Street Views?

[smstonypoint]

My farmhouse (in NC) is located on a private drive that is about 1000' in length. I share the first 500' or so with a neighbor.

Late last fall, a car with a roof-top camera showed up at my farmhouse while I was working in the yard. The driver informed me that he was working for Bing and that street views of my homestead would show up on the Bing site in three months or so. However, he gave me the info that I would need to contact Bing in order to have the views deleted when they are posted. I plan to have the views deleted.

I suppose that I have been remiss in not posting a "Private Drive" sign, but I am not sure that would have deterred the driver.

I am curious about how others who live on private drives feel about having photos of their homesteads showing up on the Internet.

Steve

 

[joeyd]

We have a gate on our private road that I share with about 10 others, private code so no unwanted "street views" to post on the web. But that doesn't stop the aerial views from showing up. The gate also keeps census workers from bothering us.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

The gate also keeps census workers from bothering us.

I'll soon be moving and also have that gate ... about 3000' to the house. The aerial view of the site was taken more than 5 years ago. Hopefully, it will update before I build - or not for a long long time.

As for census - the government has the obligation to tabulate its population every 10 years. Unfortunately, it has seen fit to use this process to invade and encroach upon private information that is NONE of its business. I answer "1", then tell them to get the H___ off my property.

 

[tjcarguy]

I saw the google mobile going down our road during the summer. I was walking in the driveway but when the new streetscape came out no me ? however my wife can be seen by the road tending to the flowers . I guess I ruined the picture so they had to go around the block and try again. ---Trevor

 

[dave1949]

My house shows up very clearly on Google Earth, but that's a top down view. I don't think it really makes much difference in terms of security or privacy for my house.

From the road, people can catch a glimpse of our house in winter, none in summer with leaves on the trees. But, think of all the houses that are close to the road and seen by hundreds everyday--not just one point in time like Bing. I doubt those residents worry about that. I can never comprehend people who purposely build their home next to an Interstate, but it's certainly not rare.

Someone coming up the driveway to photograph your house is not really welcome though.

 

[smstonypoint]

I saw the google mobile going down our road during the summer. I was walking in the driveway but when the new streetscape came out no me ? however my wife can be seen by the road tending to the flowers . I guess I ruined the picture so they had to go around the block and try again. ---Trevor

The Bing driver told me that there was a time lapse between photos -- I want to say 8 seconds, but my memory isn't what it used to be. I talked to him for a few minutes, so I may be featured in the views for my address. This has me concerned, as I am in the witness protection program.

Steve

 

[KiotiKowboy]

This has me concerned, as I am in the witness protection program.

Steve

I wondered where you were hiding. See you soon!

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Google street view shows me up on the roof of the barn nailing shingles, I kind of like that one.

What's annoying is that for a long time Google maps showed my driveway as a road -- and it was the shortest route to the next town! I collect old maps, and in the 1695 map there was a road that crossed my property but by 1870 it was gone. Now it is just forest where the road was. For a while, in the summer I'd get a stream of people coming down my driveway guided by GPS. The worst part is that many of them would argue with me when I told them there was no road, and that in fact they were on my driveway. If they insisted I would let them drive to the end of the driveway and see the forest.

I complained to Google and they've kind of fixed it, they still show my driveway as a road but they no longer show it going through. They label it with the name of a road that comes within a few hundred yards of my property but you have to drive a few miles to get on. Fortunately there's only two houses on that road, but I do get the occasional lost person looking for one of those houses.

What annoys me is I've noticed that there is a subset of humanity who responds to being lost by driving as fast as possible. Pretty much exclusively men. Guys will come down the driveway, and I know they saw on the way in that we have kids, dogs, chickens and livestock everywhere, and on the way out they'll drive like they're fleeing a crime scene. Grr.

 

[Sodo]

and on the way out they'll drive like they're fleeing a crime scene. Grr.

I've done that. When you are guilty you are inclined to absquatulate: <-------- look it up!

a) the quicker you disappear there's less chance you'll upset someone.
b) you're inclined to show that you're trying to make it right, and not dilly-dally.
c) hoping to avoid confrontation

 

[dave1949]

"What's annoying is that for a long time Google maps showed my driveway as a road ..."

Google maps has a lane on my property labeled as the small private road that's about 100' away. My lane has a gate, so no one drives in there. Once in a great while people will come up the driveway and ask where is XXX lane? There is a sign on that lane but it's buried in the trees to point of being worthless, no one sees it.

As it happens, the lane on my lot is cleared out much wider than the private road. I think the feature, like a lane, and the name of it may be computer proximity matched as it doesn't seem like something a person would mistake.