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.
lol! You might be right.
As the most Republican state in the union, it wouldn’t surprise me if Google played all sorts of games to discriminate against it. Sending travelers into East Californistan (i.e. Colorado) would be par for course.
There was a mapping app some years ago that would route around high-crime areas. Of course it was attacked and got yanked from the app stores because RACISS’!
In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
I understood that but you didn’t answer my question.
1. I was in Portland, Maine on a business trip and at the end of the week was driving to the airport to catch the last plane out of town that could get me home that night.
I relied totally on GPS in Portland. Never been there and didn't have a paper map. I dutifully followed the GPS directions to the airport and they efficiently guided me to a locked gate at the end of the runway. I are smart and didn't ram the locked gate to go overland to the terminal. Instead I followed streets around the perimeter on the airport for a few miles until I discovered the passenger terminal.
2. I drove from Atlanta to Detroit instead of flying since I was going to be there for about 10 days. I got to Detroit and a mile or so from the clients location. The GPS said turn right so I did. Curious because this was a residential street and certainly not anything like a steel mill. So, I go 1 block then turn right then go one 1 block and turn right. If you're following this, I just drove in a circle. I stopped and called the client and got directions to the steel mill. It's a big place, you can't miss it. Lol…
Google is biased and intentionally misleading based on my observations and experience
I always navigate from city-to-city using the paper map. I use GPS devices for terminal guidance.
Read later.
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