roaddogie

PGHphoto Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

I always find it interesting that in today's view of 'rights' that it is always the speaker who thinks they can decide what should be followed and what they should do. It is also common for the person ignoring the posted restrictions to try to 'explain' why the restriction is there (in their own interpretation) and show that they are not violating that reason so the restriction does not apply to them. This self justification completely ignores the restriction which the property owner has imposed on the area. The self-justifier has no legal grounds to do that and does not have the integrity to do the right thing. The selfishness and egocentrics exhibited these days is unbelievable !

The first question in my mind is who has the authority ? If I disagree with the policy I have avenues of redress - talk to the owner or seek legal injunction against an unfair restriction. While the legal proceding is taking place, I am obligated to follow the rules.

Why is this so strange ? Are we really so damaged in our view of ourselves that we allow restrictions to make us feel like we are not as good as somebody else who is not restricted ? Do we really base our worth on who is able to keep us from doing whatever we want ? Sadly, I see it in most people. By saying that they refuse to abide by the rules, it seems people are bristling at the idea they are not in authority.

It really depressing that so many think they must be able to make every decision based on their own ideas rather than allow somebody to exercise their authority over what they own. That ownership applies to the elected government as well ....

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

The harm is that people pay money for their land. It wasn't your money but theirs. Those people have a right to post their property if they choose. The other half of the coin is to ask for their permission to step on the property. How would you HONESTLY feel if people decided to take a photo of a spider on a bush on your property wherever you live. I mean seriously where is the harm if they are driving by your house and see a bush where a spider might reside. Of course the bush is right next to your front door and about 40 feet from the public sidewalk. But as you ask, where is the harm if these nice tourists stop in front of your house, walk across your yard and take photos of insects on a bush? Sounds good to me, huh?

I once owned a ranch of 180 acres in Colorado. Once when driving down my long driveway to the highway I saw a man and his wife who had pulled up onto my property over a cattle guard and an obvious NO TRESPASSING sign. They were having a picnic on my property. I could have raised a fuss but thought better of it at the time. I said hello when I passed them and drove off. When I returned after work I found a mess of a couple of KFC plastic bags loaded with garbage from their car plus the remains of their lunch, cans and bottles. Apparently my being nice to these idiots did not sit well with them or else they were simply plain ordinary slobs. That is why people post their property and tell people to stay the hell off. Allow me to add that on that road were numerous turn outs where people are allowed to pull off the road for whatever reason. The views are the same as on my ranch. Yet these people chose to litter my place.

Dennis

al13

Hard to believe there is a question about someone’s property and no trespassing signs do you not stop at a stop sign or traffic light if red maybe that’s pThatswhat is wrong wit our country as well as the worldly would be a better if we all did the right thing

MrPhotog

I understand that in some countries the fences are meant to control livestock but people have the right to travel anywhere they want. You might want to search for such places for future vacations. Otherwise, to avoid challenging another’s right to privacy, there are plenty of public lands to wander in the USA.

MrPhotog

I understand that in some countries the fences are meant to control livestock but people have the right to travel anywhere they want. You might want to search for such places for future vacations. Otherwise, to avoid challenging another’s right to privacy, there are plenty of public lands to wander in the USA.

Paul Diamond Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA

Amazing how almost everything I learned as a child, I have lived as an adult.

"To earn respect, you must give respect."

I ask permission to step onto someone's lawn and photograph the flowers or trees. And, I'm using Google Earth to search for a "dark site" on a church parking lot in the mountains. I will see it in the daylight and if there is a clear view of the sky, free of trees. Then I will contact the minister and ask for permission (in writing) to visit his church parking lot on some upcoming clear evenings/night for viewing God's stars. I request a letter from him acknowledging his permission to be there. And, if the police come by while I am there, I have a letter of permission. (And, that night I will leave a small donation to the church before I leave.) Of course, no trash of any kind.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

We lived in western Mass in 2006-2013. I would sometimes spend part of my lunchtime walking up and down along an old rail-line which now had a 10mph speed limit; at one point a bike trail crossed the line, and I watched bikers drag their machines across the tracks. Towards the end of that time they started spending Stimulus money on rehabbing the track to provide Amtrack with a more direct route, and I wondered how they would deal with the avid bikers ..... fast trains and bicycles do not mix well.

When we returned to the area last Summer, I noticed that heavy duty fencing and a tunnel under the tracks now existed for the convenience of bikers.

