Bad Routing Decisions

ABRP seems to try to be “too clever” in some of its routing decisions. Recently it attempted to route me via a dead end street and then through a parking lot that was blocked by a locked gate. This is the route:

https://abetterrouteplanner.com/?plan_uuid=2-6a2dab5c-79f8bfb1d7f7a650abf31b56

The errors:

• ABRP selects a route via an unnamed alley between 74th & 76th streets and parallel to Fife and Prospect streets in Tacoma. OSM shows that alley as going through, but it fact it does not.

• It then attempts to direct you through a parking lot at 78th street. Unfortunately that parking lot has a gate and the gate is closed and locked when the business is closed.

• The destination location does not correspond to the actual address of the destination. In this case you’re directed to the (inaccessible) back of the building at

  47.18551, -122.47073, instead of to the actual address (2505 S 80th St, Tacoma, WA 98409-8400, United States) at 47.18495, -122.47053.

Attempting to route through alleys and parking lots seems like bad policy. Both because it is “impolite” to be routing traffic through areas that are not intended as thoroughfares and also because those are areas that are more likely to be inaccurately mapped than actual streets.