Scotland’s capital city will install barriers near a set of steps that have been crashed into by oblivious drivers following incorrect directions from Google and Apple maps, officials said.
The temporary move in Edinburgh is going into effect after a number of vehicles, including at least one commercial truck, drove the wrong way and got stuck on the top step when relying on the navigation tools, according to reports.
“The footpath in this area is incredibly busy, so these incidents are really concerning,” one councilor, Scott Arthur, said, according to Sky News.
“While we would expect drivers to use common sense in a situation like this, we are going to install temporary barriers this week to prevent it happening again.”
The road layout reportedly changed over the last year when the steps were installed.
A delivery driver as recently as Monday made the cringe-worthy mishap as he tried to reach a nearby theater.
“I was just following the (navigation system). I always remember I used to come down this way. I followed it and just got stuck,” he told BBC Scotland News. “I had no idea there was a step there, I used to come down this way. I am a bit embarrassed about it.”
Officials wrote Apple and Google in hopes of the tech companies making a change to its navigation tools.
While Google Maps recently confirmed an update has been made, the city is awaiting a reply from Apple Maps about the correction request, Sky News reported. For now, the barriers will be put in place.
“(Satellite navigation) is an incredibly useful tool, but it’s no substitute for common sense,” Arthur, the local official, said. “Cars and trucks don’t go down steps.”
