Dangerous? Just inappropiate? Ok?

[+DeepButi]

I have an on-going serie of caches based on a very specific geografic characteristic.

 

One of the areas is all private property, no way to put a cache there (farmed land).

Luckily enough, a road crosses an angle of the area, so I hid the cache on a round-about (unsure of english name ... rotunda?). It's not on the main road, but on a crossing small bridge. But it's not obviously a "pedestrian" place. You can check the google image at GC1XXAE.

 

I had some complaints about the placement being "very dangerous".

 

It is for sure very exposed to cars passing by and seeing you in an uncommon place, so unsafe from the cache survival point of view, but not very much dangerous in terms of personal injuries/accident.

 

Any experienced opinions?

 

Thks

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I have an on-going serie of caches based on a very specific geografic characteristic.

 

One of the areas is all private property, no way to put a cache there (farmed land).

Luckily enough, a road crosses an angle of the area, so I hid the cache on a round-about (unsure of english name ... rotunda?). It's not on the main road, but on a crossing small bridge. But it's not obviously a "pedestrian" place. You can check the google image at GC1XXAE.

 

I had some complaints about the placement being "very dangerous".

 

It is for sure very exposed to cars passing by and seeing you in an uncommon place, so unsafe from the cache survival point of view, but not very much dangerous in terms of personal injuries/accident.

 

Any experienced opinions?

 

Thks

 

I can't see the bridge from the page listing but it looks find to me. You could add a "Not recommended for children attribute and mention something in the description that it's near the road so one should watch their children when searching for the cache.

 

I found a cache a couple of months ago that had neither in the description. It was along a flat trail but it ran very close to a very steep 200' drop into a gorge. I added a note in my log when I found it that others with children might want to watch them carefully when searching for the cache.

 

There are lots of caches out there that are potentially far more dangerous than yours. At the end of the day it's up to those that want to find with whether it's too risky to attempt. As long as you provide a reasonable amount of information about the potential danger you've done as much as you can.

[+DeepButi]

I can't see the bridge from the page listing but it looks find to me. You could add a "Not recommended for children attribute and mention something in the description that it's near the road so one should watch their children when searching for the cache.

 

I found a cache a couple of months ago that had neither in the description. It was along a flat trail but it ran very close to a very steep 200' drop into a gorge. I added a note in my log when I found it that others with children might want to watch them carefully when searching for the cache.

 

There are lots of caches out there that are potentially far more dangerous than yours. At the end of the day it's up to those that want to find with whether it's too risky to attempt. As long as you provide a reasonable amount of information about the potential danger you've done as much as you can.

 

That's my opinion also. Will add a note.

 

On the upper-right corner of the blue line marked area, there is a crossroad over the main road:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/map/default.aspx...;zm=19&mt=k

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I can't see the bridge from the page listing but it looks find to me. You could add a "Not recommended for children attribute and mention something in the description that it's near the road so one should watch their children when searching for the cache.

 

I found a cache a couple of months ago that had neither in the description. It was along a flat trail but it ran very close to a very steep 200' drop into a gorge. I added a note in my log when I found it that others with children might want to watch them carefully when searching for the cache.

 

There are lots of caches out there that are potentially far more dangerous than yours. At the end of the day it's up to those that want to find with whether it's too risky to attempt. As long as you provide a reasonable amount of information about the potential danger you've done as much as you can.

 

That's my opinion also. Will add a note.

 

On the upper-right corner of the blue line marked area, there is a crossroad over the main road:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/map/default.aspx...;zm=19&mt=k

 

Okay, now I see what you're talking about. The potential danger in this case is fairly obvious so I'm not sure how much more need mentioning. Still, a "not recommended for children" attribute would tell others that they may want to look for another cache if they have children with them. It's on caches where the dangers are not so apparent the when additional verbiage in the description is really helpful. For this one I'd be tempted to add "Beware of Muggles. They're all around you" as a hint.

[AZcachemeister]

You are not forcing anyone to find your cache, so it's up to them to decide if it's too dangerous to go after in their opinion.

Mentioning that children should not be taken there would be a nice courtesy.

We call them roundabout's too!

[+Team Cotati]

I have an on-going serie of caches based on a very specific geografic characteristic.

 

One of the areas is all private property, no way to put a cache there (farmed land).

