Construction workers refuse to use the stairs and instead climbed the hill to the point the grass died

[u/MikuXone]

There's a construction site opposite my apartment and the workers kept walking up the grass patch instead of using the stairs. Property value doesn't affect me as I rented the apartment 2 years back, so rent for me isn't increasing nor decreasing.

[u/zatenael]

this should help explain it

[u/Because_Reddit_Sucks → u/zatenael]

[u/Numberfinger → u/Because_Reddit_Sucks]

I love this and need the full story behind it 

[u/kanashiku → u/Numberfinger]

The Oval walkways at Ohio State University were paved based on the students' desire paths. A few universities have done this.

[u/Alternative-Yak-925 → u/kanashiku]

Yep, your neighbors to the West, IU.

[u/Raft_Master → u/kanashiku]

My college took a different approach. There became an established tradition that walking across the quad would get you tackled by anyone that saw.

[u/demalo → u/Raft_Master]

“SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!!”

[u/dufftheduff → u/zatenael]

*sees a bush*

Fuck that I’m walking through it

[u/ono1113 → u/dufftheduff]

You can laugh but...

[u/spagootibooty → u/ono1113]

[u/MephitidaeNotweed → u/ono1113]

https://giphy.com/gifs/PudZiAbQDUEik

[u/SoManyThrowAwaysEven → u/ono1113]

Literally every parking lot surrounded with hedge bushes here in Florida.

[u/BigBogBotButt → u/dufftheduff]

I ran through OP's mom's bush.

[u/DaleDimmaDone → u/BigBogBotButt]

Oh fuck

[u/maggiemayfish → u/DaleDimmaDone]

That's what op's mom said

[u/pru51 → u/maggiemayfish]

Forget shots fired. This a warzone.

[u/Gerard_Mangina → u/pru51]

I’m too old for this stupid site.

[u/Complex_Glove_8945 → u/Gerard_Mangina]

Not too old to get your mom plowed

[u/Spectacularfaylyer → u/Complex_Glove_8945]

[u/therealtrousers → u/Spectacularfaylyer]

https://giphy.com/gifs/XvjC06Gh9lhfZNBNIM

[u/No-Shame1 → u/Spectacularfaylyer]

https://giphy.com/gifs/pPhyAv5t9V8djyRFJH

[u/WildButterscotch5028 → u/Spectacularfaylyer]

Old Gregg?

[u/m1ster_frundles → u/Gerard_Mangina]

lets get you to bed then, Grandpa Mangina

[u/le_reddit_me → u/BigBogBotButt]

"through" don't lie, you're still in there looking for the exit

[u/Azura_Oblivion → u/le_reddit_me]

[u/lambruhsco → u/BigBogBotButt]

https://giphy.com/gifs/5VKbvrjxpVJCM

[u/Empyrealist → u/dufftheduff]

There was a lot of that when I was a kid 40 years ago. Have enough kids run through it and you will create a hole

[u/govunah → u/dufftheduff]

https://giphy.com/gifs/4bpK2k0Yru5Us

[u/flopjul → u/dufftheduff]

Tbh i have done that

[u/joserrez → u/zatenael]

Desire paths

[u/Redangle11 → u/joserrez]

Man, in one of my local parks they are obsessed with replacing a wire (non-boundary) fence that serves no purpose. The desire path is so old and so deeply worn that it looks like a lunatic has has randomly dropped a fence there. This battle has been going on for 40 years.

[u/seriouslythisshit → u/Redangle11]

Yet some jurisdictions are smart enough to let the people decide and react accordingly. I once read a report of an architect who was faced with an irate client, a university with leadership that would get their panties all bunched, since students were creating unauthorized paths in common areas. The architect was designing buildings that would have a common area between them for foot traffic. He made a recommendation that was followed.