This was a typical Massachusetts compromise, but we have no reason to expect that sort of thing. I have noticed a number of road pulls near scenic places. On several cases a railroad provides access to a place of scenic, operational, or historic interest. But we do not have a right to this sort of thing, and it is wrong to simply grab it.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

As I see it, there are simply places that neither you nor anyone else have any business being. And you don't really need to know why, and there is a good chance you wouldn't understand if it were explained to you, at least not soon enough to make a smart choice.

For instance, I worked in a plant that manufactures refrigerated food products. We had an industrial refrigeration system which uses anhydrous ammonia as the refrigerant. It's a very efficient material for this use, and is quite safe when used in a well-designed and maintained system. But we still had a very stringent safety program in place to manage against accidents and to provide for an effective response in case something unplanned occurred. We had pre-established response plans, and we conducted periodic drills so that we would be ready "just in case" something went wrong.

The thing is, the ammonia is used in the system in both liquid and vapor phases. Both are dangerous if they escape the system, but if vapor escapes (the most likely problem), it is dispersed according to wind direction if it gets outside the building. Would you expect that if you were prowling around outside but inside our fence? Would you know which gate we would open to allow safe evacuation if you were not in a location where we could get word to you? A benefit of ammonia is that is easy to detect just by the sense of smell. It is trivially simple to identify any product that has been contaminated with a quick sniff, either from a distance or up close if the exposure is small. But when ammonia contacts the human body, it combines immediately with every bit of water that it can find...whether on the skin, in the nose, in the eyes, or in body passages. This is a very vigorous reaction, so it hurts (burns) the whole time it is happening. All water is dessicated from the cells of the body. The result is quick dehydration and serious injury or death within minutes.

So yes, when we said no trespassing on our signs, we meant it. We meant it for your own good as well as for ours. And we didn't have time to train you with everything you need to know in order to safely be inside our fence, even though if you had taken time to look, you would have found numerous warnings that ammonia was on site. And this is just one of the reasons that you needed to stay out. Since we the plant makes food products, it is considered part of the "National Critical Infrastructure." That means that you would be violating federal law if you ignored the signs.

So the bottom line here is that if someone asks or tells you to stay out, for your own protection and benefit, don't question the warning. STAY OUT!

ernman111

oh sooo true... lol

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

I have No Tresspassing signs on my property. Friends & emergency service personnel know they can come on the property if needed. It’s my property paid for by me. So, yes, I post it. And I respect other land owners postings. Keep in mind a property owner may be held liable for anything that happens on their property in this litigious society. Please respect land owners rights.

Dannj

This brings to mind a sad story. When I was a kid around 10 or eleven my friends and I often snuck into the railroad yards near our neighborhood. Of course there were “No Trespassing” signs and other signs warning of fines and arrests. Our parents, too, had issued stern warnings. But those signs and warnings didn’t apply to us, right?
Well, one Sunday morning my Dad asked me if I knew “Johnny Smith”. There was an older kid, 15, in our school by that name so I said yes and my Dad told me that he’d been shot and killed running from the railroad police the night before.
We never went back.

DanielJDLM

I often come across "No Trespassing" Signs, and in most cases, I do my best to get the shot without doing so. I will admit that on some occasions I have "trespassed" a little bit to get past something in the way of my composition. Years ago I was trying to get a shot of a covered bridge and was leaning on a rock wall of someone's yard, trying to compose the photo. Suddenly a woman came out of the house and yelled, "What are you doing?" I explained I was trying to take a photograph of the covered bridge. She smiled and said, "Walk down here and come in my backyard. You can get much better shots in here I think." She was right.
Another time I was taking photos of sunflowers from the side of the road, since there was "the sign." A farmer came out from the field and asked what I was doing. When to told him I was trying to take photographs of his beautiful sunflowers, he smiled and said, "Follow me, there are some really nice sunflowers back further in the field."

In most cases, respect the property, for in some cases, if you don't the local police will "escort" you off the property.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I have arrested trespassers in my distant past and each one of them told me they didn't think the property was owned by anybody so they should be allowed to be there. With every one of them I asked one question, Do you own the property. Of course the answer was NO to which I told them, then you have no right to be here. Keep in mind that most of the time trespassers are asked to leave first. If they then refuse to leave it is then that they are arrested.

Dennis

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

I only travel in public spaces these days and would seek permission from an owner before I would ever venture onto their property and take photos, unannounced. Most of my neighbors have land and I know most of them ,personally but I would always ask before I took liberties. Respect is the key and offer your services to them in some fashion.....it will help to break the ice if you are making new aquaintances or revisiting an old spot after some time has elapsed. Trust has to be earned. It's the right way to proceed for me.