Luckily enough, a road crosses an angle of the area, so I hid the cache on a round-about (unsure of english name ... rotunda?). It's not on the main road, but on a crossing small bridge. But it's not obviously a "pedestrian" place. You can check the google image at GC1XXAE.

 

I had some complaints about the placement being "very dangerous".

 

It is for sure very exposed to cars passing by and seeing you in an uncommon place, so unsafe from the cache survival point of view, but not very much dangerous in terms of personal injuries/accident.

 

Any experienced opinions?

 

Thks

 

So I'm wondering. When the cache seekers "complained" about the placement being very dangerous, to what 'danger' do you think that they were referring?

[+KBI]

You are not forcing anyone to find your cache, so it's up to them to decide if it's too dangerous to go after in their opinion.

Mentioning that children should not be taken there would be a nice courtesy.

Exactly.

 

Cache page hazard warnings exist more for the convenience of cachers, not so much for their safety. In other words: It is up to each individual cacher to continually consider, based on his/her own individual circumstances, when to continue a cache hunt and when to abort it. Flagging unusual risks by describing them on your cache page is always good, but it mainly serves to helps folks decide whether to attempt your cache in the first place.

 

I had some complaints about the placement being "very dangerous".

In my opinion, as long as the risks are reasonably obvious and the hazard is not intentional on your part – in other words, as long as the cache not some kind of premeditated booby trap – then let 'em complain.

 

In your case the hazard appears to be extremely obvious. If a cacher gets near the location and decides that your cache is too risky for him, there is nothing to prevent him from skipping your hide and moving on to the next one.

 

All Geocaching is outdoors, and all outdoor activities are inherently dangerous. It is solely the seekers responsibility to decide when and whether to proceed.

 

Not only is that true in a legal sense (and I assume that applies in your country), but there is also no getting around the fact that it would be impossible for a cache owner to foresee and eliminate every possible hazard associated with his cache.

 

If anyone ever emailed me with a complaint about one of my caches being too dangerous I would most likely respond by politely reminding them that all caching is optional, and I might also include a couple of alternate recommendations for the area.

[GOF and Bacall]

What the hell. Have these people never crossed a street? Ignore them.

[+deercreekth]

The British woman in my GPS calls them roundabouts as well. I had never heard that term before. It's much better than annoying-circle-thingies-like-they-have-on-the-East-Coast, which is what I used to call them.

[+KBI]

May I suggest a better name? How about "beat-around-the-bush."

 

[+DeepButi]

Thks for all answers. Seems clear to me but now I feel a lot better . Will redirect here any new complain .

 

The British woman in my GPS calls them roundabouts as well. I had never heard that term before. It's much better than annoying-circle-thingies-like-they-have-on-the-East-Coast, which is what I used to call them.

Wikipedia is your friend Roundabout

[+private pudding]

I found a cache once that was suspened from a bridge by a piece of fishing line....the bridge deck was one of those open metal grate type and the cache was suspended smack dab in the middle!!! We had to dodge a few cars as you couldn't remove the container from the line, had to just crouch in the middle of the bridge to remove the log. I didn't think of it as being dangerous, I rather got a kick out of the placement!

[Dinoprophet]

They are roundabouts here. Those are tempting little hiding spots, aren't they? I probably wouldn't due to visibility, but cripes, it's crossing a street. A one-way, low-speed street.

[+Cache O'Plenty]

On the "roundabout" theme - Arizona has a number of them in the newer tracts around Sedona. Seems it's cheaper to put in a roundabout rather than street lights. Makes sense. And, yes, the warning signs call them roundabouts.

[+sbell111]

On the "roundabout" theme - Arizona has a number of them in the newer tracts around Sedona. Seems it's cheaper to put in a roundabout rather than street lights. Makes sense. And, yes, the warning signs call them roundabouts.

I had a cache in a roundabout once. It got destroyed when someone decided to try to drive straight through.

[+Castle Mischief]

On the "roundabout" theme - Arizona has a number of them in the newer tracts around Sedona. Seems it's cheaper to put in a roundabout rather than street lights. Makes sense. And, yes, the warning signs call them roundabouts.

I had a cache in a roundabout once. It got destroyed when someone decided to try to drive straight through.

 

Seriously? What's the cache ID?

[+deercreekth]

Thks for all answers. Seems clear to me but now I feel a lot better . Will redirect here any new complain .