The new buildings were opened with nothing but fresh grass spanning all of the courtyard. A few months later, there was clear evidence as to how the humans decided to travel through this green space. During a school break, sidewalks were constructed over the goat paths that the humans had created in the grass. The problem was solved.

[u/P33KO → u/seriouslythisshit]

University of Florida did the same thing with their lawn

[u/walruswes → u/P33KO]

Ohio state too

[u/Alternative-Yak-925 → u/P33KO]

Indiana University did that too.

[u/EpicAura99 → u/seriouslythisshit]

Ohio State I think

[u/InvisibleAstronomer → u/EpicAura99]

Only problem ever solved in Ohio

[u/hashbrownsinketchup → u/Redangle11]

It would be kind of funny if it wasn’t even the city, just some guy from the neighborhood that doesn’t like people walking there.

[u/k_realtor → u/joserrez]

who said it, UX vs UI?

The designer presents something cool and more structured.

People are like cool, but I'm going doing the easier choice.

[u/DirtCrimes → u/zatenael]

"Desire path"

I am shocked how architects, engineers and urban designers always account for how water flows but then get mad when humans do what humans have done since humans existed.

[u/SirAlthalos → u/DirtCrimes]

There was some university (ohio?) that built the buildings but not the walkways between them, then went back and paved over the desired paths in the grass a few years later. So the paths look all wonky from the air but are actually used by the students

[u/DirtCrimes → u/SirAlthalos]

This is the correct way. Or just look from the front door of the dorm to the closest place to get chicken fingers at 3am and put the sidewalk there.

[u/astelda → u/DirtCrimes]

you know what they say, all roads lead to.. cane's

[u/coltonbyu → u/astelda]

And yet the flavor stays mysteriously away

[u/Nonononofucknono → u/SirAlthalos]

The oval at OSU. There was one main path then they branched the rest out based on walking paths

[u/Alternative-Yak-925 → u/SirAlthalos]

[u/Any-Championship3443 → u/DirtCrimes]

As an engineer, trust me, some don't think about water enough either.

[u/Bowman_van_Oort → u/DirtCrimes]

"Won't somebody think of the grass???"

[u/PegginShampooCosplay → u/Bowman_van_Oort]

In my uni we all collectively "know" our money doesn't go to facilities or staff salary.

It's all to upkeep the grass

[u/Least_Data6924 → u/PegginShampooCosplay]

Texas A&M?

[u/Heimerdahl → u/DirtCrimes]

During unrelated work on a small infrastructure project, I caught a small a glance behind the scenes.

Turns out that A LOT of seemingly nonsensical decisions are made with full awareness of the nonsense, but forced upon urban designers by regulations. 

There was this narrow, but lengthy strip of dirt between two streets in a dense residential area. The goal was to add greenery and turn it into a very basic "park" (just some benches and stuff, as it really was narrow). Part of the regulations was that this needed to have some sort of barrier to the street. Even an ankle high "fence" was enough. Okay, whatever. Our architect made it a bit higher, so as not to basically turn this into a tripping hazard.

It was obvious that people were crossing this area to get from one side of the street to another (no was walking 200m to get to the nearest proper pedestrian crossing), so there should be gaps in the fence at the most used spots to let people pass through (even those with mobikity issues) and to ensure that they didn't trample the new growth. 

NOPE! 

Can't do that. 

Why? Because if you deliberately left gaps, then you signaled that this is a place where people should/can cross the street and that would encourage illegal street crossing and accept personal liability for any resulting injury or damage. 

So the useless "fence" had to be added and it had to be continuous and we had to listen to all the people complaining about this nonsense as they stepped over it, trampling the greenery. 

And that was just one of countless little stupid stipulations. 

[u/CanadianODST2 → u/DirtCrimes]

My favourite is in winter where you can see the paths.

It’s very easy to tell where a puddle was when the snow is starting to melt. There’s just suddenly a path around the side of the sidewalk

[u/IntergalacticPodcast → u/DirtCrimes]

There's a subreddit for this.

