cut through

Rat running or cut-through driving is the practice by motorists of using secondary roads, cemetery roads, or residential side streets instead of the intended main roads in urban or suburban areas. It is a tactic used to avoid heavy traffic, long delays at traffic signals or other obstacles, even where there are traffic calming measures to discourage its use or laws against taking certain routes. Rat runs are frequently taken by motorists familiar with the local geography. They will often take such shortcuts to avoid busy main roads and intersections.