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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

#241

Post by hypervisorxxx »

slickrick216 wrote: post #126

Google maps has marked my parents in laws drive way as a road. The drive way is quite long as they are on a farm. Due to a right of way for an owner of a field who owns an enclave within their land they can’t put a gate up. It’s quite unmistakable you are going into someone’s house though. This has led to countless individuals showing up and driving through their land past their home. Lots of people stop and ask for…

I love how this article talks about the neglect of the process from Google and probably says something significant about russia's relationship with google in general and google maps at the cost of two of their own citizens needlessly dying by freezing to death and in the top rated comments is bicker about whether an old couple should be the one to pay for a gate to stop accidental trespassing.

I get the problems are both of the same origin, but the discussion has a much better chance of making progress and getting Google's attention which is hard to do when people's lives are at stake. Or when they have been lost directly due to their own oversights.

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

#242

Post by Hydraulix989 »

throwaway09223 wrote: post #64

I ran into a surprising problem with Google maps recently. "Ok Google, driving directions to Fremont Central Park" Google locates the park address as 40000 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont 94538. The pin is dropped in a fine place, at the building by the Lake Elizabeth boat ramp. I mostly know where I'm going anyway, and as I come up Washington Blvd I notice it's asking me to turn early, so I follow just for kicks. Inexplic…

Muir Woods also had separately wrong driving instructions on Google Maps, but I instinctively trusted the signs over Google.

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

#243

Post by visarga »

SECProto wrote: post #228
Thorrez wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I’ve done the whole google maps support thing but no response and deaf ears. You've used the suggest a change feature within Maps? I've done that several times and I think it always worked for me. Full disclosure I work at Google, not on Maps, and I always did the suggest a change with my personal account.

> You've used the suggest a change feature within Maps? I've done that several times and I think it always worked for me. I've had a road that is mis-named near me. I've used the "suggest a change" feature multiple times, but have never gotten a response other than the automated "it'll be reviewed". Road is still mis-named. Other changes i've suggested have gone through in hours.

Probably have to submit it to OSM and wait until Google loads their data into GMaps. /s

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

#244

Post by paulmd »

meowster wrote: post #233
colejohnson66 wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IANAL, but would it be possible to sue Google (in small claims) over the nuisance?

What are the monetary damages, and how can you prove Google caused the damage?

The monetary damages would be determined based on the level of nuisance caused, which could be objectively measured by the data google keeps on trip routing that has utilized that particular road.

Love the whole "nothing can be measured, who can say!?" attitude on Google of all fucking things. They log everything and delete nothing. Yes, they absolutely do know how many people they've routed down that person's driveway, and a subpoena/discovery would clear it right up.

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

#245

Post by paulmd »

gruez wrote: post #216
diogenescynic wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Submit a complaint to a state regulator. Someone at Google will wake up and sort it out once they get an email from their regulator to Google’s compliance team. If you can get a lawyer to submit the complain it’ll be even more effective.

What regulator would have jurisdiction here? Are maps even regulated?

A very flippant "HN techbro libertarian" response. Pretty much everything that is not constitutionally protected as a right can be regulated, why would you possibly think that it couldn't?

Yes, you absolutely could lobby for someone to write a law requiring Google to respond to nuisance requests from their navigation services. That is basically what DMCA does, after all.

Hypothetical example law: OK, you have a good-faith presumption up until someone emails you a copy of a deed and proves it's their driveway, then you legally need to correct it within X days or penalties start to rack up.

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

#246

Post by seg_lol »

ghaff wrote: post #55
varjag wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heh, I had a similar one in Northern Italy. What started as an offbeat paved, then gravel, road degraded into something best described as a goat trail over steep hillside. The worst thing is when you start having doubts it's too late: backing out is even more dangerous. AWD came helpful but still had a few white-knuckled moments there.

I can't say I've ever really had one of those but I find that Google frequently has what I like to refer to as "Oh, Google is in the mood for a country drive" moment. It will take you on a bunch of back roads rather than a major route, presumably to save 2 minutes (assuming you don't miss a turn). Which is particularly annoying in winter (like this morning!) when there may be snow and ice on said back roads. The wors…

Google Maps made my trip to Greece an epic odyssey. I have no idea where they source their data from, crazy town.

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

#247

Post by paulmd »

Tostino wrote: post #89
PopeDotNinja wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just yesterday I see drove onto a Google Maps recommended muddy dirt road road (like a dumbass) with my rental car just in the Mexican jungle. I thought I could make it, until I couldn’t. I got stuck in mud about 5km, walked through mud to the highway, and learned all about hitchhiking in Mexico, and asking locals for help getting my car unstuck. Good times.

Had very similar fun in Costa Rica with my rental car and amazing Google Maps directions. Seems like a pattern.

Reading through this whole discussion thread it looks like the pattern is that Google Maps data is super sketch for anywhere that's not the continental US.

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

#248

Post by visarga »

bww wrote: post #53

On more than one occasion while driving through Italy last year, Google Maps attempted to navigate me to the center of cities by driving through ancient, pedestrian-packed streets barely wider than the hatchback I was in—even as (I eventually discovered) most non-emergency vehicles are not permitted to actually drive there. In one such instance, I didn't realize what was happening until I had spent 45 minutes inching…

I noticed the same thing - taking the narrow roads which are very hard to navigate instead of a slightly longer but much more comfortable main road. Is there a comfort toggle?

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

#249

Post by fuzxi »

paulmd wrote: post #245
gruez wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What regulator would have jurisdiction here? Are maps even regulated?

A very flippant "HN techbro libertarian" response. Pretty much everything that is not constitutionally protected as a right can be regulated, why would you possibly think that it couldn't? Yes, you absolutely could lobby for someone to write a law requiring Google to respond to nuisance requests from their navigation services. That is basically what DMCA does, after all. Hypothetical example law: OK, you have a good-…

Your response is unnecessarily aggressive. His questions are innocent.

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

#250

Post by Thorrez »

Hydraulix989 wrote: post #239
Thorrez wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I’ve done the whole google maps support thing but no response and deaf ears. You've used the suggest a change feature within Maps? I've done that several times and I think it always worked for me. Full disclosure I work at Google, not on Maps, and I always did the suggest a change with my personal account.

If Google is anything like other companies, internal employees' own support requests are prioritized, even on external-facing channels.

That would require you to create some association between your personal and work account right? I don't remember doing that. I guess they could match on first name and last name equality, but that sounds like a bad idea due to name collisions and impersonation.
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