Crazy things you've found in Google StreetView

[kphoger]

55 MPH on a meandering creek: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SBFYa9s6pk2TsFrG7

It's just an advisory plaque.  Perfectly legal to go faster.

[andrepoiy]

There seems to be a Volkswagen Thing meeting going on here in Indonesia:




https://maps.app.goo.gl/daGAEsqUbmPgwp5x9

[freebrickproductions]

55 MPH on a meandering creek: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SBFYa9s6pk2TsFrG7

Based on the house there, I'm guessing the owner got that advisory sign when it was being taken down and decided to mount it there because they either thought it looked good there and/or they thought it would be funny.

[kphoger]

What appears to be a drug cartel roadblock in northern Veracruz:

Do these guys look like legitimate police officers?  How about this guy?

[Rothman]

What appears to be a drug cartel roadblock in northern Veracruz:

Do these guys look like legitimate police officers?  How about this guy?

Plainclothes policemen...a concept going back decades...

[kphoger]

Plainclothes policemen...a concept going back decades...

Ha!  Yeah.

I've been through at least a half-dozen official roadblocks in Mexico over the years, and I've never seen one that wasn't staffed by uniformed officers.  Most of them, by soldiers wearing full camo.  And not a single one of them had a uniform half-unbuttoned.

[c172]

I was looking up a private plane crash in Illinois and came across a County Road 000. That woke up my inner road geek.

[Big John]

I was looking up a private plane crash in Illinois and came across a County Road 000. That woke up my inner road geek.

There is a County Trunk OOO in Fond du Lac WI.

[kurumi]

Satellite view along US 44 in Putnam: a jet flying southwest, with contrails: https://maps.app.goo.gl/A2evfnNNBAfBZKah7. Not crazy per se, but good timing

[Rothman]

Satellite view along US 44 in Putnam: a jet flying southwest, with contrails: https://maps.app.goo.gl/A2evfnNNBAfBZKah7. Not crazy per se, but good timing

Not sure why I can't see it.  I see US 44...

[kurumi]

quoting is having issues. anyway, Rothman said:

Not sure why I can't see it.  I see US 44...

When I follow the link, I see it, but I might be seeing different data than others; here's a screenshot:

[davewiecking]

Satellite view along US 44 in Putnam: a jet flying southwest, with contrails: https://maps.app.goo.gl/A2evfnNNBAfBZKah7. Not crazy per se, but good timing

Not sure why I can't see it.  I see US 44...

Right near the Walmart on US-44.

[kphoger]

Right near the Walmart on US-44.

I had to turn off Globe View in order to see the jet trails.

[Rothman]

Right near the Walmart on US-44.

I had to turn off Globe View in order to see the jet trails.

Yep.  See it on my phone, but not desktop due to this.

[kphoger]

I had to turn off Globe View in order to see the jet trails.

Yep.  See it on my phone, but not desktop due to this.

To be clear, I can see it on my desktop computer.  I just didn't see it at first, because I had Globe View enabled at the time.  If you can't see it on your desktop computer, then simply turn off Globe View.

[Rothman]

I had to turn off Globe View in order to see the jet trails.

Yep.  See it on my phone, but not desktop due to this.

To be clear, I can see it on my desktop computer.  I just didn't see it at first, because I had Globe View enabled at the time.  If you can't see it on your desktop computer, then simply turn off Globe View.

Right.  That was the "this" to which I was referring.

[CoreySamson]

GSV captured some smoke from massive wildfires outside of Tulsa earlier this spring:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/f5fty7Efvj1fsh9A9

Not as striking as some other smoky shots I've seen on here, but still interesting.

[freebrickproductions]

This is an unusual set-up:
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.1458108,-95.95817,3a,40.5y,198.29h,93.42t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sTr9_a7oTy2bpr-WebTiMlg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-3.423020419704173%26panoid%3DTr9_a7oTy2bpr-WebTiMlg%26yaw%3D198.29328751656575!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDYxNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Per older imagery, it replaced a pair of gateless cantilevers. No idea why UP chose to install the gates on the median signals rather than the shoulder signals though.

