Best Route with Given Speed (Driving)

SkyHog

SkyHog

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Everything Offends Me
So - I have a max speed of 65MPH. I want to find the quickest route from one city to another, where there are multiple options, at varying speed limits. Assuming I will be driving the speed limit, or 65 if the speed limit exceeds 65, is there some method (or a website like google maps) that will give me the quickest route?

Specifically, I am trying to get from Monument, CO to Lamar, CO with the above criteria....everything tells me to take I-25 down to Pueblo and then cut over, but that assumes I'll be driving 75 as that is I-25's speed limit.
 
Just looking at the map, I don't see a shorter route than going through Pueblo, unless you fly.

I see one alternative that's about the same distance (well, slightly longer), but requires city surface street driving in Springs to get there. Can't be better.

You could calculate it by hand….
 
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Don't know any software (anymore - I think mapquest used to let you set user defined speeds for each class of road but I haven't looked at that in a long time) but fastest would be east to Limon and then southeast to Lamar using your 65 mph limit. I've driven from Denver to Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas so many times I don't even think about the route anymore.
 
Google maps normally gives you the fastest route, and it takes in to account traffic as well.
 
What are you driving, a truck? Get a faster vehicle. ;)

On that route, it doesn't appear there's a better option than I-25/US 50. Google does offer an alternative (94/287 through Kit Carson) but it's farther that way anyway, so going 65 on I-25 will still be fastest. It's 60 miles on I-25, so expect your trip time to be 7 minutes, 23 seconds longer than stated.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Google maps normally gives you the fastest route, and it takes in to account traffic as well.
Click to expand...

It does that assuming you're driving at the speed limit of the road, and/or, the speed of the traffic they're detecting on the road.

If you're going to be driving less than the speed limit, you might have a more direct route that would be less miles and therefore take less time at your lower speed.

The guy doing 75 will still beat you. But his route at 75 mph might not be the quickest route if you know you can only do 65 mph.

Of course Nick wouldn't be having this problem if he would have bought a proper truck (Ford).
 
Stay in the right lane of the interstate and truck along (pun intended) at your max speed. Unless things are abnormally weird out there 65 should be an allowable speed on the interstate.
 
jesse said:
It does that assuming you're driving at the speed limit of the road, and/or, the speed of the traffic they're detecting on the road.

If you're going to be driving less than the speed limit, you might have a more direct route that would be less miles and therefore take less time at your lower speed.

The guy doing 75 will still beat you. But his route at 75 mph might not be the quickest route if you know you can only do 65 mph.

Of course Nick wouldn't be having this problem if he would have bought a proper truck (Ford).
Click to expand...

Har har. Its actually a limitation of the hauler, not the truck :)
 
flyingcheesehead said:
What are you driving, a truck? Get a faster vehicle. ;)

On that route, it doesn't appear there's a better option than I-25/US 50. Google does offer an alternative (94/287 through Kit Carson) but it's farther that way anyway, so going 65 on I-25 will still be fastest. It's 60 miles on I-25, so expect your trip time to be 7 minutes, 23 seconds longer than stated.
Click to expand...

Yeah - that's what I was looking at. Google Maps shows 3 options:

1. I-25 to US-50 to Lamar (181 miles total, with 60 of them being at 75MPH, and the rest being either 65MPH or 55MPH, depending on US50's speed limit).
2. US94 to US287 (187 miles total, with the majority being at either 65MPH or 55MPH speed limits)
3. US24 to US287 via Limon (193 miles, speed limit either 65 or 55)

We're talking the difference of either 6 or 12 miles in distance, but possibly up to 20MPH slower than the posted speed limit...

I wish there was a tool to do this for me.
 
SkyHog said:
So - I have a max speed of 65MPH. I want to find the quickest route from one city to another, where there are multiple options, at varying speed limits. Assuming I will be driving the speed limit, or 65 if the speed limit exceeds 65, is there some method (or a website like google maps) that will give me the quickest route?

Specifically, I am trying to get from Monument, CO to Lamar, CO with the above criteria....everything tells me to take I-25 down to Pueblo and then cut over, but that assumes I'll be driving 75 as that is I-25's speed limit.
Click to expand...

I25 really is your best bet. South of Springs, no one goes 75....
 
Are you concerned that you will be going slower than everyone else? If not, I'm not sure why you don't just go by the mileage, taking into account that on non-freeway routes you will need to slow going through the towns. I realize there are not that many towns...

Also, some of those 2-lanes may have posted speeds less than 65.
 
Everskyward said:
Also, some of those 2-lanes may have posted speeds less than 65.
Click to expand...

Yep - that's where I need help. If I could say "I'm going 65MPH the whole way," this would be easy. But there are times the speed limit may be 55, 45, or even 35, depending on the area.
 
jesse said:
Of course Nick wouldn't be having this problem if he would have bought a proper truck (Ford).
Click to expand...

That's the real issue. A proper truck wouldn't have to go namby-pamby 65. My Excursion had no issues going 75-80 with a load.
 
Some of the map programs allowed you to set segment speeds. But they've Ben dumbed down so as not to be flexible. Take a look at Mapquest and see if it will do it. Otherwise you may need an offline program.
 
SkyHog said:
So - I have a max speed of 65MPH. I want to find the quickest route from one city to another, where there are multiple options, at varying speed limits. Assuming I will be driving the speed limit, or 65 if the speed limit exceeds 65, is there some method (or a website like google maps) that will give me the quickest route?

Specifically, I am trying to get from Monument, CO to Lamar, CO with the above criteria....everything tells me to take I-25 down to Pueblo and then cut over, but that assumes I'll be driving 75 as that is I-25's speed limit.
Click to expand...

Install Waze on your smartphone - and use it! (for real time routing and traffic info).

Dave
 
Car A is traveling at 65 MPH and car B is traveling at 120 MPH. Car B passes car A. It takes car A 5 minutes and 4 seconds to catch up to car B after car B passed car A. At what speed (MPH) does car A has to go to catch up to car B.

Car A is 8 miles further than Car B, Car A is traveling at 65 m.p.h. Car B is traveling at 70 m.p.h., how long will it take Car B to catch up to Car A?
 
wsuffa said:
Some of the map programs allowed you to set segment speeds. But they've Ben dumbed down so as not to be flexible. Take a look at Mapquest and see if it will do it. Otherwise you may need an offline program.
Click to expand...

Any recommendations for such an offline program?
 
I would stay on the highway. the 60 miles that you are driving on the 75-limit interstate at 65 are not going to amount to much difference in time. 10 minutes ideally, but in reality, more like 5. On the 180 mile (3+hour) trip, this is nothing.

Unless there are other considerations (traffic, preference, etc)
 
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