This scenario you describe was common because the algorithm previously didn’t consider time for road features like turns, traffic lights, stop signs, etc, so it sometimes made choices for the route that saved seconds, but seemed puzzling. In the latest release of the app, the algorithm was updated to consider road features, which makes the route more optimized and should have much less unusual route choices. Plus, the route time estimation is realistic now. Some tuning of the algorithm may still be needed as this is new, but overall you should see improved routes.