[kodah]

I was traveling with some friends through Los Gatos on the way to Monterrey and Google had me sit in a residential neighborhood traffic jam for over 45 minutes when I could've turned left and gotten to my destination much quicker. I did end up turning left, but the takeaway that I had is that Google isn't always doing the "right" thing.

[nradov]

There is a particular problem in Los Gatos on summer weekends when everyone wants to escape the Bay Area and go to the beaches around Santa Cruz. Southbound Highway 17 comes to standstill due to idiot timid drivers who slow down going uphill and constantly brake around curves. Then the navigation apps route drivers onto residential streets to try and save a few minutes. It gets so bad that local residents are literally trapped and even emergency vehicles can't get through.

https://www.losgatosca.gov/2488/Beach-Traffic

[bradwood]

> ... constantly breaking around curves.

What a drag.

[pkulak]

Yeah, what a bunch of assholes.

[pishpash]

It became a 45 minute traffic jam because Google directed everyone there. Maybe.

[dmitriid]

Anecdotally, Waze is (or at least was) better. It would try and redirect traffic to avoid too much congestion. So it would send you over the highway and me over smaller roads in a roundabout way, if possible.

Mind you, I've never seen this properly confirmed :)