[Big John]

^^ The gate may have interfered with the power lines on the right side.

[kphoger]

(December 2024 imagery)

The sheer volume of northbound pedestrian traffic here along Carr. Fed. 200 in Chiapas makes me wonder if it's the stream of immigrants coming up from Central America.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/FxUCZUnpAhvbxHWZ7

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Myself taking a photo of Mr. Google's car . Both viewpoints are posted to Discord. Strangely it was driving around town on a Saturday.

[freebrickproductions]

^^ The gate may have interfered with the power lines on the right side.

Maybe, but there wouldn't really be anything (at least in theory), from having the "raised" position to be at a lower angle like this, this, or this.

In fact, at least one of the gates at that UP crossing ain't even raised to a full 90° as it is.

[Rothman]

(December 2024 imagery)

The sheer volume of northbound pedestrian traffic here along Carr. Fed. 200 in Chiapas makes me wonder if it's the stream of immigrants coming up from Central America.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/FxUCZUnpAhvbxHWZ7

Given how far south it is, that seems like a very far-fetched assumption.

[Dirt Roads]

This is an unusual set-up:
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.1458108,-95.95817,3a,40.5y,198.29h,93.42t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sTr9_a7oTy2bpr-WebTiMlg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-3.423020419704173%26panoid%3DTr9_a7oTy2bpr-WebTiMlg%26yaw%3D198.29328751656575!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDYxNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Per older imagery, it replaced a pair of gateless cantilevers. No idea why UP chose to install the gates on the median signals rather than the shoulder signals though.

^^ The gate may have interfered with the power lines on the right side.

Indeed, there appears to be a potential conflict with the power lines in the southeast quadrant (the gates length would have remained clear of the lowest communications cable, but likely would have violated the minimum envelope distance requirements).  However, that doesn't explain the location of the gate in the northwest quadrant. 

It looks like that the traffic engineers (probably Tulsa City, but perhaps ODOT) wanted the Union Pacific to provide as much space for queueing behind the gate (affectionately known by railroaders as "stacking") when the gates are down.  The location of the right-hand flashing light signals (FLS) certainly appears to be at the same location as the original cantilevered flashers (CFLS).  At this location, the counterweights for the gate mechanism appear to enter the clearance envelope for the railroad itself.  As such, the location of the mast for the gate would need to be relocated at least 4 or 5 feet further away from the crossing.  (No matter what the conditions, the new flashing light signal and gate (FLS&G) would require new cables).  If the location of the stop bar wasn't an issue, I'd bet that there's some underground utilities in the area.

Maybe, but there wouldn't really be anything (at least in theory), from having the "raised" position to be at a lower angle like this, this, or this.

In fact, at least one of the gates at that UP crossing ain't even raised to a full 90° as it is.

There's no reason that the gates can't be mounted at an angle if the road clearances (and sidewalk clearances) are properly maintained.  However, it is an artform to maintain the gates to stay at such an angle.  The design of the gate mechanism is intended that the fail-safe position is 90 degrees down from the fully-raised position.  Thus, there are certain rare failure modes that either (a) allow the gate to travel further up to the fully raised position; or less likely (b) allow the gate to drop further down onto the ground when the battery power has been exhausted.

[Dirt Roads]

It looks like that the traffic engineers (probably Tulsa City, but perhaps ODOT) wanted the Union Pacific to provide as much space for queueing behind the gate (affectionately known by railroaders as "stacking") when the gates are down. 

By the way, the "stacking" issue is an important safety feature for crossings protected with gates utilizing raised medians.  Forgive me for improperly using a railroad term, but the fewer "carspots" available in an empty queue for "stacking" increases the potential for cars driving around the gates by simply driving on the left side of the raised median.