thinking I have to make a right and then a U-turn. There is no way to add the new access road.

[DCguy03]

It is something I wish I could do too, but it would be a challenge for any of us to add new roads to a digital map. I have looked into the details, trying to learn all about Map Share, and now it makes sense:

-Updating new restaurants, hotels, other POIs, and road directions on existing roads is something that GPS owners can do consistently.

-But adding new roads is something that has to be left to the pros (i.e. Tele Atlas, the maker of TomTom's maps). There isn't a way that anyone could accurately draw in a road's shapes, curves, and proximity to other roads.

So what is the solution? Ensure that the map company is aware of the newly built interchange near your home. Just report it to their Map Insight feedback system at Map Insight.

As they say, "The output of Map Insight helps direct Tele Atlas where to deploy resources to research and analyze changes in the road system." This is the best approach as a companion to Map Share, in my opinion.

It's also a good idea to submit your home/business if you live on a new street/development. These days with GPS being so common, how else will your friends/customers find you in the future!