 

The British woman in my GPS calls them roundabouts as well. I had never heard that term before. It's much better than annoying-circle-thingies-like-they-have-on-the-East-Coast, which is what I used to call them.

Wikipedia is your friend Roundabout

 

Oooh, that article has another term the British woman in my GPS likes to use-- motorway.

[+flask]

they are also alternately called "rotaries".

 

they are not just cheaper, but where people know how to use them, they keep the traffic moving more smoothly.

[+Teacosies]

Talking of round-abouts, in the UK; ours work that trafic on the round-about has priority (priority to the right) How do they work in the US, we were in MA last year (we love the US) and they used to scare the hell out of me. Sometimes people would just drive straight onto and off the roundabout with no apparent priority. I know they aren't that common in the states but what's the correct way to use a roundabout?

[+Cache O'Plenty]

Priority goes to those in the roundabout. Traffic coming into it must yield (those in it would be coming from the left on this side of the pond!). Stay in the outer ring for the next exit or move to the center one if going to a later exit.

 

I grew up on the east coast and used them quite frequently. Most of them are much larger than the ones I've seen in Arizona. In fact, one that I remember actually had a crossroads in the center with a traffic light. Didn't work well, as you can imagine!

Edited September 29, 2009 by Cache O'Plenty

[GOF and Bacall]

they are also alternately called "rotaries".

 

they are not just cheaper, but where people know how to use them, they keep the traffic moving more smoothly.

 

And where they don't the front wheel of my motorcycle leaves a skid mark on someones car door.

(We wont talk about where the other skid mark ended up. )

[+Teacosies]

Priority goes to those in the roundabout. Traffic coming into it must yield (those in it would be coming from the left on this side of the pond!). Stay in the outer ring for the next exit or move to the center one if going to a later exit.

 

Thanks, that's the same way we would use them. I thought it was me

[+Okiebryan]

In my part of the US, they are called "Traffic Circles". They are not used to save money over traffic lights, they actually cost considerably more. What they are for is to slow down traffic through an intersection. They are very effective. However, many people here are not exactly used to them, and they don't quite understand the concept of yielding to enter the circle.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Yeah! I hate it when Gupy tells me we're coming to a roundabout. We don't have those! We have traffic circles. Or, we used to. They're not very good in high traffic areas - too many accidents. So most have been replaced by intersections with traffic lights. Much safer.

[+DeepButi]

9 finds, 1 DNF and 9 negative comments later I give up. Disabled ... and probably archived.

 

 

Seems people here is really scared of crossing a secondary road to reach a small round-about.

 

 

I have been in a really dangerous cache (hidden tunnels, holes, oxided metal parts, falling buildings) and everybody's comments are "what a great location"! It's clear my sensibility is uncommon.

[+tomfuller & Quill]

Bend Oregon is a town with more than 20 roundabouts. Several cachers have tried putting caches on the central island of a roundabout. When the reviewer found out where these caches were, they got archived.

If you read down the Wikipedia page you will find that pedestrian traffic is not permitted onto the central island.

The crosswalks are on the outer perimeter of the roundabout.

Trying to get to the central island of a roundabout is not only dangerous but in most places illegal.

When it snows in Bend, I try to avoid the roundabouts because of all the slowing and stopping with a few people who don't know how to drive well in snow.

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

9 finds, 1 DNF and 9 negative comments later I give up. Disabled ... and probably archived.

 

 

Seems people here is really scared of crossing a secondary road to reach a small round-about.

 

 

I have been in a really dangerous cache (hidden tunnels, holes, oxided metal parts, falling buildings) and everybody's comments are "what a great location"! It's clear my sensibility is uncommon.

 

That's really odd. In my short caching career in the UK I've noticed quite a few roundabout caches. There are some truly interesting nature spots - especially the bigger ones.

 

I'd say re-enable it - up the terrain and put a warning on the cache page. But it's really down to the seekers if they want to attempt a cache. I can't interpret the Spanish but if all those people logged a find and still complained I'd call that hypocritical.

[GOF and Bacall]

Check the local laws. If it isn't illegal then leave it and don't worry about what a few people say. If it is illegal then archive the hide and recycle the container to a new location.

 

I know of traffic circles that are like little parks. Benches and plantings and even fountains.

