History Main / ShortCutsMakeLongDelays

** This is later averted by Strider, who comments that "my cuts, short or long, don't go wrong." His shortcuts ''are'' faster...but they're not necessarily ''pleasant''. Midgewater Marshes, anyone?
*** Aragorn later successfully takes the grandmother of all shortcuts through the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Paths of the Dead]], to intercept a force approaching from the south before it can reach Minas Tirith. He arrives at the city with reinforcements just in time.

* Storrow Drive is the major parkway through Boston, making it the fastest and most direct route to most parts of the city, which makes it attractive for students driving moving trucks into the city each year and delivery drivers the rest of the year. To quote Wikipedia: "There are an abundance of signs giving road clearance height. Despite the signs, a truck or other large vehicle will periodically get wedged under a bridge, which causes traffic to back up for several miles. In one incident a truck full of scissors became stuck and spilled its cargo, causing over 30 cars to get flat tires. There is a 10-foot height limit for the entire parkway. Local media has taken to referring to these kinds of accidents as a truck being 'Storrowed.'"

* The dreaded [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Southern-Gregson_Street_Overpass "11 Foot 8 Bridge"]] in North Carolina, affectionately known as The Can Opener, for being such an unusually low bridge that vehicles collide with it roughly once a month. Countless drivers have decided to challenge it to take a shortcut, grossly underestimating how low it actually is, only for the bridge to deem them unworthy and shave the roof off of their truck instead. In October of 2019, the bridge was raised from 11'8" to 12'4" in an attempt to reduce collisions;[[note]]The bridge carries a railway line; 12'4" is the highest the bridge could be raised before significant reconstruction of the track would be required.[[/note]] after that, collisions became much rarer, but ''never'' completely stopped.

** In case of ''Need For Speed'', especially ''Underground'' and ''Most Wanted'', some shortcuts typically made the driver has to perform sharp turns, navigate narrow path, or ramming through the objects scattered around the path, in a game where a single crash could cost your chance to victory due to RubberbandAI and [[SecondPlaceIsForLosers to win the race and progress the game you have to finish first.]]

* Racing games, especially ones that are not serious (''VideoGame/{{Burnout}}'',''Videogame/NeedForSpeed'', ''VideoGame/MarioKart'') often include shortcuts that, if not executed properly, will cost the player even more time than the shortcut is intended to bypass.

** In case of ''Need For Speed'', especially ''Underground'' and ''Most Wanted'', shortcuts typically made the driver has to perform sharp turns or navigate narrow path, in a game where a single crash could cost your chance to victory due to RubberbandAI and [[SecondPlaceIsForLosers to win the race and progress the game you have to finish first.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': This occurs several times, most often at Homer's instigation. In one episode, the family takes a shortcut on a trip. They reach their destination ''much'' later than expected with an overall destroyed car sporting a wagon wheel as a spare tire, infested with farm animals, and a US Military Missile embedded into the back.
-->'''Homer:''' Alright, we're here. [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain Let us never speak of the shortcut again.]]

* Not so much a "long delay" as "getting involved in a secret AlienInvasion and being given powers by a dying alien," the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' begin their adventure by taking a shortcut through a construction site one night. In one book Jake makes a DealWithTheDevil (or an alien who works for a devil-esque SufficientlyAdvancedAlien) to ''avoid'' taking the shortcut and [[spoiler: they still get involved in the invasion, only without their morphing powers and most them are killed but Earth is saved in the end]]. This is restored to the main timeline with a ResetButton where the "devil" rescinds the offer before Jake can take it.
** This trope also comes into play, albeit unintentionally, in ''The Unexpected'', one of [[ExtrudedBookProduct the later ghostwritten books]]. Stowing aboard an airplane bound for Sydney to escape the Yeerks, hijinks ensue and Cassie finds herself in the outback. The only problem is, Sydney's on the ''east coast'' of Australia, meaning that plane departing from California had no business being over the outback. Explanations of this anomaly offered after the fact are curious and unsatisfying.

