Taking different routes
By dorannmwin
@dorannmwin (36392)
United States
September 19, 2012 9:28pm CST
Yesterday after we got all of the work done here at the house that we had time for before Angie had to go back "home," we took the route that I usually take when I am going down there. That route is basically right through the center of the city that I live in and then straight south on US 27. This is the most direct route to take and in normal traffic it takes about 45-50 minutes. However, being as how we have to leave during rush hour traffic it instead took us 1:24 to get there. Thankfully we had left with an hour and thirty minutes to get there.
Today we took a different route which is longer in terms of miles, but shorter in terms of the traffic congestion. We left here at the same time of day and we got down there right at 6:00.
This really got me to thinking, are there other people like me that know a lot of different routes to get to the same place? If you do know a lot of different routes to get to the same place, do you find that some routes that are longer in distance take less time to get there at different times of the day like I've discovered today?
1 person likes this
16 responses
@andreas91 (140)
• Indonesia
20 Sep 12
My father is an expert in this. He had stayed at this city for approximately 30 years and he spends his time mostly outside so he knows many routes available in this city. This becomes very important as the traffic is getting worse day by day. I am the one who mainly drives nowadays, and I do know some of the routes, but still nothing compared to my father. I always consult him when I have to take a trip somewhere, and sometimes I don't even know the route he is showing me, but I always reach the destination faster if I follow his advice. :)
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
I tend to believe that one of the reasons that I do know so many different routes is because of the fact that I've lived here since I was a child and all of my driving life has been here, so I don't even have to think to come up with an alternative route most of the time.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
22 Sep 12
Yes, you do come to know a lot of different routes to get to different places as you do grow older as well.
@andreas91 (140)
• Indonesia
21 Sep 12
Yes I do agree, staying at one particular region for a long time will certainly make you know so many different routes. My father always say that the knowledge of being aware of so many routes will come to me in the end with age. Haha.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
I tend to believe that variety is the spice of life and that is the reason that I do like to switch things up from time to time.
In this case however, it is a choice that is made to ultimately save time. The less time that we have to spend on the road, the more time we are actually able to get work done.
@ravisivan (14079)
• India
20 Sep 12
welcome to mylot. this can be one reaction -- namely choosing the route with which we are familiar not opting for a change. this is also right.
@ravisivan (14079)
• India
20 Sep 12
In Canada a few days back we were travelling 60 miles from our place -- we were guided by GPS-- it started guiding us -- Express route is very slow -- collector route is slow. it started taking us through collector route and another car followed express route -- we met and reached the spot more or less in the same time.
@much2say (55661)
• Los Angeles, California
21 Sep 12
Oh yes! Being where we live, we are centralized to everything locally - including various freeways. I've lived in our Valley forever, and have done a lot of driving everywhere - so I pretty much know how to get to places, even if it's outside of here, in various ways. I can think of a lot places where it's faster to go one way than the other even though one is shorter distance than the other. Certain freeways and streets get totally clogged up due to rush hour (some are just crazy at all hours of the day) - so I take "my" alternative routes then - and we mostly get there at a decent time.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
22 Sep 12
That sounds really similar to my situation. I love the most direct route to get there when it isn't peak traffic times of the day. However, I will not touch that road at all during peak travel times if there is any way at all that I can avoid it.
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
24 Sep 12
My previous job usually took me 40-45 minutes. But I didn't take the most direct route. The direct route takes me to a highway that goes up a bridge, so it's always congested. My work is just under the bridge. So instead of taking the direct route, I take a longer one that takes me through some residential areas but brings me up straight under the bridge.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
25 Sep 12
I think that when there is a less direct route that can get you to where you are going quicker than taking the most direct route, then that is really the way that you should go to get where you are going. I've been experimenting with the routes and I find that one of the routes is the quickest to get there but it is a different route that is the quickest to get back home.
@STOUTjodee (3573)
• United States
21 Sep 12
Yes, sometimes I get bored with going the same route every time. Depending on the time of the day, sometimes taking the longer route takes less time than being caught up in traffic jams. Usually by taking the longer route you also avoid stop lights which take up time, that's another reason why in this town I like to take different routes. In this town the lights are set up that you have to stop at every one.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
Traffic lights was one of our discussions today. She asked me why I don't get on the circle close to my house. I said, there is eight traffic lights if I get on at the major road by my house, but if I take a smaller road that runs behind my house and get on at a different place, I only have to go through a total of three traffic lights.
