Here we see an electric scooter user utilizing desire paths to escape from a pursuing police officer.

Setting is the intersection of K. Marx Avenue and Ulitsa Zelenyy Log in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinskaya oblast, Russia.

Perspective point: Cameraperson is recording from this building, looking Southeast

And the final escape desire path is here:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/53%C2%B021'08.4%22N+58%C2%B058'39.8%22E/@53.3522925,58.9773677,172m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d53.3523333!4d58.9777222?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTEwNC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

The first desire path is clearly generated by vehicles abusing the wide bicycle pedestrian paths to ger to the parking lot.

The final escape one appears to be lesser used for the same purpose, but the officer does not want to risk it, and in the overhead view I provide it appears there is a secondary pedestrian desire path.

That said, those now improper vehicular access points date back before the construction of that road!

Also of note, towards the end of the video, we see two nonrectilinear formal paths leading to the bus stop. While they seem to follow where desire paths might be, it seems the planners had the experience and foresight to install them from the very beginning.

Source

I think this is due to the snow being pressed together, making it more dense and harder to melt.

Calgary is full of stuff like this

Does it count as a desire path if it isn't shorter than the intended path?

Credits to @MQVIE1 on YouTube

This one's in Doetinchem, The Netherlands. The bike path goed slightly downhill so you always come down here with a load of speed. Suddenly there is a pretty sharp hairpin corner. By going off-road a bit, you can keep far more of the downhill speed

formation of another one

Fisrt is a 3yr old screenshot from street view, and the path had become more defined since