Turn Avoidance – Optimize Routes To Avoid Left Turns Or Right Turns

Companies such as UPS have to solve complex routing problems. To do so, they avoid left turns as much as possible (or right turns in countries that drive on the left). With this approach, routes can have longer distances and total travel time on paper, avoiding left turns can be more fuel-efficient, less accident-prone, more suitable for special equipment, and more. Vehicles turning left have to idle longer, waiting for traffic lights or for oncoming traffic. Avoiding left turns makes even more sense in big cities with heavy traffic, where idling can add up and result in substantial fuel expenses and CO2 emissions. Moreover, some insurance companies consider vehicles making left turns to be more liable for accidents. Depending on your business needs or unique business model, Route4Me’s Left-Turn Avoidance Add-On (and Right-Turn Avoidance Add-On) enables you to optimize the most efficient routes that avoid as many dangerous and inefficient turns as possible.

Plan Turn Avoidance Routes – Avoid Left Or Right Turns When Planning Routes

To plan routes that will avoid left or right turns,  go to “Routes” and “Plan New Route” from the Navigation Menu. Then, select your preferred method for importing address and route data.

After that, click the “Skip” button when prompted to select an Optimization Profile to access manual Optimization Settings.

Then, go to the “Optimization” tab and select either the Single Driver or Multiple Drivers route optimization type. Next, pick your preferred final route destination in the “Route End” section. Furthermore, when planning multiple driver routes, Route4Me enables you to specify route constraints in the “Business Rules” section of the “Optimization” tab. Additionally, learn more about constraints such as Pieces, Volume, Revenue, Weight, etc. NOTE: The “Maximum Number of Routes/Vehicles” and “Maximum Route Duration” values are required when planning multiple routes with optimization settings.

Next, go to the “Turn Restrictions” tab and then check the “Avoid” option under “Permit Left-Turns“. After that, click the “Create Route and Proceed to Add Addresses” button. For your convenience, Left-Turn Avoidance and Right-Turn Avoidance are offered as separate add-ons. NOTE: It is not possible to enable both avoidance types simultaneously.

Once the route is planned, the route’s directions will avoid all possible left turns while providing the most efficient time and distance. In some cases, it’s not possible to completely avoid left turns entirely. In such cases, the route optimization software will optimize the route with the lowest possible number of left turns while successfully reaching all destinations.

Add Turn Avoidance To Routes – Re-Optimize Planned Routes With Turn Avoidance

Additionally, Route4Me enables you to add turn avoidance to previously planned routes. To update an already planned route to avoid left turns, go to “Routes” and then “Routes” from the Navigation Menu. Then, click the Open Icon next to the preferred route to open it in the Route Editor.

Then, click “Edit” from the top menu bar and select “Open Route Settings” from the dropdown menu.

Next, go to the “Restrictions” tab and open the dropdown menu in the “Turn Avoidance” section. Select your preferred avoidance type and click the “Update Route Settings” button. NOTE: The “Turn Avoidance” menu allows you to select which turn directions to allow. To avoid left turns, select “Allow right turns” from the menu.

To apply your Turn Avoidance settings to the route, go to “Route” from the top menu bar and then select “Refresh Directions“.

Once the route’s settings are updated to avoid left turns, the route’s directions are changed while preserving the same sequence of stops. NOTE: Changing the route’s directions does not change the route’s sequence of stops.

After changing the route’s directions to avoid left turns, you can also re-optimize it to get the most efficient sequence of stops with the shortest route time and distance. To do so, go to “Route” and then select “Re-Optimize This route” from the menu.

Once the route with updated directions is re-optimized, total time and distance will be optimized for the new directions, and the route’s sequence of stops will change accordingly.