@marty3888 (2355)
• Acme, Michigan
20 Sep 12
Not me. I like to learn one way to get somewhere and always take that way. And I like straight shots, even if it takes a little longer. I hate getting lost. And the trouble with highways, especially ones I'm not familiar with I might miss the exit and if I do, there may not be another one for awhile and what do I do when I do take that next exit? on a road I can just turn around.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
For a very long time I only knew one route from the city that I live in permanently and one route from the city that I went to college in. It is because of my knowledge from being in college that I know the route that I am using half of the time right now.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
20 Sep 12
i am pretty lucky because i only work about a 7 minute drive away from where i live. there really aren't too many different routes that i can take to work.
however, that being said, i am all about taking different routes, not because of the time savings or the gas savings but because of the change of scene. i love to get lost and look at houses, to see what people have on display outside of their houses. i love to do this especially around Christmas time!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
The change of scenery is something that is definitely very nice about taking different routes. I know a total of five different ways to get there, but some of the routes I would never use on a regular basis. I might do it once the leaves start changing a couple times because they are both back roads.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
20 Sep 12
I have a friend who lives in Wisconsin about 200 miles away. I used to go through the twin cities....but spent so much time in traffic that I take a different route now and the time is about the same even though it's a bit longer. And I don't have the stress of sitting in traffic....and the new route is so much more scenic! Especially in the fall.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
It definitely seems to be the case that there is much prettier scenery when you are taking a slightly longer route.
Taking my route, I go past farms and things like that and those are always relaxing to me.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
20 Sep 12
I haven't driven in London but the traffic is crazy and we avoid the rush hours on the buses and underground trains. Back home, I would know which route to drive to the city according to the time I left home. And, just like you, the longer route took less time because of the traffic. In fact, I love the longer route as I drive up and down a few mountains and also beside rivers. I also arrive not feeling stressed. The downside is that I use more gas
@marguicha (223107)
• Chile
20 Sep 12
Where I live, people have to know several possible routes to escape from part of the peak problems. I prefer to use the Metro whenever I can. Traffic congestion is one of the main problems in any big city in the world now.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
What I consider to be heavy traffic around here is nothing at all like the traffic that you would see in a major city. However, I have to admit that it is as much as I can take.
I know that I would not do well at all in a major city.
@ravisivan (14079)
• India
20 Sep 12
there are different answers to it. One I prefer routes where there is less traffic though it may involve travelling a little longer. But it is advisable to travel through road with more traffic sometimes because in case of puncture or other mechanical problems getting a mechanic may be difficult in the first route. may be in usa it is different--perhaps you have a facility of calling automobile person to the spot where the vehicle stands.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
Both of the routes that I've been taking are on major roads so if there was a problem, you would not be on an abandoned road. The main difference is that US 27 has heavy traffic congestion and the congestion taking US 127 route is not even half of that of US 27.
@sishy7 (27167)
• Australia
20 Sep 12
I love taking different routes. Even for the routine travel like going to/from work everyday, I always try to take different routes as often as possible. This will also lessen the possibility in case some 'stalker' is trying to study your habit...
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
I wouldn't have even thought about it in terms of a stalker, instead I would think about the fact that I really like to see the different scenery.
1 person likes this
@jelynbaxa (52)
• Philippines
20 Sep 12
Yeah you shoul look out some of the routes that is easier for you to drive on and lesser traffic and lesser hassle.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
That was exactly why we experimented with taking the different route. We ended up taking the same amount of time to get there. However, I was driving like a civilized person whereas the person that drove her on Tuesday was cutting people off and driving fast enough in the city that had he gotten pulled over he would have been arrested for wreckless endangerment.
@ardoy0731 (7308)
• Philippines
20 Sep 12
Yeah we always do that everyday when going to work.
I know some routes that I could go to when some routes are quite traffic.
It is quite an advantage cause we can't stuck into bumper to bumper traffic which is really irritating.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
I tend to agree with you. It might take a few minutes longer to take a different route, but I would do almost anything to not end up sitting in bumper to bumper traffic.
@riyauro (6421)
• India
20 Sep 12
yeah my husband normally does that. he is well versed with the roads and he knows which one will be busy and so he takes which ever he finds best. I Think it is good idea to take different routes to know it. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day ahead. 
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
I think that it is a great benefit to know a variety of different routes as well. I would love to be able to have one route that worked well all the time, but you simply have to know the traffic patterns and those really do vary throughout the day.
