Earlier, I wrote about my problematic trip to and from the MATC campus. Well, to be fair, it was the from that I had problems with. Certainly, the route I took was much smoother than the one I took about a week prior. That was a nightmare, wherein I had to weave through traffic, making sure I was in the right-most lane so I could take the exit here, taking me to some other road where I had to shift two lanes over to the left so I could take that exit there. It's so much easier to just head north until I hit 94, then head west. Simple.
When going over the two routes I had used with my Dad, he recommended a slight alteration. Rather than taking 89 through Lake Mills, I should instead take 26 through Johnson Creek. Doing so will add a few miles to my trip, but will save me a few minutes. Lake Mills did have a few stoplights and stop signs for me to contend with. And apparently 89 is a farming road; come harvest time in the Fall, I would have to share the road with numerous slow-moving farming vehicles. And given that it's a smaller, county road, moving around them may not be an option at times, or at all. In addition to all that, in the Winter, the snow plows will not be dispatched to 89, at least not immediately. Other roads, such as 26, will be given higher priority.
It was pointed out that, while useful in planning out a trip itinerary, mapping programs (such as Google Maps) don't always provide the best routes in terms of time and ease of travel. Yes, this is the shortest route by distance, but it hits every stoplight on these streets. Yeah, that road is more direct, but it's going to be clogged with tractors in a few months, and won't be plowed out immediately when the snow starts falling.
It's only when you add the human element that you start to pick up on things the machines overlooked.
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