Hacker News Reader

What's the logic behind avoiding left (right in 1/3 of the world) turns? I assume that route planners already take into account that a "crossing the opposite flow" turn takes longer than a turn the other way, and I would expect them to only suggest that turn when it still shortens the overall travel time. Avoiding them entirely seems like it could only make routes worse.

View on HN

https://bigthink.com/robby-berman/the-science-behind-why-ups...

Thanks! I guess it could be summarised by saying that turns across the opposite flow have an increased variance of delay, which reduces the accuracy of the routing engine's prediction of how long the turn will take, and they also have an increased risk of accidents.

„Avoid“ in this case means: increase weight, to make left turns less likely. And that could make a lot of sense, e.g. if you care about a more stress-free route.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com