Dear GPS Nav Unit Programmer,

[hrj]

When I set the route-finding preferences to "avoid tolls", I mean "If I'm heading to Palo Alto or Mountain View, route me by 237 rather than taking me across the Dumbarton bridge." I do not mean, "When I'm traveling from Emeryville to Vallejo, route me south around the bottom of the bay, up the penninsula, across the Golden Gate bridge, and then east again to Vallejo." But noooooo. I had to endure the entire trip from Powell St to the Carquinez Bridge with the Nav unit insisting at every offramp that I should exit, hang a U, and head for San Jose. "Avoid tolls" has now been removed from the routing preferences. I have yet to determine what combination of preferences will ensure the most sensible route.