Cache Guidelines Question

[Braff-n-MandaRue]

Just wondering what the guidelines are to placing a cache near a Highway? It is a U.S. highway, the cache is approx 50 ft -80 ft from the highway edge and parking is on the shoulder, near an intersection. The highway is busy with cars at all times of the day. We looked for this cache and was concerned about it's location and wondered if it would be appropriate to report it as being a possbile danger to one hunting the cache, as it seems the owner doesn't seem concerned. Any information or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Keystone]

There's a guideline about highway bridges, but you don't mention a bridge. There's also a guideline about complying with applicable laws. Some jurisdictions regulate pedestrian traffic on limited access highways, for example, and on some highways parking on the shoulder is limited to emergency purposes only.

 

Absent a violation of law or of any applicable listing guideline, the rest is left to the community to work through with the cache owner. The cache review process is not a guarantee of safety, quality or a number of other things that people would like it to be.

[+Renegade Knight]

Roads connect things. It should be no suprise that you have caches near a highway. You don't mention if the highway is the only place to park to access the cache and even if it is, if that's an issue. Most highways provide access to the adjoining lands. Even with fishing sometimes you have to park along them. In addition you said it's near an intersection but is the intersection road also a highway?

 

There are a thousand variables. The botton line is that you as the cache seeker need to assess your ability and comfort in seeking a cache. If the cache is beyond your skill, or it's beyond your safety comfort, pass on it.

[Keystone]

Well put, RK. And when there are a thousand variables, those tend to be bad subjects for cache listing guidelines.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Here they are The Listing Guidelines. You can read them for yourself.

[Braff-n-MandaRue]

No it is not near a bridge. The intersection near this road is also connected to yet another busy highway. This cache is also located within yards of an elementary school. The shoulder is the only place to park to access this cache unless you want to park at that elementary school and walk through a creek to get to it. The cache is not beyond my skill , but it is beyond my safety concerns, as I do not feel safe getting out of my vehicle on a shoulder of a busy highway where anything could happen (i.e., a car losing control and striking me and my vehicle and killing me). And I have read the Guidelines that was posted for myself, that is why I posted the question on the forums to see if I was missing something. I understand that the cache review process is not a guarantee of safety, but I myself think it should be. I don't think a cache should be placed where someone could get hurt, or killed. Of course, that is just me and usually my opinions don't count for much. Thank you for your responses though. I truly appreciate them.

[Keystone]

If the cache was hidden after February 2005, it may be in violation of the guidelines -- caches placed at or near elementary or secondary schools were added to the list of "Off Limits" areas in the 2/05 guidelines update. Caches older than that are grandfathered.

 

How would you propose that I review caches for safety? Visit each one before it gets published? I'd have to deny any cache involving rock climbing, using a boat, etc. My own worst injury occurred along a nice trail in the woods. It was my own choice to walk down it on a day when the trail was a sheet of glare ice.

[Braff-n-MandaRue]

No I'm not saying visit every one before it gets published, I realize that is almost nearly impossible for most reviewers to do. But there should be something that constitutes safety for cachers seeking proposed caches... The cache owner needs to ask themselves first off is this going to cause any danger to anyone seeking this cache, i.e., beside of a busy 4 lane highway where there is no parking but on the shoulder. Maybe there should be something on the submit new cache form asking does this pose any danger to cache seekers. The difficulty/terrain rating shouldn't rate safety either. Difficulty/terrain to me, does not equal safety. But again that is just me. If I look at a cache page, it isn't necessarily going to say "this is beside a busy 4 lane highway where you park on a shoulder, so be careful" So I being a cache seeker am going to take time and go to this cache and get there only to have my safety jeopardized. If I know something isn't safe, I'm not going to do it, but if I don't know if it's safe or unsafe, I make the trip there and waste my time. I guess that is a risk geocachers have to take, but I for one am not taking that risk much longer. I guess it's going to have to take more than just me saying they want to be assured safety, instead of having people tell them to take that risk or pass on it.

[+Harry Dolphin]

I hear the siren from the Cache Police Car.

The simple answer is: If you do not feel safe hunting for the cache, then don't!

Shall we make every cache absolutely safe for everyone? No. that's what terrain ratings and common sense are for.

I'll reference my old nemesis, the Appalachian Trail, here. In the last twelve years, I've section hiked half of the AT. I've run across three major highways with full backpack. I've climbed more than a few four-thousand foot mountains. I've waded across waist deep streams in full backpack. I've climbed more than nine thousand feet of elevation change in one day.

Is this safe? No. Only two people have died hiking the AT. (They were murdered.) Have people suffered life-changing injuries or illnesses? Definitely. You sound as though you think this sort of exercise should be banned as being too dangerous. I say: You put down your nickel and you take your chances. You are free to do, or not do, whatever you choose.

Let the rest of us choose what we want to do.

Thank you.

[Braff-n-MandaRue]

You know, I posted the original question on the forums because I couldn't find the answer I was looking for on the FAQ/Help pages. I was hoping to get an answer of whether or not I was looking over something or if there even was an answer to my question. And the responses I got have been "well if you don't feel safe then don't do it." I've not said that I think climbing and hiking and wading should be banned as being too dangerous. I have not said that I think anything should be banned. I agree you are free to do what you choose to do or not to do. Hiking and climbing and wading through waist deep streams have nothing to do with parking on a shoulder of a busy 4 lane road either. As I stated earlier my opinions never count for much and I see that my concern for everyone's , not only my, safety is going to be a waste of time. Keep debating this issue if you must, leave me out of it, as I am stepping out. I got an answer to my question, maybe not the one I was seeking originally but still yet an answer. Have a nice day.