I don't even understand the point we are tying to make. Predators have used roadways and other terrain features for as long as we have recorded history and probably for thousands of years before that. Do they travel roads... hail yea. They always have. I have trapped Coyotes my entire life and I can assure you of this - they don't do anything you think they do.... because of anything you think you know.

The reason we have more coyotes today vs 50 or 100 years ago is because they have gradually expanded Eastward since 1900. European settlers had opened up much of the Eastern landscape for agriculture by that time. These same settlers also eliminated nearly all their natural predators including eastern wolves and mountain lions. The expansion picked up momentum about 1900 and coyotes have steadily spread for the last 120 years

There are a bunch of studies on this stuff including those conducted by the Government. The coyote's most admirable trait is adaptability. As decades have come and gone they have adapted to life in the non-agricultural forests and pine plantations and suburban areas.

We have more coyotes today than 50 or 100 years ago because people don't take the time to kill them. There is no incentive to kill them their fur is worthless in today's market. People don't live on small farms much however there is has been renewed interest in the last decade it is nowhere near as widespread as it was 100 years ago.

Coyotes disperse just like any other animal. If there is available habitat to support one... then you will soon have one.

If you want to read about how smart a coyote is read a book called "The Clever Coyote" by Stanley Young. It is probably the best book about coyote behavior available and is a scientific discussion of their intelligence and behavior... not a how to trap them book. If you want to catch them it is a must read. You gotta understand your quarry. In my estimation a coyote is smarter than some people that post on this very board.

If you want to kill a few read a book called "Hoofbeats of a Wolfer"