McDonalds say its 2.2 km from Sligo; its actually 3.2 km

sunnysinead

Was in Sligo town in Union st. (near TD's pub) and I could not help but notice a huge big billboard up on the wall on the other side of the street advertising McDonalds restaurant, and it claiming in huge letters it was only 2.2 km away. Anyway, curiosity got the better of me, I set the tripometer thing on the car and I drove through the traffic to get there. I arrived in the car park of McDonalds, was glad I drove, it was no less than 3.2km. Would that be correct-I took the most direct route, up mail coach road. Another big billboard add for McD in the Dunnes car park in town claimed it was only 2.2km too. Try it for yourself.

It got me thinking, if they can be this far out on a simple measurement, what other measurements, weights of volumes, may they be inaccurate with.

billie1b

sunnysinead wrote: »

Was in Sligo town in Union st. (near TD's pub) and I could not help but notice a huge big billboard up on the wall on the other side of the street advertising McDonalds restaurant, and it claiming in huge letters it was only 2.2 km away. Anyway, curiosity got the better of me, I set the tripometer thing on the car and I drove through the traffic to get there. I arrived in the car park of McDonalds, was glad I drove, it was no less than 3.2km. Would that be correct-I took the most direct route, up mail coach road. Another big billboard add for McD in the Dunnes car park in town claimed it was only 2.2km too. Try it for yourself.

It got me thinking, if they can be this far out on a simple measurement, what other measurements, weights of volumes, may they be inaccurate with.

It would be as they crow flies, otherwise they would have to put the measurement of every route from the sign to McDonalds

RossieMan

First world problems eh?

sunnysinead

billie1b wrote: »

It would be as they crow flies, otherwise they would have to put the measurement of every route from the sign to McDonalds

lol. No distances between destinations are as the crow flies. If someone asks how far is Dublin from Sligo, it by road. I checked with the AA. Never as the crow flies.

billie1b

sunnysinead wrote: »

lol. No distances between destinations are as the crow flies. If someone asks how far is Dublin from Sligo, it by road. I checked with the AA. Never as the crow flies.

If you use your GPS or Sat Nav in your car and type two destinations, it will give you the distance 'as the crow flies', its only when you click on go that the full distance comes up. AA route planner wouldn't be my first or last choice to use anyways

sunnysinead

If you want to know how far it is to a restaurant, do you fly or go by road? All cars can measure distance by the mileometer or tripometer or whatever it is called, beside the speedo: relatively few have sat nav or can do a vertical take off, helicopter flight and land.

Besides, all other signposts on land are for distances by road.

billie1b

sunnysinead wrote: »

If you want to know how far it is to a restaurant, do you fly or go by road? All cars can measure distance by the mileometer or tripometer or whatever it is called, beside the speedo: relatively few have sat nav or can do a vertical take off, helicopter flight and land.

Besides, all other signposts on land are for distances by road.

You're not understanding it at all, 'as the crow flies' means in a straight line, not by air, the 2.2km is in a straight line

sunnysinead

billie1b wrote: »

You're not understanding it at all, 'as the crow flies' means in a straight line, not by air, the 2.2km is in a straight line

Its more than 2.2 km in a straight tine too.

The point is, the sign was beside a road. All other road signs I have ever seen in Ireland and all other countries which refer to destinations and distances are by road.

rizzodun

It's a pity you posted this on a Friday night, now we have to wait until Monday to ring Joe.... :pac:

billie1b

sunnysinead wrote: »

Its more than 2.2 km in a straight tine too.

The point is, the sign was beside a road. All other road signs I have ever seen in Ireland and all other countries which refer to destinations and distances are by road.

I just did it on my distance calculator on my maps, straight line was 2.2km, then 3 different routes, Route 1 - 2.8km, Route 2 - 3.2km and Route 3 - 4.5km. Billboards are not road signs, they will generally give you a straight line distance so you'll think 'ah thats not too far', road signs are done to the kilometre, different thing altogether.

sunnysinead

billie1b wrote: »

Billboards are not road signs, they will generally give you a straight line distance

Please tell me of another billboard which directs you to a destination by road but which misleads you by giving a "as the crow flies" distance. By road it is 3.2km. Any distances I ever saw on signs beside the road are by the road. Billboards are just another type of sign. Misleading advertising I would have thought, at best?

Mint Sauce

Lads. Its a advert for a less than average takeaway. Get over it.

:P

EmptyTree

2.5km as the crow flies according to Google Earth....... :P

drdidlittle

From TD's did you take the dual carriageway or old road?

Tigger

google maps has it at 2.9km by road if you go the short way
if you go the long way its further

why is there a thread on this and no thread on sligo live?

Mint Sauce

drdidlittle wrote: »

From TD's did you take the dual carriageway or old road?

Surely the DC. Isn't parts of the town closed for the festival.

:pac:

drdidlittle

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Surely the DC. Isn't parts of the town closed for the festival.

:pac:

Not yet AFAIK

EmptyTree

Tigger wrote: »

why is there a thread on this and no thread on sligo live?

Because we're getting the important issues out of the way first, then we can get to everything else.

gordongekko

I have not been in Sligo in years. Is McDonalds still on connells street. Then surely from tds across by the harp bar down to the post office is only about 1km

NoviGlitzko

The most Irish thread I've seen on boards.

drdidlittle

gordongekko wrote: »

I have not been in Sligo in years. Is McDonalds still on connells street. Then surely from tds across by the harp bar down to the post office is only about 1km

Moved out of there years ago

biko

Possibly they ordered the sign for another spot but had to move it?
Or it's just another sign of an evil corporation...

rizzodun

It's only a matter of time before the AH crowd get wind of this and ruin this thread discussing a genuinely serious issue on Sligo for the rest of us...

