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Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

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Re: Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

#21

Post by dr_orpheus »

ghaff wrote: post #14
random5634 wrote: post #3

Here's a link with an image of the highway of bones: https://elpais.com/internacional/2020-12-23/perdidos-en-la-t... Here is a video of a drive along it between the cities mentioned in the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J46vglp6g98 Insane cold in this area - I'd be curious what type of preparation they had for this, and why not turn back if things were impassable? Google in the USA maps lots of roads that a…

In the US (especially in the West) there are a lot of roads that are seasonal and/or that should really only be tackled with appropriately equipped high-clearance 4WD with a driver who is familiar with driving under those conditions. Even a fairly straightforward off-paved road route like to the Racetrack in Death Valley, sees the local Jeep rental/tour company rescuing standard passenger car drivers all the time bec…

> because they get tire punctures with no or crappy rental car jacks, etc. (Or they change tires and the doughnut spare lasts for 5 minutes.)

The sharp rocks of Death Valley and other super arid parts of Nevada was not something I had really thought about until I saw a picture of the car from one of my friends in Nevada. In addition to the normal full-size spare tire, there were two other tires stuck in the back of the car. He worked in a mine and apparently the road up there was full of these sharp rocks so there were days (not often) that he had to change 2 tires during his commute.

I imagine that it is particular type of rock prone to fracturing with sharp edges. But I also wonder if the sharper rocks more common because of the super arid conditions and are not worn down by the weather.

Re: Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

#22

Post by kodt »

random5634 wrote: post #3

Here's a link with an image of the highway of bones: https://elpais.com/internacional/2020-12-23/perdidos-en-la-t... Here is a video of a drive along it between the cities mentioned in the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J46vglp6g98 Insane cold in this area - I'd be curious what type of preparation they had for this, and why not turn back if things were impassable? Google in the USA maps lots of roads that a…

A different article says they took a wrong turn and got stuck, it makes no mention of Google Maps.

Re: Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

#23

Post by dr_orpheus »

f311a wrote: post #18
dr_orpheus wrote: post #6

I don't quite understand the part in this about Google Maps changing the route. When I put in directions to Google Maps for Yakutsk to Magadan it still goes along the P-504 (aka Kolyma Highway or "Road of Bones" [0]). The Wikipedia page also says that the road is called the Kolyma Route "since it is the only road in the area and therefore needs no special name to distinguish it from other roads" [0] https://en.wikipe…

From the wiki link: When the road was upgraded, the route was changed to bypass the section from Kyubeme to Kadykchan via Tomtor, and instead pass from Kyubeme to Kadykchan via a more northern route through the town of Ust-Nera. The old 420 km section via Tomtor was largely unmaintained; the 200 km section between Tomtor and Kadykchan was completely abandoned.[6] This section is known as the Old Summer Road, and has…

Okay, that makes way more sense. Thank you for actually reading the whole thing and explaining it way better than the original post.

Re: Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

#24

Post by f311a »

tantalor wrote: post #8

Article mentions "forced to change a route" but has no before/after image of the route and nothing to support the idea that this incident forced anybody to do anything with respect to the map.

The old route: https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/481952e93a2fed32c94a09bd...

Re: Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

#25

Post by intellirogue »

ed25519FUUU wrote: post #12
hpoe wrote: post #5

TL;DR there is a road that goes through a really cold part of Russia (and we mean cold for even Russia). 2 young men were driving on it and their car got struck by a tree branch so it stopped working. One froze to death before help arrived the other is in critical condition. The article appears to be almost devoid of information about Google.

The road is in disuse. Russian Yandex recommended a much different route that was 3 hours longer, presumably because their developers knew something different about Russia than Google.

Yes, lack of local knowledge in Google Maps is often problematic, and Google aren't receptive to local governments requesting changes.

I lived near a gorge where there was a nice modern road alongside an old horse track that was only intended for use by the residents connected to it. It was technically two-way (as making it one way would annoy the residents who might want to go either up or down) but barely wide enough for one car. If you met another car halfway, you had to reverse until you got to a driveway you could go into and let the other car past.

At some point Google Maps' algorithm changed and started suggesting that everyone use the old road. There were multiple crashes, and the local government begged Google to deprioritise it, but their answer was basically "our algorithm is always right". Five years on, Google Maps will still suggest it, so the local government added big signs at each end advising drivers to ignore Google Maps and to use the main road.

Although they already weren't suggesting that route, the other map providers (Apple, Here, TomTom etc) contacted by the local government were happy to proactively add a flag to the road saying that it is for residents only - so it will only route using it if the source/destination is that road.

Re: Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

#26

Post by ed25519FUUU »

bamboleo wrote: post #19
ed25519FUUU wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The road is in disuse. Russian Yandex recommended a much different route that was 3 hours longer, presumably because their developers knew something different about Russia than Google.

It’s the data, not the developers.

I can’t wait to use this excuse when my project fails in some spectacular way.

Re: Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

#27

Post by mfkp »

random5634 wrote: post #3

Here's a link with an image of the highway of bones: https://elpais.com/internacional/2020-12-23/perdidos-en-la-t... Here is a video of a drive along it between the cities mentioned in the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J46vglp6g98 Insane cold in this area - I'd be curious what type of preparation they had for this, and why not turn back if things were impassable? Google in the USA maps lots of roads that a…

Doesn't look that bad overall, especially at 8:50 in that youtube video, you can see a snowplow dropping salt on the roads as well. I would not call that an abandoned ghost road.

Re: Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

#28

Post by therealmarv »

There are some areas in the world where Google Maps is totally unreliable. Here in Cyprus are roads in Google Maps which are only for good 4x4 cars, sometimes also totally wrong and the best part: You cannot report wrong things in Google Maps in Cyprus to Google. So no chance to correct it!

Many tourists drive with their normal rental cars into very remote areas.

So at the end I use OSMand+ (Openstreetmap) always and Google Maps only for searching.

Re: Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

#29

Post by [deleted] »

mfkp wrote: post #27
random5634 wrote: post #3

Here's a link with an image of the highway of bones: https://elpais.com/internacional/2020-12-23/perdidos-en-la-t... Here is a video of a drive along it between the cities mentioned in the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J46vglp6g98 Insane cold in this area - I'd be curious what type of preparation they had for this, and why not turn back if things were impassable? Google in the USA maps lots of roads that a…

Doesn't look that bad overall, especially at 8:50 in that youtube video, you can see a snowplow dropping salt on the roads as well. I would not call that an abandoned ghost road.

[deleted]

Re: Google Maps changes a route after the drama of young people lost on a ghost road

#30

Post by TedDoesntTalk »

random5634 wrote: post #3

Here's a link with an image of the highway of bones: https://elpais.com/internacional/2020-12-23/perdidos-en-la-t... Here is a video of a drive along it between the cities mentioned in the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J46vglp6g98 Insane cold in this area - I'd be curious what type of preparation they had for this, and why not turn back if things were impassable? Google in the USA maps lots of roads that a…

The article says a stick punctured their radiator. So no chance to turn back. I’m guessing “stick” should be translated differently, but anyway their radiator was ruined.
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