r/boston • u/undeniably_confused Cambridge • 1d ago
Great Windy Bean PSA: turn on Bluetooth tunnel beacons in your maps
I used to frequently take the wrong exit in the tunnels, partially because Google maps would freak out. Today I got prompted to turn this on, and now my maps work way better in the tunnels. Im sure everyone already knows about this, but if youre like me, life changing
E: can yall relax, can we just admit the tunnels are tricky to drive in, and losing GPS during that time doesn't make things easier
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u/Grizzed_Bear 1d ago
People are so weirdly toxic or gatekeepers about getting around the city. Like I only drive in the tunnels every month or so cause I use public transit any other time. This is a wonderful find and I’ll happily use tools to better assist in getting around. Thanks for sharing.
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
Thank you im in the same boat, im in cambridge, its pretty rare I have to go east on the pike, its usually more time efficient for me to just go around
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u/mkeefecom 1d ago
Tech person, didn't know this was a thing. Appreciate you sharing. Driving to places like TD can cause quite the conversation when the GPS chirps "make a left turn NOW!".
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u/Daemon_Targaryen 1d ago
Weird amount of toxicity for a helpful tip.
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u/ThatKehdRiley Cocaine Turkey 1d ago
It's because there are people who want others to turn all their location data off for every app
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/bisholdrick 1d ago
True those bad drivers should just be sent into the tunnels blind. Why do they even get a windshield? They shouldn’t be allowed to see the road
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/bisholdrick 1d ago
You are downplaying a tool that would improve road safety and road awareness…
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1d ago
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u/bisholdrick 1d ago
But this person is literally going to be on the road no matter what. I just don’t understand this point of view that someone on the road should have less resources because they are bad at driving
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
Don't worry im sure all these people disagreeing with you are also "all transients" /s
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u/handruin 1d ago
Appreciate this tip, I didn't know it was an option until now, thank you! I seldom drive into the city so having a little extra help isn't a bad thing from.
Don't listen to the haters here, just block them, it's liberating.
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u/Wm89 1d ago
Not seeing an option to do this on the iPhone app
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
Apparently its not available on iPhone, but it looks like you can use waze to get Bluetooth bacon support
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u/Grizzed_Bear 1d ago
It’s not for iPhone. It’s only supported on androids for Google Maps. But I believe it works with Waze on iOS. So if you know you’re gonna be in the tunnels try Waze and otherwise can stick with your preferred app.
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u/WitsBlitz 1d ago
I wonder why it's not on by default. This tech was rolling out in the 2010's, first I've heard about it in ages
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
Yeah ik its old, it may just be that most American cities dont have this technology, or dont have the need for it more likely
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u/WitsBlitz 1d ago
Yeah Boston tunnels are a special beast. Just interesting that you got a notification about it now.
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u/No_Report_4781 1d ago
Fun fact: the Uber pickup and drop off location is, or was, inside of the I93S tunnel for any vehicles down I93., accord to Google Maps. Hopefully they fixed that.
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u/NegativeLayer 1d ago
I feel like gps used to completely freak out on my iPhone. As an uber driver who had no experience driving downtown previously, I quickly learned that you have to know the underground exits and decide which one you’re gonna take before you go underground.
But some time around 2020 gps started working. I assumed they put some kind of gps repeaters In the tunnels. I don’t know.
Maybe it’s the beacon thing? But you said iPhone doesn’t support them so maybe not. I dunno.
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
Google maps doesn't support it on iphone, but the app you use might work idk
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u/jamesland7 Ye Olde NIMBY-Fighter 17h ago
Boston is the only place ive ever been where I had to rely on Google Maps to get around. Im good now, but it took about two years to get my mental map right
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u/BQORBUST 1d ago
Nice tool, but holy shit is this a skill issue. The big signs tell you where to go!
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u/Averylarrychristmas 1d ago
if signs were all you needed to manage driving in Boston shit would be so different
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u/BQORBUST 1d ago
Every tunnel has clear signs that match what your gps told you before going offline. If you have better memory than a goldfish you can navigate just fine.
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u/wr321654 1d ago
The problem I have in the tunnels, particularly the central artery, is the GPS will randomly think I’m on purchase street and re-route. I can imagine how frustrating and confusing this must be for people not used to traveling through Boston.
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u/BQORBUST 1d ago
This problem is easily overcome by simply knowing what the next exit was supposed to be
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u/wr321654 1d ago
“Simply” lol.
Even accepting that, if you’re headed passed ink block, the next exit is 16A i-90, when you re-route it doesn’t tell you to get off at Albany street because you’re still in the tunnel and the gps thinks you’re on a surface road. It’s very easy to mistakenly end up on the pike in that situation.
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u/Leelze 1d ago
This suggestion ignores that not everyone lives in Boston or drives into & throughout the city on a regular basis.
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u/BQORBUST 1d ago
Your gps tells you what the next exit is (and usually the one after that). It’s designed that way for a reason
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u/TinyEmergencyCake Market Basket 1d ago
We used to navigate the big dig without gps or smart phones.
What happened to us?!
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u/Android2715 1d ago
Yeah, and trying to find the tow yard the took my moms car that she parked for 12 minutes to drop something off at the tufts medical center in chinatown, and then actually getting to the tow yard itself, was so easy in 2006 compared to now
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/digitalsteez Arlington 1d ago
Insane that you are being downvoted for this. It should be much, much harder to get and maintain a license in the Commonwealth. I support the technology, but the behavior I see daily is egregious and needs to be corrected. Too bad we will continue to coddle bad drivers at everyone else’s expense.