Mint Sauce

biko wrote: »

Possibly they ordered the sign for another spot but had to move it?
Or it's just another sign of an evil corporation...

No its just a second sign saying the same thing.

TequilaMockingBird

Tigger wrote: »

why is there a thread on this and no thread on sligo live?

The fact that people think Sligo Summer Festival is Sligo Live is almost as important as McDonalds trying to con us out of petrol. Town's gone to hell.

Tigger

TequilaMockingBird wrote: »

The fact that people think Sligo Summer Festival is Sligo Live is almost as important as McDonalds trying to con us out of petrol. Town's gone to hell.

shup

Reader1937

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this. This should be on the News. I haven't seen the sign but does it say how many times you have to walk there and back to burn off a meal? This would exclude the DC from the equation and make calculations more simple.

red sean

Pity it's not 22km. Would still be too close!

promethius

sunnysinead wrote: »

Please tell me of another billboard which directs you to a destination by road but which misleads you by giving a "as the crow flies" distance.

The other one in the Dunnes stores car park you mentioned?

JupiterKid

When is Sligo getting a Burger King?

The Singing Beard

billie1b wrote: »

You're not understanding it at all, 'as the crow flies' means in a straight line, not by air, the 2.2km is in a straight line

How is he not understanding it???

As the crow flies ... By air ... In a straight line are all the same things .

promethius

JupiterKid wrote: »

When is Sligo getting a Burger King?

Could be a long wait, there used be one in o Connell street, there also used be a mc donalds on o Connell street too. Neither franchise were able to compete with the might of the big four sauce and skipped!!

billie1b

Strawwwbreeezz wrote: »

How is he not understanding it???

As the crow flies ... By air ... In a straight line are all the same things .

No its not, in the air is travelled by the great circle, thats how

Mint Sauce

promethius wrote: »

Could be a long wait, there used be one in o Connell street, there also used be a mc donalds on o Connell street too. Neither franchise were able to compete with the might of the big four sauce and skipped!!

Was there not rumors of them opening on Castle St.

The Singing Beard

billie1b wrote: »

No its not, in the air is travelled by the great circle, thats how

What???!!!

The crow flies in a straight line !! Like planes too. How else can you get there without extra spacial dimensions?

billie1b

Strawwwbreeezz wrote: »

What???!!!

The crow flies in a straight line !! Like planes too. How else can you get there without extra spacial dimensions?

The crow maybe, planes and ships, no, they travel in an arc, not a straight line

frag420

billie1b wrote: »

The crow maybe, planes and ships, no, they travel in an arc, not a straight line

As the crow flies is a term that refers to the distance between two places on a map via a straight line. Forget about arcs, curvature of earth etc!

It really is THAT simple!!

billie1b

frag420 wrote: »

As the crow flies is a term that refers to the distance between two places on a map via a straight line. Forget about arcs, curvature of earth etc!

It really is THAT simple!!

Yeah I know that, I dont think the OP understood the term 'as the crow flies'

The Singing Beard

billie1b wrote: »

The crow maybe, planes and ships, no, they travel in an arc, not a straight line

Ehhh that's because the world is round so when you look at a flat map they take that into account, Mr. Colombus. Did you know the world was round?

What would planes have to gain by flying in an arc hence increasing their journey??

I have a PPL btw.

billie1b

Strawwwbreeezz wrote: »

Ehhh that's because the world is round so when you look at a flat map they take that into account, Mr. Colombus. Did you know the world was round?

What would planes have to gain by flying in an arc hence increasing their journey??

I have a PPL btw.

Well then you should know know why a plane flies in an arc and not a straight line if you have a PPL.

The Singing Beard

billie1b wrote: »

Well then you should know know why a plane flies in an arc and not a straight line if you have a PPL.

Because of the curvature of the Earth.

It's a straight line on a globe but a curve on a map.

If you drew a line on a ball and flattened it, you'd have a curved line.

Google Maps takes this into account (great circle).

Birds would obviously follow the great circle too duhhhh

billie1b

Strawwwbreeezz wrote: »

Because of the curvature of the Earth.

No, its because its the shortest distance, an aircraft can fly at 35,000ft in a straight line, it will just take longer and use more fuel, flying the great circle route is shorter and saves time and fuel.

OP that sucks. It's not the biggest problem with the bast food scene in Sligo though. When I was passing by yesterday there was a sign alongiside N15 saying that Supermacs was 2 minutes away. Had I been walking past that when hungry would have been an absolute disaster because even on my motorbike it took me a couple of minutes to actually make it there.

TequilaMockingBird

I think you're all stoned.

seany15

This is the best thread on boards imho

traprunner

Opposite in Dundalk. The billboard states 1.5km. The real distance is about 500 metres. Not that I'd ever be going into McDonalds.

rizzodun

seany15 wrote: »

This is the best thread on boards imho

The curvature of the earth and pilot license argument makes it if you ask me :pac:

drdidlittle

Meanwhile back at the ranch........... where are Burger King going into on Castle Street?

FoxyVixen

This conversation is simply enthralling!!

How have AH not intercepted this thread yet?!

rizzodun

drdidlittle wrote: »

Meanwhile back at the ranch........... where are Burger King going into on Castle Street?

You'll know when you see someone in a BK uniform measuring the distance from TD's to Castle street, lets hope he gets it right!

ectoraige

How do they get the crows to fly in a straight line? And how does the crow know how far they went - do they wear a GPS watch or something. And how does the crow tell anybody how far it took him - they can't even talk?

It's utter madness, Joe.