[+GeoGeeBee]

I know of traffic circles that are like little parks. Benches and plantings and even fountains.

 

Is there a shelter in the middle? With a pretty nurse selling poppies? I bet she feels as if she's in a play!

 

"Greatest single ever"

[+Planojoe]

You've gotten similar responses already, but I'll add one more to reiterate superflous redundancy that you can read over and over again repeatedly.

 

Opinions are like belly buttons (that's the nice version) and everone has one. I don't think there's a single cache in nearly 1,000,000 active caches that everyone agrees is the best way to hide. Do your thing, let the finder decide what he/she does or does not want to endure to find, try to rate accordingly and warn accordingly and do your best to give a rats a** what anyone thinks past that!

 

Keep up the creativity and tell the haters to butt a stump (got that one from my 70 year old mom... never understood it, but it sounds funny).

[+PeoriaBill]

I am not saying I wouldn't go after this one, but it is obvious that this cache is in a dangerous spot. You have drivers entering from three directions, not expecting to see someone on the road, doesn't appear to be any safe parking, so a jaunt down the highway is required. There is nothing special about this spot, so why not find a spot with no obvious perils. Again, I respect your right to place the cache, but it just would not be my first choice of a hiding spot. Peoria Bill :>)

[+PeoriaBill]

I am not saying I wouldn't go after this one, but it is obvious that this cache is in a dangerous spot. You have drivers entering from three directions, not expecting to see someone on the road, doesn't appear to be any safe parking, so a jaunt down the highway is required. There is nothing special about this spot, so why not find a spot with no obvious perils. Again, I respect your right to place the cache, but it just would not be my first choice of a hiding spot. Peoria Bill :>)

[+DeepButi]

I am not saying I wouldn't go after this one, but it is obvious that this cache is in a dangerous spot. You have drivers entering from three directions, not expecting to see someone on the road, doesn't appear to be any safe parking, so a jaunt down the highway is required. There is nothing special about this spot, so why not find a spot with no obvious perils. Again, I respect your right to place the cache, but it just would not be my first choice of a hiding spot. Peoria Bill :>)

 

Yes & no . It's easy to park, it's a secondary road using a bridge over the main road, not a real problem.

The "special" about this spot is that it belongs to a serie of all county enclaves of our State. This particular enclave is not only extremely small but also almost all farmed land. I was not happy at all when placing the cache there but I coudln't find anything better .

Even if I consider it not so dangerous, I will not activate it again: I don't like having a cache that people doesn't like! I wouldn't care about lots of DNFs or few people going there, but what's the point in maintaining something that nobody likes?

I will go and make my best to find a second location ... there must be some place to hide a cache.

 

Thanks

[+sbell111]

... Even if I consider it not so dangerous, I will not activate it again: I don't like having a cache that people doesn't like! I wouldn't care about lots of DNFs or few people going there, but what's the point in maintaining something that nobody likes?

I will go and make my best to find a second location ... there must be some place to hide a cache.

 

Thanks

Be careful with that train of thought. If you let a few people in the forums decide whether your cache is good or bad, you may as well never hide another.

[GOF and Bacall]

... Even if I consider it not so dangerous, I will not activate it again: I don't like having a cache that people doesn't like! I wouldn't care about lots of DNFs or few people going there, but what's the point in maintaining something that nobody likes?

I will go and make my best to find a second location ... there must be some place to hide a cache.

 

Thanks

Be careful with that train of thought. If you let a few people in the forums decide whether your cache is good or bad, you may as well never hide another.

 

I don't think DeepButi based the decision on forum posts as much as finder logs.

9 finds, 1 DNF and 9 negative comments later I give up. Disabled ... and probably archived.

[+Team Cotati]

I have an on-going serie of caches based on a very specific geografic characteristic.

 

One of the areas is all private property, no way to put a cache there (farmed land).

Luckily enough, a road crosses an angle of the area, so I hid the cache on a round-about (unsure of english name ... rotunda?). It's not on the main road, but on a crossing small bridge. But it's not obviously a "pedestrian" place. You can check the google image at GC1XXAE.

 

I had some complaints about the placement being "very dangerous".

 

It is for sure very exposed to cars passing by and seeing you in an uncommon place, so unsafe from the cache survival point of view, but not very much dangerous in terms of personal injuries/accident.

 

Any experienced opinions?

