Bill & Tammy's comment that they "think on the whole as a hobby we are less of a threat to the public safety than the majority of outdoor activities" is so true.
I know people who participate in a worldwide mid-distance runner's organization called the Hash House Harriers (Vancouver club's website is Vancouver Hash House Harriers), which basically has an advance person laying out white flour in little piles every 50 yards or so along a route of several miles. About a year ago, some bozo member laid out a route through the food court area of a Vancouver downtown office center. At some point the same day, the HAZMAT squad got called in, as "white powder" was reported to the police. Several blocks were cordoned off. This event made the evening news, and cost a lot of people significant inconvenience.
The upshot - the Hashers in Vancouver are seeking to use alternate materials to mark their path.
For me, I prefer a geocache to be hidden in a non-urban location - but if it's in the city, it should be in a quiet corner of the park, away from muggles who can get easily alarmed. The stealth factor was once exciting to me, but now I see it as a downer. Who wants to loiter in private walkways of hospital areas, feeling up and down the non-exposed backside of a ventilation pipe? You just end up feeling like a felon all the while.
And yes - parking lot caches (we've got 'em in Vancouver too) should be banned altogether, even if permission is supposedly obtained.