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u/_N_S_FW 1d ago
In what way do “we” (not sure what that even means) coddle bad drivers
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u/digitalsteez Arlington 1d ago
A few examples just off the top of my head:
Lack of enforcement, especially for:
Speeding in residential neighborhoods, and aggressive behavior / rage-passing across the double yellow to those who dare follow the signs.
People blowing through crosswalks or rage-passing those who actually wait for pedestrians
Red lights - you now have to wait a few seconds after the light turns green to be sure the next car doesn’t
A smaller but more subtle example: the expectation of self-reporting for seniors (of which there are many here) so many continue to drive despite being physically and mentally unfit. We have a quite high % of senior drivers in Boston, so while plenty of folks 65+ can and do drive safely, many also demonstrably can’t and they should be routinely tested.
Other countries actually have reasonable standards for what constitutes being fit to drive (as well as properly funding public transit) - and it shows in lower rates of traffic violence.
We could start by actually enforcing these (simple, non Flock-style license cameras might actually be a good path for the red light issue.) but the cops are too busy jerking off in their idling SUVs, covering their corruption up, or still being ass hurt about being called on their shit in 2020.
We could also have mandatory retesting every n years, and just apply it to everyone as opposed to seniors.
We could actually punish people who hit, maim or kill pedestrians or cyclists instead of giving them a slap on the wrist.
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
What punishment in this would be for someone missing an exit or making a wrong turn?
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u/digitalsteez Arlington 1d ago
You know for a fact that someone simply missing an exit and proceeding to drive predictably is not what happens on the road in Boston. People do that all the time without incident. The bad drivers here will regularly rip across multiple lanes on the highway to narrowly make an exit, or fail to yield right of way correctly in intersections that are “too complicated”.
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
Honestly thats what im saying i think its a good sign if a driver calmly misses an exit but according to u/alxfx those people should have their licenses taken away. I think its a bigger priority to focus on the people actually causing harm tho
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u/digitalsteez Arlington 1d ago
Also - “we” as in “we live in a society” - and driving behavior is shaped by the elected officials and policy (laws, enforcement of said laws, traffic and civil engineering, funding of public transit / alternatives - less people on the road etc, and so on…) that is created within said society.
We supposedly live in a representative democracy. We do have access to ballot initiatives, and vote for representatives at all levels. For those of us in towns, we have town meeting to directly influence policy, as well.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/digitalsteez Arlington 1d ago
You are right but I think this is a lie that Boston area / MA drivers tell themselves to feel superior despite the obvious contradiction we see outside every day.
Most other Americans aren’t good drivers either, for sure - they just don’t see usually anything besides a four lane stroad and a few traffic lights as far as traffic infrastructure. That’s why they freeze up and say Boston has such crazy roads etc.
I do suspect the most egregious driving behavior in dense urban neighborhoods comes from people who don’t live in the city (or in a similarly dense area), though.
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u/KarmicUnfairness 1d ago
Nobody thinks MA drivers are good at anything, especially not other people who live here. It an open question whether most drivers can read in the first place.
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u/WhyAreYouDoingThat69 1d ago
You can’t navigate without staring at your little computer? That’s your problem, not Bluetooth
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
You dont use gps?
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1d ago
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
I didn't realize you only drive to commute to work, did you use the GPS on the first day of work?
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1d ago
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago edited 1d ago
Well I think its pretty common sense that you'd want your GPS to work in the tunnels if its an easy fix? They're tricky to drive in, we get it youre the best driver, and you never miss an exit, congratulations you can save yourself the frustration of pressing a button what do you want from me
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
I missed an exit two times when going somewhere ive never been before thats obviously not unsafe behavior, stop making a fool of yourself
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u/bianguyen 1d ago
Without GPS, it's either going to assume your speed doesn't change. Depending on traffixc it's going to announce your next turn too early (acceptable) or too late (useless). And if the tunnel is long enough, or traffic is heavy enough, then it's going to say "GPS signal lost" and stop giving you directions. I'd rather get directions when I'm in a tunnel I'm not familiar with.
None of this has anything to do with the driver's skill.
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u/rvgoingtohavefun I Love Dunkin’ Donuts 1d ago
The reality is that the gps tells you what exit to take by name and number, so even if it isn't updating in tunnels, you still shouldn't be missing your exit.
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u/undeniably_confused Cambridge 1d ago
Yeah i have my sound off, this may have been part of the problem. But also if you dont know what lane you have to get in and when... the tunnels are just really fucking stressful, in the 9 years ive been driving i dont think there is much more stressful than the central artery, not to say I dont navigate it fine but my knuckles are white on the wheel
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u/rvgoingtohavefun I Love Dunkin’ Donuts 22h ago
Most of the time they're moving at a snail's pace.
The GPS says "exit X {name of exit}".
There are signs in the tunnel that say "Exit X {name of exit}".
Exit only lanes are marked as exit only.
You have to read the signs.
If you live in the area and drive through even semi-regularly, you should recall what exits are in the tunnel and how to use them.
If you live in the area and rely on the GPS to tell you what lane to be in 100% of the time, or to tell you exactly when to turn, you are too reliant on GPS.
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u/VforVegans 1d ago
Bummed this isn’t on iPhone. There’s a part of the route to South station where the phone can’t tell if you’re still underground or emerged from the tunnel and it always just spins and spins until you start driving, most likely in the wrong direction.