* Pretty much the whole point of ''Film/RatRace'', in which six different people (often with family/sidekicks) try to be the first to get to a town in the next state. Increasingly improbable circumstances slow them down - the helicopter pilot discovers her boyfriend cheating on her and runs out of fuel in the ensuing vengeful maneuvers, a "helpful" woman provides shortcut directions to one driver that sends them over the edge of a cliff because they didn't buy a squirrel, and so on. The movie was kind of a remake of ''Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' anyway, so that's to be expected...

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'': In "The Trojan Smurf", the Smurfs must carry a big statue of Papa Smurf (which is really a TrojanHorse for Gargamel to infiltrate the Smurf Village) to the village, but cannot get it across the river because the bridge is too small. Brainy suggests a "short cut", which ends up taking the statue down a very steep slope, only to fall into a raging river that ends in a waterfall that Bigmouth is taking a bath at the bottom of, and said ogre mistakes the statue for a talking Papa Smurf doll.

* ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'': Dick Dastardly once took a short cut that was blatantly shorter than the road he should have taken and ended up falling victim of a booby trap at a place he trespassed and the Mean Machine had to be practically rebuilt part by part. By the time Muttley finished rebuilding it, the landowner (who turned out to be Lazy Luke’s cousin) learned Dastardly tricked him to stop the other shortcut users and started shooting him. By the time he reached the finish line, he was in last, as [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption usual]], the Mean Machine had holes all over its body and it fell apart as Dastardly was about to cross the finish line.

*** Later [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] when he successfully takes the grandmother of all shortcuts through the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Paths of the Dead]]. It's not actually any ''faster'' than the mundane route taken by the Rohirrim, but he comes out the other end with an invincible army of ghosts, so they forgive him.

* In ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', Epheremelda doesn't buy into the idea that Zelda has suddenly warped from Turtle Rock to the swamplands, and recommends that they go find the map first. Link, blinded by his devotion, forges ahead and mounts a successful rescue of...a Wizzrobe. Whoops.

* In ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'', the group takes a dangerous shortcut that isn't a shortcut at all, just so that Diego can hide the others from his clan.

Typically AnAesop against cheating and a warning about trying to find a workaround to doing all of a job. All the regular characters are on a {{road trip|Plot}} or some other [[TheQuest quest]]. One character suggests they take a shortcut: sure, it [[LostWorld may not be on the maps]], but he knows the route "like the back of his hand". Besides, it will shave a few hours off the trip, and be all-around more interesting than the boring old interstate highway! Persuaded, the other characters agree to take the shortcut.

If they're lucky, hilarity ensues, as they drive through a QuirkyTown or two and see friendly locals. If they aren't, [[MortonsFork hilarity ensues]]: all manner of deadly serious horrors beset them as soon as they leave the beaten path. They get lost. The car breaks down. The shortcut takes them to the TownWithADarkSecret or the WackyWaysideTribe.

Typically AnAesop against cheating. All the regular characters are on a {{road trip|Plot}} or some other [[TheQuest quest]]. One character suggests they take a shortcut: sure, it [[LostWorld may not be on the maps]], but he knows the route like the back of his hand. Besides, it will shave a few hours off the trip, and be all-around more interesting than the boring old interstate! Persuaded, the other characters agree to take the shortcut.