 

Thks

 

Unfortunately the logs seem to be in Spanish a language that I am sadly not proficient in using.

 

However let me say this, if the majority of the seekers of a cache oh let's say after about 10 or so, make the same observation that a location is dangerous, then I'd go with the majority opinion. That does not mean that you have to do anything in particular unless you want to make visiting the cache a more pleasant experience.

[+Matt_B_Good]

There is an Attribute for Dangerous area. Sounds like a good cache to use it on.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Unless something has changed that I don't know about cache locations are not evaluated for danger. It is the responsibility of each cacher at each cache to decide what level of risk is acceptable. If getting to the cache worries you, don't go there.

[Skippermark]

In my part of the US, they are called "Traffic Circles". They are not used to save money over traffic lights, they actually cost considerably more. What they are for is to slow down traffic through an intersection. They are very effective. However, many people here are not exactly used to them, and they don't quite understand the concept of yielding to enter the circle.

My Nuvi (might change depending on which voice I use - I use the Australian girl) calls them roundabouts. In CT, we don't really have them. If so, they are rare, but they are plentiful up in MA. It can be a little confusing if you're not used to them. The worst is when you get stuck in one and can't get over to get to your exit because people aren't following the law and yielding to the car that's in the circle.

[+rob3k]

In my part of the US, they are called "Traffic Circles". They are not used to save money over traffic lights, they actually cost considerably more. What they are for is to slow down traffic through an intersection. They are very effective. However, many people here are not exactly used to them, and they don't quite understand the concept of yielding to enter the circle.

My Nuvi (might change depending on which voice I use - I use the Australian girl) calls them roundabouts. In CT, we don't really have them. If so, they are rare, but they are plentiful up in MA. It can be a little confusing if you're not used to them. The worst is when you get stuck in one and can't get over to get to your exit because people aren't following the law and yielding to the car that's in the circle.

 

"Hey look kids, there's Big Ben! and Parliament! and Big Ben, and Parliament, and Big Ben..."

Edited October 27, 2009 by rob3k

[Skippermark]

In my part of the US, they are called "Traffic Circles". They are not used to save money over traffic lights, they actually cost considerably more. What they are for is to slow down traffic through an intersection. They are very effective. However, many people here are not exactly used to them, and they don't quite understand the concept of yielding to enter the circle.

My Nuvi (might change depending on which voice I use - I use the Australian girl) calls them roundabouts. In CT, we don't really have them. If so, they are rare, but they are plentiful up in MA. It can be a little confusing if you're not used to them. The worst is when you get stuck in one and can't get over to get to your exit because people aren't following the law and yielding to the car that's in the circle.

 

"Hey look kids, there's Big Ben! and Parliament! and Big Ben, and Parliament, and Big Ben..."

So, Mark, what did you on vacation? Drove around a lot...

[+Renegade Knight]

Yeah! I hate it when Gupy tells me we're coming to a roundabout. We don't have those! We have traffic circles. Or, we used to. They're not very good in high traffic areas - too many accidents. So most have been replaced by intersections with traffic lights. Much safer.

 

Roundabout or Traffic Circle it's the same. I speak both languages on that. Our first one in my area remains and ugly pox on the land. It was built too small, in bad location (for roundabouts), for the wrong reasons, and set the public opinion in stone "They freaking suck".

 

Then they built one right, but nobody uses it becasue the developer vision which included a busy road and a lot of shopping locations didn't pan out in our current economy. This one doesn't work because there is nobody there to use it. Maybe they can lease it for NASCAR practice.

[+Renegade Knight]

In my part of the US, they are called "Traffic Circles". They are not used to save money over traffic lights, they actually cost considerably more. What they are for is to slow down traffic through an intersection. They are very effective. However, many people here are not exactly used to them, and they don't quite understand the concept of yielding to enter the circle.

 

If someone does manage to save money over a traffic signal, the roundabout is probably too small to work well.

[Dj Storm]

I searched for one cache hidden in a roundabout (coincidentally it was in Spain). It was 3 AM, and I stopped the search after 1-2 minutes because the fourth car drove through the roundabout, and I was unwilling to compromise the cache location.

People have no reason to be in the inside circle of the roundabout, so anyone being there is suspicious. The location is also very visible. I don't worry about crossing the street to the island, but I don't like searching while attracting the attention of passers-by.