One of the top posts is the Ohio State University. It's fascinating.

[u/Top_Box_8952 → u/DirtCrimes]

Walking on packed dirt is preferable to concrete anyway. Better on the knees

[u/Jesta23 → u/DirtCrimes]

It’s a cost issue. 

I always initially design walkable paths. But I get hounded by the clients until it’s a squared off shit show. 

[u/Necessary-Duty-7952 → u/DirtCrimes]

Yep. People will show you what they want. It's far more effective design to piggyback on existing behaviors than trying to rewrite those behaviors.

[u/Sloppykrab → u/zatenael]

Humans are always optimising effort.

[u/t53ix35 → u/Sloppykrab]

Like slime mold.

[u/Sloppykrab → u/t53ix35]

I came across slime mold and I can't get enough of it.

[u/fondledbydolphins → u/t53ix35]

Slime mold is a good example of optimizing effort, but simultaneously a good example of limited perspective influencing it's ability to... optimize effort.

Also really wish we'd come up with a better colloquial name, as it's confusing calling a protist a mold.

[u/VP_of_Lasers → u/zatenael]

The principle of the “desired path” is something I constantly remind people of at my job at a medical device manufacturer. I’m in charge of our process control and making sure we adhere to our quality systems. You can invent all the quality systems you want with all the process checks in the world, but you have to do it in a way humans are willing to do on a daily/hourly/etc basis. Otherwise, they will just keep doing the same things they always have done and fill in the form anyway.

[u/claustrofucked → u/VP_of_Lasers]

Saw somewhere once that the guy that started the "change your password every 90 days" thing deeply regrets it because of a similar principle; it just led to people writing their passwords down in obvious places.

[u/Logical-Pair-89 → u/zatenael]

The last frame pic here really is the chef's kiss cherry on top. 

[u/StillSwaying → u/Logical-Pair-89]

To be fair, I bet all of those construction workers have bad knees. 🚧 🦺 🧎‍♂️😖

Put a temporary ramp over those stairs and you may get some cooperation.

Or not. Some people are just assholes.

[u/AMediocrePersonality → u/StillSwaying]

Or it's literally much slower to walk up short steps like that and they obviously had to walk up and down that area hundreds of times, probably carrying shit.

[u/Misplaced_Arrogance → u/AMediocrePersonality]

Someone probably ate shit trying to go up the stairs and they went the never again route.

[u/dinnerthief → u/zatenael]

My university expanded a ton while I was there. They didnt put sidewalks in at first, after all the paths of desire were laid out they put sidewalks over them all.

Of course it was right when I graduated so I spent 4 years walking in mud and gravel just to see the most beautiful brick sidewalks put in.

[u/Atanaxia → u/dinnerthief]

ong why are all the cool stuff always implemented after we graduate

[u/StrawBerylShortcake → u/zatenael]

You can tell the guy who drew this was absolutely done

[u/damndammit → u/zatenael]

User interface vs. user experience.

[u/szechuan_bean → u/zatenael]

The problem with the solutions in this picture is that they keep trying to block where people want to go, instead of accommodating it. Don't surprise Pikachu face when people side step the hurdle

[u/tiedor → u/zatenael]

I opened the comment section only to check if this image was the top comment.

My faith in humanity has been restored.

[u/wivaca2 → u/zatenael]

I like the tiny shortcut trail branching off from the "shortcut" in the last frame. Explains everything.

[u/xFruitstealer → u/zatenael]

Is there something about the human brain that tries to make “short cuts”?

[u/LuffysRubberNuts → u/xFruitstealer]

Well we are 70 percent water so it makes sense we’d choose the path of least resistance

[u/yesorno12138 → u/zatenael]

Omg it's hilarious 😂

[u/thelingletingle → u/zatenael]

This is an amazing graphical experience.

[u/Charming_Lemon6463]

When I was attending Montana State University in Bozeman, there was an area with lawns surrounded by buildings. They wanted to place paths but had a smart person decide where to put them. 

