Customize Routes to Avoid or Favor States

You can instruct PC MILER to either favor or avoid certain states when generating a route. Let’s recalculate our Maine to South Carolina route with its current settings, but this time we’ll avoid routing through Massachusetts, and favor routing through Vermont.

  1. Click on the Route 3 window, then click on Options in the route entry window and make sure the Use Custom Roads box is checked. With custom routing enabled, click OK and return to the route entry window.

  2. Next, click on the State Report button (or press the <F6> key) on the tool bar to view a summary of mileage, times, and costs listed alphabetically by state. Examine the list of states to confirm that Route 3 travels through Massachusetts, then close the report window.

  3. Select Manage Custom Roads from the Tools menu, and click on the State tab in the Custom Roads Manager.

  4. Click on the check box next to Enable State Avoids/Favors (this must be checked for state preferences to work!).

  5. In the drop-down pick list of states, highlight Massachusetts. Click on the Avoid button below to add that state to the Avoids list on the left-hand side.

  6. Now highlight Vermont on the pick list of states, and click on the Favor button below to add that state to the Favors list on the right-hand side.

  7. Click OK to save these changes.

  8. Click on the Run button to re-run the route.

  9. Now we will re-run the State Distance Report, but this time the states will be listed in the order traveled rather than alphabetically. Click Options in the Route 3 window and choose Route under State/Country Report Order. Then click OK and press <F6> to re-run the report.

  10. You’ll see that PC MILER has plotted the new route completely outside of Massachusetts, using Vermont (and also New York State) as a byway! Check this new route on the map too.

Customise Routes with Road Preferences

PC Miler

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