Any good desire paths (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_path) that you've seen?
To make this road-related, here's a loop ramp created by drivers in Tennessee yesterday:
Quote from: Bruce on January 20, 2016, 11:12:59 PM
To make this road-related, here's a loop ramp created by drivers in Tennessee yesterday:
I wonder how the cops handled that. Anyone in that off-road line of cars would be a sitting duck once the police showed up.
Quote from: stridentweasel on January 21, 2016, 05:06:18 PM
Quote from: Bruce on January 20, 2016, 11:12:59 PM
To make this road-related, here's a loop ramp created by drivers in Tennessee yesterday:
I wonder how the cops handled that. Anyone in that off-road line of cars would be a sitting duck once the police showed up.
Yeah, but would you like to be one officer or one of two officers trying to ticket the whole line of cars?
Quote from: kkt on January 21, 2016, 05:16:45 PM
Quote from: stridentweasel on January 21, 2016, 05:06:18 PM
Quote from: Bruce on January 20, 2016, 11:12:59 PM
To make this road-related, here's a loop ramp created by drivers in Tennessee yesterday:
I wonder how the cops handled that. Anyone in that off-road line of cars would be a sitting duck once the police showed up.
Yeah, but would you like to be one officer or one of two officers trying to ticket the whole line of cars?
I don't want to be a police officer, and I know next to nothing about police procedure, but here's one idea:
Police Car A parks at the end of the ramp from NB US 27 to NB US 127, just before the underpass. Police Car B then parks on the same ramp, just before the point where the cars are able to enter the ramp from the grass. An officer from Car A sets up some cones for visibility and to deter motorists from crossing from the grass onto the ramp. He or she then directs all cars coming from the grass to stop, wait in line, and receive a ticket before passing through the cones to enter the ramp. The officer from Car B sits in the car to catch the first motorist who fails to wait in line to receive a ticket.
Also, it looks like the desire path in this case uses part of a ghost ramp.
(For reference: https://goo.gl/maps/ov8gpUFCQ8t )
I've actually witnessed multiple drivers illegally cross the grass between the freeway and the frontage road, when there was a cop with his light bar on right there already giving out tickets. That's how fucking stupid people are.
Quote from: Bruce on January 20, 2016, 11:12:59 PM
Any good desire paths (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_path) that you've seen?
To make this road-related, here's a loop ramp created by drivers in Tennessee yesterday:
Why is this going on? I can't quite make out what the portable VMS says.
People made their own dirt driveway out of a McDonald's near New Smyrna Beach, Florida. There might be video somewhere online from my dashcam of me using it rather than driving all the way around the restaurant.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/29°00'49.0%22N+80°59'35.5%22W/@29.0130381,-80.993183,16z?hl=en-US
Is it illegal to drive on the grass? I would think it would be, but I can't quite think of what the ticket would be for. Seeing as the "detour" takes place entirely within state ROW, I don't think it would be considered trespassing.
My state (Washington) has a law which prohibits driving across a median, but it doesn't mention cloverleaf fields. ;-)
Quote from: empirestate on January 21, 2016, 07:41:37 PM
Why is this going on? I can't quite make out what the portable VMS says.
All it says is "EXIT CLOSED", followed by a
right left arrow.
The violation probably relates to driving off the travel portion of the roadway.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on January 21, 2016, 10:36:00 PM
The violation probably relates to driving off the travel portion of the roadway.
Either that or failing to remain within marked traffic lanes.
Does this count? (http://www.discogs.com/Technimatic-Desire-Paths/master/772637)
My dog has made some in the backyard.
Quote from: Bruce on January 20, 2016, 11:12:59 PM
Any good desire paths (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_path) that you've seen?
They were all over the place at the Boy Scout camp I went to every summer as a kid/teen. Some were official trails that appeared on the map, but there were plenty that were just little short cuts through the woods or high grass meadows. One in particular lead right into a creek, where a makeshift "bridge" of rocks that had been staked up in the water enable you to cross without getting your feet wet.
I've also seen several that connect to a rail trail in my area.
But those are foot path examples, so far as vehicle ones go, most of what I can think of are farm related.
Quote from: Takumi on January 21, 2016, 10:59:02 PM
My dog has made some in the backyard.
Heh, this made me think of my sister's dogs, as they have a nice one going that follows the perimeter of her backyard fence. It's mostly straight in the open areas along the sides, but then bobs and weaves around trees and bushes along the back.
Here's a desire path in South Bend that has existed and been tolerated at least since I moved here, in 1976: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.654726,-86.3217037,117m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.654726,-86.3217037,117m/data=!3m1!1e3)
It was caused by the missing movement from WB St. Joseph Valley Parkway (US-20 & 31) to SB Mayflower Road. I'm not sure how it developed that there are two paths. I can recall at least one time that I took advantage of the path to make that movement years ago.
Another non-vehicular example was the Ball State University campus when I was in attendance from 1969 to 1974. The campus underwent a construction and enrollment boom in the 60s and 70s, and students created their own paths to get around campus. At first, administrators tried to get cooperation in "keeping off the grass," but gave up about the time I arrived and simply paved asphalt over the most well-traveled paths. Problem solved. Most of those paved paths have disappeared over the years as they filled in the gaps with permanent walkways and buildings.
For that specific Tennessee example, there is some precedent to that trail-blazed loop: An actual paved (but temporary) loop like that was constructed while the flyover ramp was being reconstructed: http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=35.0853&lon=-85.32346&z=18 (can't figure out how to get the 45 deg view in regular Google Maps)
Here are a couple that exist on eastbound I-240 in Oklahoma City. They're used when the ramp to SB I-35 backs up. There's a sign that says "KEEP OFF MEDIAN" but it doesn't seem to be doing any good, as these fake exit ramps have existed since at least the 90s.
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.3917748,-97.4993472,180m/data=!3m1!1e3
We saw a guy invent his own off-ramp during the Rochester, NY meet a few years back. In that case he also used a former ramp that had been removed. I've never heard them called "desire paths" before, though.
Quote from: hbelkins on January 22, 2016, 08:00:26 PM
We saw a guy invent his own off-ramp during the Rochester, NY meet a few years back. In that case he also used a former ramp that had been removed. I've never heard them called "desire paths" before, though.
Hmm, that could have been NY 590 at NY 404, maybe?
Quote from: hbelkins on January 22, 2016, 08:00:26 PM
We saw a guy invent his own off-ramp during the Rochester, NY meet a few years back. In that case he also used a former ramp that had been removed. I've never heard them called "desire paths" before, though.
It's a term that's more used in the context of people beating down paths by repeatedly walking across the grass where a sidewalk wasn't built. That is, it's a path that people desire to use that wasn't planned by whoever built the other facilities in the area.
Quote from: empirestate on January 22, 2016, 08:43:41 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on January 22, 2016, 08:00:26 PM
We saw a guy invent his own off-ramp during the Rochester, NY meet a few years back. In that case he also used a former ramp that had been removed. I've never heard them called "desire paths" before, though.
Hmm, that could have been NY 590 at NY 404, maybe?
Yeah, he looped right from the former NY 47 north to US 104 west ramp right into his driveway.