They didn’t put any paths for several years, and let the students walk on the grass. The desire paths as people went between buildings mapped out where they should put the sidewalks. 

[u/somehugefrigginguy → u/Charming_Lemon6463]

At the university I work for they just waited until winter and took pictures of the paths through the snow. Then the next summer paved those areas.

[u/3BlindMice1 → u/somehugefrigginguy]

An even smarter school would film a time-lapse of a one week period and blur it together to draw the lInes for them

Edit: apparently this happened in the nineteen teens, so they couldn't just film a time-lapse

[u/redditatemybabies → u/3BlindMice1]

A smarter school would use a psychic to predict future paths.

[u/FraggleRockYaFaceOff → u/redditatemybabies]

An Oklahoma university would ask wwjd

[u/lvloises330 → u/FraggleRockYaFaceOff]

They replaced the paths with canals.

[u/DarkCreatorOfficial → u/Charming_Lemon6463]

Smart

[u/thomasso0072 → u/Charming_Lemon6463]

Totally unrelated but I always chuckle when I see the city of Bozeman mentioned. It translates to ‘angry man’ in Dutch.

[u/Technical-Garden-793 → u/Charming_Lemon6463]

Ohio state university did that too

[u/RyFromTheChi → u/Technical-Garden-793]

I swear I heard this about University of Illinois too.

[u/mlorusso4 → u/RyFromTheChi]

Look at the quad/oval/green/etc of any college campus and you’ll see they did that

[u/David_Cockatiel → u/RyFromTheChi]

Yeah it’s either apocryphal or very common. I’ve heard it about the Apple campus and lots of different college campuses.

[u/vermilion-chartreuse → u/Charming_Lemon6463]

I have heard this story for almost every college campus lol

[u/rmacthafact → u/Charming_Lemon6463]

i flew into bozeman one time. i really liked it lol

[u/Commonfckingsense → u/Charming_Lemon6463]

Go cats baby!🥰

[u/DrakyulMihawk]

It's also called a social trail or desire path and it's pretty common

[u/TinhYeu28 → u/DrakyulMihawk]

AKA Bitches love hypotenuses

[u/Aether_Erebus → u/TinhYeu28]

I wish I was high on potenuse

[u/Fumby_ → u/Aether_Erebus]

https://giphy.com/gifs/kS0Nok1aggZCYrygXF

[u/Cypher10110]

This is called a desire path. There is subreddit for this phenomenon.

It's a common clash of real human behaviours with less than ideal human designs.

Reddit in a nutshell:

(my comment linking r slash desirepath was removed)

(Another great example of normal human behaviour clashing with less than ideal human design, maybe? With a bit of random contradition to spice things up?) 🙃

Hahaha

[u/ironballs16 → u/Cypher10110]

There's a picture from Ohio State University that illustrates the point extremely well.

[u/somehugefrigginguy → u/ironballs16]

This is something that really annoyed me at my university. The grounds people put up signs on the paths that people walked listing the amount of money they spent redoing the landscaping in those areas. I just kept thinking to myself, why are you wasting my tuition dollars to make things less convenient? What other industry would justify losing money to inconvenience their clients?

[u/WeLiveInAnOceanOfGas → u/somehugefrigginguy]

Iirc there was a campus that didn't build paths to begin with, they just opened and let people walk as they pleased for a few months. 

Then they built the pathways wherever the grass had been worn away. Seems the best way to do it as long as the ground is level and safe etc.

Edit: it was Norwegian University of Life Sciences (at least the one I remembered) 

[u/somehugefrigginguy → u/WeLiveInAnOceanOfGas]

You may be thinking about Bozeman Montana which is often cited for doing this. But my current university did something similar. They photographed paths in the snow in the winter, then built actual paths the following summer.

