I noticed odd behavior when routing a valid address that is on a military base. On the route entering the base from a previous site outside of the base, it displays a straight-line route. Once on the base it has no problems routing between sites within the base. And it has no problem routing from inside the base to a site outside of the base. Here’s a simple example routing from the VA hospital in Seattle, to each of two hospitals on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and back to the VA hospital:
1660 S Columbian Way, Seattle, WA 98108
691 Barnes Blvd, McChord AFB, WA 98438
9040A Jackson Ave, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA 98431
1660 S Columbian Way, Seattle, WA 98108
Where the route would enter the base, there is no guard building at that entrance, but there is a gate that can be locked under some circumstances. Google street view images stop at the visitors center, and you cannot use street view inside the base (for obvious reasons).
RouteXL’s algorithm uses OpenStreetMap (OSM) data for routing, which is a crowd-sourced map of the world. Military bases and other restricted areas are often tagged in OSM with access restrictions, such as access=no or military=base. These tags indicate that the area is not generally accessible to the public, which can result in our default “car” profile avoiding these routes and drawing a straight line instead. This is a safety and legal precaution, as routing through restricted areas can be problematic or even illegal in some cases.
What you can try:
Switch to deliveryvan: this profile has more permissive access rules and may be able to route through areas that the default car profile avoids. To change the profile, go to Options > Routing > Type of vehicle
Edit OpenStreetMap: if you have local knowledge and the area is actually accessible (for example, if the gate is usually open to the public), you can contribute to OSM by updating the access tags. Please note that changes to OSM may take some time to appear in RouteXL’s routing data.
Google Maps uses its own proprietary map data and routing algorithms, which may interpret access restrictions differently or have more up-to-date information for certain areas. You can export your route from RouteXL to Google Maps.