SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In one Southfield homeowner’s battle with GPS directions, the machines appear to be winning—and his lawn is paying the price.
James Campbell told WXYZ that drivers repeatedly mistake his private driveway for a shortcut, then cross his grass to continue their trips.
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Campbell’s property sits at a dead end off a dirt road. His horseshoe-shaped driveway connects to two streets, but he says some navigation apps appear to treat it as a public route.
“The few I’ve been able to stop and ask ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ It’s always, ‘Well, my GPS said to go this way,’” Campbell told WXYZ.
“And I’m like, dude, if the GPS told you to drive into the Detroit River, are you still going to drive into the Detroit River? It’s obviously grass, this is obviously a driveway.”
Campbell says the drivers he has spoken with were driving for Uber. One woman apologized and told him the app had directed her there.
He and his wife have posted signs at both ends of the driveway and repeatedly reported the problem to Uber and navigation apps. Campbell says the traffic continues, raising concerns for the safety of their two children under 5.
Uber told WXYZ it was reviewing the situation. The company said drivers must obey traffic laws and posted signs and may use third-party navigation apps.
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Michigan News Source also contacted Uber but had not received a response by publication.