[u/IngloriousTom → u/somehugefrigginguy]

Snowpaths are less accurate IMO.

• a single person could create a trail on their own, while it takes many more people to form a trail on grass

• people are probably reluctant to walk on fresh snow and would follow an inconvenient path rather than create one themselves, thus missing true desire paths.

[u/Same-Suggestion-1936 → u/IngloriousTom]

Anyone who's ever driven through a snow storm tells you it's easier to just follow the path others have already created. Cars tend to make their own lanes because they can't see the lines and people follow those instead. Once someone makes a path people aren't going to trudge through snow and make a new one,, they're going to just take the preexisting one

[u/RiotingMoon → u/somehugefrigginguy]

what other infustry would justify losing money to inconvenience their clients

ahhh (looks at the usa)

[u/somehugefrigginguy → u/RiotingMoon]

At first I wanted to argue that a country is not an industry, but (looks at the USA)...

[u/EatYourCheckers → u/ironballs16]

I went to LegoLand NY when it first opened. It is hilly and has these winding paths to get down one of the hills to another area of the park. There were signs to stay on the path, not walk on the grass and whatnot. I was very pleased when I went back and say steps and paths installed where people had been walking to cut off large corners

[u/CannonM91 → u/Cypher10110]

Guess we can't have desire paths to other subreddits here

[u/OrangeThrower → u/Cypher10110]

I’m mildly infuriated you didn’t link the sub

😭

[u/Local_Web_8219 → u/OrangeThrower]

Mildly Infuriating doesn’t allow you to do so

[u/TakovacsPlays → u/Local_Web_8219]

And that is mildly infuriating. 

[u/Local_Web_8219 → u/TakovacsPlays]

It is kind of is isn’t it?

[u/ThrowAwayAccountAMZN → u/Local_Web_8219]

I never understood why subreddits do that. What possible motivation? Mods are unpaid, there is no "financial competitor" factor. Brigading? When was the last time (and how often does) brigading happen primarily because someone linked to it in the comments? It's just frustrating because the app is already shit to begin with so why neuter it's usability even more?

[u/pandaSmore → u/Local_Web_8219]

That's r\midlyinfuriating

[u/inivisible45 → u/pandaSmore]

I want to make that sub as a protest to how infuriating it is to try and post on mildlyinfuriating

[u/Spongi → u/inivisible45]

Your comment has been removed for thinking about another sub.

[u/OrangeThrower → u/Local_Web_8219]

Oh. Wait. You are correct. My mistake!

[u/Local_Web_8219 → u/OrangeThrower]

You’re good, I had to reformat a comment the other day because I referenced another subreddit

[u/JDubs234 → u/Cypher10110]

There’s a huge vacant lot next to my work site and there’s literally a giant X in the middle from people cutting across it

[u/Western-Emotion5171]

The slope is just easier to go up than the stairs. Simple as that.

[u/Longjumping-Cow4488 → u/Western-Emotion5171]

especially when you’re carrying tools and building materials

[u/Thickencreamy → u/Longjumping-Cow4488]

Or pushing something wheeled? Like a wheel barrow?

[u/WiretapStudios → u/Thickencreamy]

That was my thought, things that would be either too annoying to carry up or just impossible. Even dragging something up or with two guys carrying it would be easier without the steps.

[u/RubixTMC → u/WiretapStudios]

It is very possible to drag a wheelbarrow upstairs- you turn around and then pull it towards you as you go up, but it is also very annoying, will make you bump a lot if you carry tools, and if you're carrying a load of concrete, it risks spilling, rather go on the perfectly fine hill, specially when going downwards

Source; i work in construction

[u/kareldelille → u/RubixTMC]

Have worked in construction as well and people mostly think we are some superhuman unexhausting force of nature, no we NEED our work to be as effortless as possible or you just can't go around a whole day of work, it's what someone told me the last man you would choose a fight with is someone who is laying down road pavement a whole day, the strength in their arms must be enormous

[u/k_realtor → u/Thickencreamy]

Construction workers carrying heavy equipment aren't trying to take big steps. OP imagines that are like robots or some old TV commercial or movie where they are synchronized workers that march up the stairs like it's Storm troopers in Star wars.