If they're lucky, hilarity ensues. If they aren't, [[MortonsFork hilarity ensues]]: all manner of deadly serious horrors beset them as soon as they leave the beaten path. They get lost. The car breaks down. The shortcut takes them to the TownWithADarkSecret or the WackyWaysideTribe.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party Donner Party]] was a group of settlers looking to settle in California in 1846. Their decision to take an obscure and untested shortcut (instead of the longer, but more established route) turned a journey that typically took four months into a desperate, horrific ordeal that lasted over a year. The winding 'shortcut' led to the Donner Party getting [[SnowedIn trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the harsh winter months]] with grossly inadequate supplies. When their food ran out (which didn't take long), they were eventually [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty forced to resort to cannibalism]] to survive. A local tribe took pity on them by first giving them some rabbit meat and root vegetables but when they came back with a deer carcass, the settlers shot at them. They had also heard rumors about the cannibalism so they never tried to make contact again. It took four separate rescue teams to get everyone out over the course of several months.
** It wasn't just taking the shortcut. The Donner Party was supposed to go with a larger group, but they were late, so to catch up, they tried to take a shortcut through the shortcut, which ended in disaster.

[[folder: Real Life]]

* Appears and is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Series/TheTenthKingdom''. There are two roads leading to Wendell's castle, and the pair of unlikely heroes are on foot: they must choose whether to take the long and pretty path or the short and scary path. "Virginia, don't you think there's a chance that it's going ''around'' something? But... but one path has trees, and the other... argh!" They take the scary path. The fact this detour [[BecauseDestinySaysSo turns out to be necessary]] in order for Virginia to obtain the poisoned comb so that she can deal out the suitably [[HoistByHisOwnPetard hoist by her own petard]], KarmicDeath for the BigBad only makes this hew even closer to the trope. ("It's the journey that matters," and TheQuest usually requires that something very important be found or learned while the heroes are caught up in a seemingly random delay or distraction.)

* ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'': Dick Dastardly once took a short cut that was blatantly shorter than the road he should have taken and ended up falling victim of a booby trap at a place he trespassed and the Mean Machine had to be practically rebuilt part by part. By the time Muttley finished rebuilding it, the landowner learned Dastardly tricked him to stop the other shortcut users and started shooting him. By the time he reached the finish line, he was in last, as [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption usual]], the Mean Machine had holes all over its body and it fell apart as Dastardly was about to cross the finish line.

* In ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'', there's the RoadTrip episode "Game At Clay City". Mr. Conklin, [[BavarianFireDrill appointing himself navigator of Miss Brooks' car]], determines they should take a shortcut. After the car breaking down going up a steep hill, getting lost, giving a ride to a hitchhiker who misdirects them to a neighboring town, the gang finally arrive at Clay City . . . only to find that the football game is over and that the Madison High team had been clobbered.

Typically AnAesop against cheating. All the regular characters are on a RoadTrip or some other [[TheQuest quest]]. One character suggests they take a shortcut: sure, it [[LostWorld may not be on the maps]], but he knows the route like the back of his hand. Besides, it will shave a few hours off the trip, and be all-around more interesting than the boring old interstate! Persuaded, the other characters agree to take the shortcut.

* Pretty much the whole point of ''Film/RatRace'', in which six different people (often with family/sidekicks) try to be the first to get to a town in the next state. HilarityEnsues as increasingly improbable circumstances slow them down - the helicopter pilot discovers her boyfriend cheating on her and runs out of fuel in the ensuing vengeful maneuvers, a "helpful" woman provides shortcut directions to one driver that sends them over the edge of a cliff because they didn't buy a squirrel, and so on. The movie was kind of a remake of ''Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' anyway, so that's to be expected...

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Stoked}}'': In "[[Recap/StokedS1E10ReefBrosephAndEmmasTotallyStupidAdventure Reef, Broseph and Emma's Totally Stupid Adventure]]", Broseph, Reef and Emma go into town for beaver tails (a local pastry), but stay too long and realize they're late for work. They try to take a shortcut through the woods, but end up lost in the woods for the day. HilarityEnsues.

If they're lucky, HilarityEnsues. If they aren't, [[MortonsFork Hilarity Ensues]]: all manner of deadly serious horrors beset them as soon as they leave the beaten path. They get lost. The car breaks down. The shortcut takes them to the TownWithADarkSecret or the WackyWaysideTribe.