According to Chinese idioms, “过江龙索桥” (gòu jiāng lóng suǒ qiáo) means “to cross a river by hiring a boat or using some other indirect method rather than jumping”. In this context, it’s unlikely that one would physically jump across the river.
So, to answer your question directly: yes, people can indeed choose not to go straight over (直接通过 diretú guòguō) and instead take an alternative route around the problem.