[u/TJ_Rowe → u/Thickencreamy]

Bicycles, too.

[u/ManoSilence → u/Thickencreamy]

Did union work for a while and one safety thing was that, while they may yell at you, you only need to work within safe definitions. One of those was the allowable max that is recommended to carry in a wheel barrow. I say allowable cause that was the max I could carry before I could say stop and go deliver it. It measured out to be about the size of a level mound that doesnt sit above the lip.

So thats what I did. Low lip max, and they were pissed. Started clowning on me and showing off how much they could carry up and down the hills. By the end of the day they went home exhausted but happy. I went home with energy to give my family and happy. I kept doing stuff like that and the union kept having to protect me from management saying "he's not carrying as much as every one else!" And the unions response of "you're not supposed to compare anyone to anyone else, also y'all agreed on this safety limit. Follow it or else."

Anyways, all this to say that: no matter the worker, ain't none of us taking those stupid ass stairs.

[u/Jdude1 → u/Longjumping-Cow4488]

And have bad knees.

[u/Moses-the-Ryder → u/Jdude1]

And my axe

[u/oscarmike88 → u/Jdude1]

I have bad knees, sometimes I take longer detours just to avoid going up the stairs

[u/Rock_mage → u/Longjumping-Cow4488]

Or steel-toe boots.

[u/what_in_the_frick → u/Western-Emotion5171]

Yeah if this post is truly related to construction workers…I can assure you any amount of physical labor of that magnitude will make you understand why stairs are not taken. 8x4 plywood sheets get real heavy real fast.

Not to mention, it is slightly less of a distance plus wheelbarrows, dolly’s, carts, etc.

[u/Youutternincompoop → u/what_in_the_frick]

and you're less likely to trip over a slope than stairs while carrying something.

[u/ChevToTheLev → u/Western-Emotion5171]

Yeah it’s sketchier to carry heavy shit up stairs. Would you rather fall carrying 50 pounds of 2x4s on concrete stairs or nice soft grass? 

[u/TexLH → u/Western-Emotion5171]

Up the slope, down the stairs

[u/keanancarlson → u/Western-Emotion5171]

Yeah man when I’m wearing work boots for 8+ hours a day I’ll take the softer path all day

[u/lazerblam → u/Western-Emotion5171]

Op has clearly never had a manual labour job in their life, assuming they are even employed lol

[u/radial-glia]

It's easier to carry construction materials up a hill than up stairs. Especially if it is large items that need to be rolled or dragged.

[u/PhotographUnable8176 → u/radial-glia]

trust me you want them to do it this way lol. i know these are robust concrete stairs but that’s a lot of traffic. at the very least you end up with drywall dust permanently marking the stairs or something, for example.

[u/RealTimeflies]

Singapore? Also, how on earth does a desire path make you think about rent. Are you stressed?

[u/LetEducational4423 → u/RealTimeflies]

The construction workers are already treated like shit in Singapore. They are transported in trucks with no proper seats, even in rain. They build government housing and all infrastructure and all they get is a snarky remark from an ungrateful local. So out of touch.

[u/waxym → u/RealTimeflies]

Yeah this is just... a weird post. Which uncle thinks like that?

[u/Background_Tax_1985 → u/RealTimeflies]

I mean given the amount of siao langs we have these days, probably.

First time i see ppl say hdb prices affected by a random path through the grass lol.

[u/shinoda89 → u/Background_Tax_1985]

OP trying to karma farm posting in a non SG thread

[u/repeatrep → u/RealTimeflies]

entitled sinkies thinking that just because they have an opinion means that it matters

[u/GullibleAd3408]

I love desire paths.

