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My current car only allows for CarPlay to cover 2/3rds of the iDrive Screen. So while driving following GPS I have Google maps on the left (which aligns to vehicle not North at top) and BMW map to the right, which is locked on North.
Can't stand the "North is always up" thing.
Generational differences are so much fun. Can honestly say I have never once driven with a paper map. First time I drove on my own to some place I didn't know (SE MA to Westchester Co NY) I had MapQuest directions printed out
Learning to navigate on a paper map spoiled me by being able to see the whole region in fairly decent detail. It's so frustrating to see the limited view on a 6,8,12 inch screen of a GPS compared to a 40" map. But they were crap for turn by turn/local instructions (unless you had the complete county/city road map book which had that detail) and my memory today wouldn't let me remember more than 2 turns ahead.
Learning to navigate on a paper map spoiled me by being able to see the whole region in fairly decent detail. It's so frustrating to see the limited view on a 6,8,12 inch screen of a GPS compared to a 40" map. But they were crap for turn by turn/local instructions (unless you had the complete county/city road map book which had that detail) and my memory today wouldn't let me remember more than 2 turns ahead.
Shortcuts.
GPS too often is lazy and pads mileage by failing to note obvious secondary road options.
I worked with a very nice older lady about 20 years ago. She would have been a GPSer, for sure.
She commuted from Rolesville to Garner and had the route memorized.
They closed a segment to renovate a bridge, resulting in a half mile detour, and she freaked out.
I showed her the map book.
And, she did something I had never seen before. Or since.
Held the map to her face, flat, and tried to visualize the route and turns with her nose nearly on the paper.
Like she was a drone at 500'.
Yikes.
I said, "Hey. It is lunch time. Let's go for a ride."
Then, less than half a mile into the detour, we found the old roller rink she used to skate at 40-50 years earlier in her teens. She had to turn there to get back to her route.
That sealed the deal.
My wife is lost 5 miles or less from home.
GPS or not, I am never lost locally. Inconvenienced from time to time, yeah. Never lost.
Not sure if my eyes/memory were playing tricks on me (Mandela effect?) or not....but in getting on 540 to drive up from 64 to Leesville road last night....the signs on 64 threw me off by reading " NC 540 West" and "540 East" instead of NC540 North and South respectively...which is what I swear they used to say at that exit up until now.
Not sure if my eyes/memory were playing tricks on me (Mandela effect?) or not....but in getting on 540 to drive up from 64 to Leesville road last night....the signs on 64 threw me off by reading " NC 540 West" and "540 East" instead of NC540 North and South respectively...which is what I swear they used to say at that exit up until now.
NCDOT changed the directional signs on the west side of 540 a few weeks ago, and it makes absolutely no sense. I-40 to NC 55 used to be "NC 540 West", because, you know, you were going West. Now it's "NC 540 East". NC 540 from NC 55 to US1 used to be East/West, and I believe it's now North/South, which makes a little more sense, but it's not consistent on signage.
I actually Tweeted NCDOT about this (yes, I'm old and cranky) and they claimed the directional change for NC 540 West to East is "to prepare for the completion of 540". I assume that means if you're on NC 540 in a counter-clockwise direction you'll eventually be going East again, but this makes absolutely ZERO sense. If you look at other beltways (ie: I-495 in MD/VA), the directional is always the actual compass direction, and it changes at major intersections.
I'm reminded of the infamous inner and outer signs on I-440, with the distinctive Capitol dome. NCDOT eventually solved the problem by removing I-440 along the south side of downtown. But Charlotte still has inner and outer signs on I-485.
540 between I-40 (near RDU) and US 1 (near Apex) should be signed north-south.
Between US 1 (near Apex) and US 70 (the Clayton bypass), should be signed east-west.
Between US 70 (the Clayton bypass) and US 1 (Wake Forest), should be signed north-south.
Between US 1 (Wake Forest) and I-40 (near RDU), should be signed east-west.
What is so difficult about that? Everybody in NC knows, or should know, what Four Corners means.
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