DO YOU CARRY A ROAD ATLAS?

[mudmuncher]

Yesterday the A1122 was closed between Swaffham and Downham Market due to a RTC and I was manning the northern closure. The road was out of action for several hours which was causing many drivers to have a "where now" panic attack! Their sat navs were shouting at them to turn down a road they couldn't enter. A few tried  [-X [-X This got me thinking  :-k HOW MANY VEHICLES CARRY A ROAD ATLAS TODAY?

Do you have a road atlas in your vehicle? Has it been a case of in with the sat nav and out with the good old map? When did you last update yours? Should it be law that every vehicle should carry one?

[The Smiths]

Should it be law that every vehicle should carry one?

I think there enough laws =; [-X

But I've got one - get given one every year at Christmas :roll:

[Disco Matt]

Does a car PC running Memory-Map count?  :lol:

[woody]

i have a road map, at least 4 years old
have seen sat nav in use i can be good but people are to reliant on it
first sign of a problem and they panic

[lambert]

Surely as we are all off road greenlane enthusiasts all we actually need is a compass and a heading - drive in straight lines everywhere?
 
 
(Fatuous comment not to be taken too seriously)

[Drift]

Ive got one as I never trust my sat nav ( just upgraded so see what that brings)

I keep my road atlas on view with the thinking that any scum bag will see the atlas and reckon it wont be worth breaking into the car as he doesnt have sat nav  :lol:
The sat nav is never in the car as its on my PDA.

But it can be difficult to read the atlas when driving  [-X

[blackbeltbob]

bought a 2009 Collins one last night for £1.42. Cant hurt to have one in the car for that price.

[Disco Matt]

The problem seems to be that a lot of people attempt to delegate all responsibility to their satnavs. I don't think the manufacturers help by putting such a commanding voice on them, but the fact remains that some people clearly do not understand that the satnav doesn't know what you're looking at. It's working from a database quite possibly programmed by someone who has never driven the road you are on.

We have three Tomtom units in the family, I really can't stand that voice ordering me to "turn left" while I'm sat at a red traffic light. The Memory-Map based system I have is like having a road atlas on the dashboard that is always open on the right page and has a position fix shown. You still have to do the map reading and navigation, but you don't have to find the right page in the map book as it has done it for you.

[strapping young lad]

im ok cos i know where my parents live and where work is (unfortunately!)

if not i study the route before hand and print out the route, havent used road atlas in years except to stop things sliding in the boot

[kizz81]

i have a road atlas and use it all the time when going places as i cant afford a sat nav, theres a perfectly good set of instructions on google maps although that doesnt iclude enough round abouts  :lol:

[diggerdog36]

We have just moved to the area, and we were going to Downham Tesco, we were pointed left by the copper as we came through Fincham, no map and no sat nav, we did a huge loop then ended up at the same point but from a different direction!!!  Then we found a road through shouldham to Tesco.

[Priglet]

I left my road atlas in my 110 and overnight it turned into papier mache. Now I only have a Devon Street Atlas and no sat nav, as long as I don't have to leave the county I'll be alright  :lol:

[V8MoneyPit]

Surely as we are all off road greenlane enthusiasts all we actually need is a compass and a heading - drive in straight lines everywhere?
 
 
(Fatuous comment not to be taken too seriously)

Pah, you lightweight..... what's wrong with the sun and the stars  :P :lol:

We carry an atlas.... bought it at Leeming services when there was an almighty tailback at Scotch Corner and put it to good use straight away across Swaledale  :D

[beast5680]

I always have a road atlas to hand, dont own a satnav and dont see the need for one quite honestly  i,ve always managed to find where i,m going with a map, a satnav causes brain loss in some people as they cant seem to go anywhere without one, the delivery boy at work is one example , there is no way he could find his way about without a satnav because he,s brain dead he follows the satnav blindly even if it takes him on a 20 mile detour he,ll follow it :roll:

[DoubleTop]

the day-2-day car has an atlas, the landy normally has the eee-pc and my 3g dongle for using google maps :)

DT.

[Disco Matt]

For goodness sakes don't encourage them to make a road atlas a legal requirement, the prices will go through the roof!  :lol:

[general baxter]

i carry several o/s maps around with me at all time,  :dance:

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

I carry an atlas. I think it might be slightly out of date though. My shows a road being built that will open soon allowing greater access to the North. Its called the A1. The adverts suggest I buy Pratts automotive spirit for all my transportation requirements. :-.

[SimonHarwood]

I generally use a road atlas. And road signs. The only problem is when they decide to change a road number between two issues of the road atlas.

If I know that I am going to need more detail, I look up the area on streetmap and print out the relevant pages (usually the A-Z level of detail ones). I then stack them up in order of requiring them and can refer to them quickly and easily. I sometimes mark them up with a highlighter as well.

[bravo669]

i always keep paper maps and an atlas in the wagon because they dont run out of batteries!! although if i become flush with cash i may splash out on one of they road angel doodahs with the memory map thingy?!who knows!!

