Posted on 06/30/2022 6:41:04 PM PDT by george76
It’s a fan favorite scene from “The Office,” where the star of the TV show relies a little too much on GPS and ends up in a lake.
The same thing is happening here in Wyoming, but without the lake. Faulty GPS directions are directing travelers in southern Wyoming to Colorado.
The Wyoming Department of Transportation is warning that Google Maps is wrongly telling people that Interstate 80 near Rock Springs is closed and then rerouting the travelers to Colorado, which would add add many hours on to their drive time.
WYDOT spokesman Doug McGee attributed the faulty information to a construction project on I80.
“There’s a large and lengthy highway construction project in that area, as much as 25 miles or so,” McGee told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday. “I think Google’s Artificial Intelligence looks at the motion on people’s cell phones and because of this, it reads as the road is closed, which it is not.”
McGee and fellow WYDOT spokeswoman Jordan Achs both recommended that anyone traveling across Wyoming check WyoRoad.Info, WYDOT’s website that has the most up-to-date road conditions across Wyoming.
In the meantime, WYDOT is trying to get its message out on social media channels.
“There are no closures at this time, but there is construction in the area, including head-to-head lanes and reduced speed limits. We are working with Google to try to resolve the issue,” the department posted on Facebook on Wednesday.
Making It Clear..
McGee emphasized that drivers do not need to reroute into Colorado in order to get to Salt Lake City, adding unnecessary miles and fuel stops to the trip. Wyoming’s interstates, all of them, are still open.
Achs said no one has yet called to complain about being rerouted through Colorado, but the department has received several calls from people asking whether Interstate 80 is closed, which, again, it is not.
Too Bad..
Disappointingly, neither McGee nor Achs have received reports of anyone driving into a lake or on a sidewalk because their GPS told them that was the correct route.
While Google Maps and other GPS services usually are reliable, there have been some entertaining instances of drivers relying on computers more than their own eyes.
Like the man who drove on a stairwell in New York City after his GPS took him on a wrong turn.
Or the Japanese tourists in Australia whose GPS told them they could drive to an island in the Pacific Ocean through nine miles of water.
Or even the women visiting Washington who made a U-turn into a lake.
A few months ago it was telling people that I66 in Centreville, VA was closed and telling them to exit onto US29.
But I66 was NOT closed.
“I-80 — Slick in spots.”
Also breezy in spots.
Artist creates virtual traffic jam on Google Maps with 99 cellphones and a wagon
Do not trust Google maps. They always send you through the worst parts of town on your travels. If there are three or four exit ramps into a city, they always recommend the one that sends you through the Section 8 housing or the commercial industrial areas. These areas have ill-kept roads, one-hour hotels, dive bars, and dead-end streets that take you into crime-ridden communities, along with no road signs to help you escape.
These exits also often lack an on-ramp to get you back to the interstate so you are left driving on side streets trying to return to the major highway. Watch the road signs carefully for higher-end hotels and restaurants and take that exit instead or check your destination website for the recommended exit.
Been there and done that.
Colorado often closes I-70 that sits at the bottom of a huge, long cliff - where rock and mud slides, avalanches are common .. Pro-tip , should have built it on top of the cliff..
Then Google sends semi- trucks, Greyhound buses .. over unpaved forest roads, high mountain passes with very tight corners .. An older woman with heart problems was rescued first followed by passengers, the driver and luggage on other vehicles.
““There’s a large and lengthy highway construction project in that area, as much as 25 miles or so,” McGee told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday. “I think Google’s Artificial Intelligence looks at the motion on people’s cell phones and because”
This indicates there are delays or even stops.
Glenwood Canyon, by any chance? I drove through there, twice. Very scenic, but you can get rockfalls onto the roadway.
Brilliant!
Glenwood Canyon rock fall killed his wife and 2 children in 1995 ..
2010 - Art Daily motored through the same canyon only two hours before another cascade of rock punched holes into a bridge and blocked the highway.
This time, no one died.
https://www.denverpost.com/2010/03/08/1995-rockslide-survivor-its-one-of-those-things/
Yes, traffic in Northern Virginia sucks.
It doesn’t matter, however. It’s not like the Federal Government is going to pack up and leave due to the horrible traffic.
I used to tell Google that their closures were wrong.
Then I figured out if I kept my mouth shut, a lot of traffic, to include trucks, would take the “detour” leaving me with a much more enjoyable ride.
I 80
Also breezy in spots.
Now THAT is an understatement.
We had an address where we told people not to use their phones to get there. They would end up in odd places miles away.
Glenwood Canyon, drive several times weekly.
Beautiful stretch of road, that can be prone to rock slides, mudslides, and flash floods with the slightest bit of rain or snow. The Official Detour is about a four hour scenic drive.
I suspect a hacker wants less traffic.
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