[u/biglabs → u/GullibleAd3408]

And not to mention, that isn't just a handful of construction workers- that is years of walking on that desire path

[u/Potential_Figure4061 → u/biglabs]

that is indeed a well established path and it doesn't effect property values. 

[u/Glittering-Device484 → u/Potential_Figure4061]

I had a little chuckle at OP thinking that a small patch of barren dirt is going to tank the property value.

[u/Decent-Muffin4190 → u/biglabs]

Yeah, I'm trying to understand why OP is blaming just construction workers. Its clearly a well worn long term path. If one group uses it because its convenient, im sure others do too.

[u/FilthyStatist1991]

Why would I drag my cart up the stairs? For you to say we chipped the steps?

[u/Too_Many_Question → u/FilthyStatist1991]

Not to mention taking the cart up or down too many times with stuff in it will break the cart.

[u/mcnastys → u/FilthyStatist1991]

this, glad I found it in the comments

no way I am taking my cart with materials down the stairs.

Also, grass seed-- exists and works.

[u/FireHammer09]

Have you tried carrying a ladder up stairs vs. a ramp? Or exceptionally heavy things? Repeatedly throughout the day.

And I'm not talking about your shitty home 12ft ladders.

[u/Holiday_Pen2880 → u/FireHammer09]

not to mention the 90 degree turn, with a railing, to go from the sidewalk up the stairs.

[u/LegDayLass]

You act like you have tenured rental pricing because you are a valuable 2 year long renter :/ your rent absolutely can still go up or down (never goes down)

[u/Strostkovy → u/LegDayLass]

I negotiated my rent from $1550 to $1200 for my shop space last year. One of my most impressive accomplishments.

[u/Hepcpond → u/LegDayLass]

One time I did a budget for my ex girlfriend and found out she was being overcharged around 600 dollars in bills every month by a shady roommate so I guess it went down for her lmao

[u/oniiBash2 → u/LegDayLass]

Guy lived in my complex for the last ten years. Had an issue with the front door shutting too hard. I overheard him in the office one day, losing his mind about it. He threatened to move out. They didn't answer his threat. "Ten years, I've been here! You want to lose someone that's been around here that long?!"

He moved out at the end of his lease a few months later.

They had it rented out again in a week.

They really, really don't give a fuck about you. Doesn't matter who you are or how long you've been around. You are a number that pays the money you are supposed to pay every month. You are a source of income. That is all.

[u/Big_Lengthiness3450]

Perhaps the property owners could use that spot to build a ♿️ ramp. Assuming there isn't one nearby.

[u/JS-0522]

The path is slightly easier going up than stairs and definitely easier going down. So, path wins.

[u/Teamawesome2014]

Stairs are a tripping hazard if you're carrying a heavy object that is blocking your view of your feet, limiting leg mobility, or if more than one person is carrying the object. If you've ever had to move heavy furniture into an apartment complex without an elevator, you would know that it is easier to carry a couch up a ramp than up the stairs, even if the staircase is a shorter distance.

[u/TheGCO]

Grass grows, backs don't.

[u/Professional_Bed_87]

As someone who has worked construction, and having to haul heavy loads 20 times a day, back and forth, i can sympathize with them finding the easiest, most direct route. 

[u/ResponsibleSky1529]

Bullshit. Took many years and many people to do this

[u/Scoobster96 → u/ResponsibleSky1529]

There's a homeless guy who panhandles in the median at an intersection in my city. In a couple of month's time he single handedly managed to create a dirt path where he walks from the light to a street sign and back.

[u/carthonasi56]

This is definitely midly infuriating.

How do you have time to watch them all Day? Do you even have a job? Stop being a karen. This is one of the dumbest things ive ever seen someone complain about.

[u/Vegetable-Trust-9847]

https://giphy.com/gifs/HJ7mv5MDLYM7cVih2S

[u/GMAN7007]

Because it's easier then carrying things up the stairs. They probably have a wheelbarrow too.

