Questions about shortcuts

Map Editors Community Brazil: States Tocantins
1

Good morning.

A recurring question here in the city where I live (Palmas/TO) is about shortcuts in the blocks, also known as “gatos”. As many already know, the city is completely planned, mirroring Brasília’s layout, and many of the blocks in the Master Plan only have 1, 2, or 3 entrances. To make it easier to access these blocks and get home faster, many drivers take small shortcuts as a way to avoid long detours.

My question here is whether we can include these segments on maps, since they are roads that are not official and/or registered, and how I should proceed in this case. As an editor here in the city, I do not include them for these reasons, but I have heard ride-share drivers requesting these inclusions to make app trips easier, and I also use these “gatos” myself.

I look forward to hearing your guidance.

2

Could you send an image as an example? But beforehand, I believe that if it is not an official road, it probably shouldn’t be mapped.

3

Screenshot 2026-02-05 105416
Screenshot 2026-02-05 105416879×526 690 KB

This block is one of the examples. In blue are the entrances; even though there are 4 entrances, they are on opposite sides, and the red ones are the shortcuts within the block.

4

By default, we only draw official roads on the map; we should not create unofficial paths.

5

The answer is simple: follow the rule. Do not include it. For those who live there and know the area, if they want to take the shortcut, that’s their choice. For those who don’t know the area and aren’t local, it’s better not to offer this route option.