rat run
n.— «This is only a particular example of the nonsense that goes on all the time in local government politics when roads are closed or narrowed to close off “rat runs,” a derogatory term for the use of minor roads as alternative links between trunk roads. The residents are claiming that the roads belong to them and no one else.» —“The rise of localism” by P.P. McGuiness Australian Dec. 1, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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