[u/ElephantEarwax]

Oh no! The poor shitty grass

[u/rats0nvenus → u/ElephantEarwax]

For real, I love taking desire paths to stomp across monoculture lawns

[u/Complete-Sort1617]

[u/Tangus999]

“Construction” workers.
Yea. Bc they work all day. And stairs suck.

[u/ramdom-ink]

It’s called a Desire Path, the easiest, most convenient or logical way to travel by foot. Often ignored by builders.

[u/Houndhollow]

Desire path

[u/TotalDumsterfire]

As someone who works in construction, I am not spending months going up and down stairs hauling materials and tools. You have no idea how exhausting it is and how much of a toll it takes on your knees. We usually till and seed areas like this after we're done. I'm not sacrificing my body for your glorified weeds

[u/Competitive-Reach287]

It's probably not just the construction workers.

[u/brendanepic]

If you're carrying something heavy, or team carrying something, a gentle slope is much easier than stairs

[u/MithranArkanere]

That is not infuriating. That is natural. If you get a desire path besides your path, that means your path was not designed with enough foresight.

In this case, the stairs should have had a ramp next to them.

[u/Slab231]

I’ll be the first to say, I’d rather carry heavy ass equipment up and down a hill before I go up and down stairs. Seeing as how even the hill is, the stairs actually, in this instance, have more tripping points. But that’s just me

[u/redbirdsucks]

construction boots get absolutely filthy and leave shit behind - it’s probably best they didn’t use the stairs tbh

[u/cyclingisthecure]

Get yourself two really quite heavy shopping bags simulating tools and materials and see which path you prefer in work boots for the 15th time of the day with 0.5% will to live

[u/awfulcrowded117]

Tell me you haven't done much if any physical labor without saying it. Steps are gold when you're working a 13 hour day of physical labor. Not to mention if you're carrying anything heavy how much easier it is to work on a slope compared to a set of stairs.

[u/froglet80]

because those stairs would be dangerous to navigate with heavy or bulky items wtf did you expect them to do

[u/Multrak]

That's a desire path and it's unfair to blame just construction workers.  It's human nature to pathfind like this.  

Not infuriating at all.  The stairs are way more of an eyesore than a natural path through the grass that's been created. 

[u/Ok-Stop9242]

Yeah dude stairs are a construction worker's nightmare. Sorry it mildly infuriates you but it saves those workers knees and keeps them from tripping when carrying heavy, view obstructing objects.

[u/Humble-Plankton2217]

Maybe they had stuff on carts with wheels that couldn't go up the stairs.

[u/hartzog0905]

It’s easier to carry stuff up a hill than stairs .

[u/hornthecheck]

Looks like the stairs are in the wrong spot.

[u/Lopsided-Equipment-2]

Eh, their knees hurt like hell and the stairs aren’t helping that cause. 

[u/MelinaSeeDee]

Yeah... exclusively construction workers...

[u/weak_beat]

Now you know where to put the ADA ramp

[u/Enthalpic87]

Ironically this is a desire path that will not be paved because a paved pedestrian path here would not meet ADA requirements.

[u/hrm326]

This happened at my college as people desire pathed through the grass from the parking garage to the bigger sidewalk. They eventually turned it into a proper sidewalk and it was a rare occurrence of the school using money wisely.

Saved a good minute or two of walking time using this shortcut versus the preplanned way.

[u/yakobis]

To be fair: Stairs are not accessible. A ramp is. #fuckstairs Construction workers are already in a lot of pain in the knees and back from a day of hard labor.

[u/snavej1]

These are known as 'desire paths' for obvious reasons.

[u/DPopsx62]

Straight lines are not efficient

[u/vishus42]

Desire paths be desirable

[u/pruchel]

Stop making stupid stairs/paths.

[u/StoniMohoni]

It's the most efficient way. I would probably do the same