‘Your GPS is wrong’: Council acts after Google maps repeatedly sends drivers onto unsafe roads

A frustrated council in Western Australia has erected signs warning drivers against using Google maps after GPS-based directions repeatedly sent travellers down unsafe roads. 

The Shire of Quairading, two hours east of Perth, has put up two large signs encouraging motorists to avoid part of the Old Beverley Road and instead travel via Quairading-York Road.

The shire says while the online maps send drivers on the quickest route, the gravel road is dangerous in some conditions, particularly for those unused to driving on country roads or carrying caravans and heavy loads.  

Traveller Brian Sheldrick posted an image of one of the signs to social media after driving through the region earlier this year.

He opted to follow the sign’s instructions and took the safer Quairading-York Road to Perth.

“Some people didn’t think it was real and a couple other people have dived in and said, ‘Yeah, it’s very real’,” he said. 

“If I wasn’t towing a caravan, I would have kept going but the wife doesn’t like to be upset.”

Danger posed by isolated roads

Old Beverley Road can become hazardous after heavy rain and is dangerous for drivers unaccustomed to driving on gravel roads.

Greg Richards, who lives on Old Beverley Road, said he had seen many confused travellers and a serious crash.

“If you’re coming from the east, the GPS will send you through this gravel road and some people have never experienced a gravel road before,” he said. 

“I did have a courier actually run into the silo. Luckily, it was empty. Had it been full it would have been a close call.

“I was scared about that and when we walked out there, the poor guy was sitting in his seat, still alive, but not very well.”

No change despite multiple requests

The issue has frustrated the Quairading shire for the past eight years.

Shire president Jo Haythornthwaite said council had made numerous requests to have the maps changed.

“They’ve put a fair bit of time into trying to get Google to make that change … but they’ve had minimal success,” she said.

The signs have attracted attention around the world after being posted on a Sign Appreciation Page on Facebook.

Ms Haythornwaite said that the road was commonly used by locals, who better know how to navigate the road. 

“I’m very familiar with the road and I have used it, but I would pull my speed right back,” she said.

“I know how to do that but of course someone who’s never been on it doesn’t have that experience.”

The Facebook post has since received 14,000 likes while comments have highlighted the issue around the world.

Google says that a variety of sources are used to provide the most up-to-date information. It says it uses a combination of manual and automated techniques to check for accuracy.

“When there’s an issue, we work to fix it as quickly as we can,” the company said in a statement.

“We take a wide range of factors into account to deliver the best driving route, including road size, directness, estimated travel time, and fuel efficiency.”

A grazier in Queensland has also elected to erect his own sign after years of having bemused strangers arrive unannounced on his sprawling inland Queensland property.