[lee celtic]

I print out directions from the rac or aa sites (they show current road works updated daily) on the net then write bullit notes ie just the roads I need and the town names and stick them between the clocks and the door .

Then I give the map book to the wife and start driving ..... :D

by the time shes worked out the best route we're there and shes been quiet the whole way :lol: :lol: :lol:

[James.Harwood]

Yesterday the A1122 was closed between Swaffham and Downham Market due to a RTC and I was manning the northern closure.

Don't need a road atlas to get round that one - Just go to The Hill House instead of Downham Market 

Normaly have a road map apart from when the mice eat them.

[carbore]

I l;ove sat nav for driving into big towns when im on my own as you can focus on the signs (like ONE WAY!)

However I often overrule it and allways  carry an atlas, but then I carry hot cans, light sticks, pen knife, poncho, water, extinguisher, first aid kit, nibbles and thats just going up and down the M5 in the freelander.

God help me if I ever go overlanding.

[Bishops Finger]

Tend to use those large metal signs on poles at the side of the road for directions if forced out of the shire

Folks tell me those sat nav thingys stick right in your line of vision on the windscreen and keep talking to you when you are chillin to good music

Devil spawn I say...

[Disco Matt]

God help me if I ever go overlanding.

I'm not the only one then! Upon sighting the stuff in the back of my Disco on a weekend camping trip someone asked "Why have you brought all that for two days?"

I only had the tent, sleeping bag, roll up mat, blanket, gas stove, chair, kettle, several mugs, tins of food, cool bag, ammo box full of recovery kit, twenty metres of USB cables and another twenty metres of VGA cable...

[freelanderpx54]

Sat nav can be good but I have just come back from Kent and my TOMTOM (other cr*p units are available :) ) couldn't work out that Heath Road / lynton cross road near Maidstone was shut. And before you say use the find alternative route, I did. It took me on a long loop back to where I was. I then tried the road blocked function which took me on a longer loop back to where I was. In the end I resorted to the tried and tested method of using those signs that the highways people have kindly put at the side of the road

[Ja1983]

i suspect there is one hiding in the disco somewhere... luckily scrap-nav has generally got me where i need to be, although i always have a look on multimap beforehand, to get a general idea....

those big square things on the roadside sometimes provide criptic clues too, although they dont seem to do the more useful ones that can be put into satnav (namely "that bloke of ebays house")

And lets not forget one overiding thing here... i`m a man, i dont get lost... i may get unsure, but i just keep driving until i know where i am again (i now know silverstone is NOT near milton keynes!)

[corrosiverob]

God help me if I ever go overlanding.

I'm not the only one then! Upon sighting the stuff in the back of my Disco on a weekend camping trip someone asked "Why have you brought all that for two days?"

I only had the tent, sleeping bag, roll up mat, blanket, gas stove, chair, kettle, several mugs, tins of food, cool bag, ammo box full of recovery kit, twenty metres of USB cables and another twenty metres of VGA cable...

Just looking for a long usb cable extention, where did you get it from?
Rob

[Bush Tucker Man]

There's a pile of O/S Landranger maps and a decent scale road-atlas in the 110

a satnav causes brain loss in some people as they cant seem to go anywhere without one

Too true, all the stories of;
Driving artics past warning signs into 6'6" restrictions
Onto railway lines!
Byways
Fords
the list goes on............ "Engage Sat-Nav, disengage brain"

the delivery boy at work is one example , there is no way he could find his way about without a satnav because he,s brain dead

We've got a few staff like that.
They couldn't find their own butts using both hands, a compass & an atlas

What I find extremely sad (but also almost laughable), is the trend amongst our younger staff (sub 30?) to be able to describe in perfect clarity to each other how to get to some bar/club/cafe on a Greek/Spanish/Carribean island - even down to the colour of the menus - from a hotel/resort, etc.....

But, ask them to explain how to get to anywhere (around here) other than White Rose Centre) Leeds, Meadowhall (Sheffield), or Trafford Centre, & they're stuffed

One girl asked how to get to Leeds (8miles from the Hospital), she could get to the White Rose, but not into Leeds city centre :roll: :shock: :roll:
Curiously enough she knew where one of the clubs was in the city-centre (which is opposite the railway station.............. 'slap-bang' in the city-centre :doh:

[Disco Matt]

God help me if I ever go overlanding.

I'm not the only one then! Upon sighting the stuff in the back of my Disco on a weekend camping trip someone asked "Why have you brought all that for two days?"

I only had the tent, sleeping bag, roll up mat, blanket, gas stove, chair, kettle, several mugs, tins of food, cool bag, ammo box full of recovery kit, twenty metres of USB cables and another twenty metres of VGA cable...

Just looking for a long usb cable extention, where did you get it from?
Rob

I cheated somewhat - bought four 5m USB extensions from Amazon and plugged them together. Have a rummage around on there and you can find some very sensible prices. Postage is usually more than the cable but the all-in cost is a lot less than PC World or other high street shops. The advantage is that if I want a shorter lead I just use fewer segments.

Try this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/USB-male-Female-Extension-Cable/dp/B000IM9BGE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1217586389&sr=8-3