I can think of two things I've experieced.
1. The more narrow trail is used by fewer deer and likely bucks as has been written above. However, you suggest both trails (wide and narrow) are used by an equal number of deer? I would expect the "buck trail" to be more lightly used. Of course when bucks are trailing does, I'd want to be on the heavier one.
2. Of course if the terrain/cover is more diffuse in one area and thick in another, I'd expect more of a meandering trail in the diffuse (open) area than in the thick area.
I have tried to direct trail use three times in 40+ years with varying success.
In Northern Indiana (Kingsbury FW Area) I put dirty socks on two parallel trails that were too far from my my stand. I watched, that first night two different deer "bounce" off the sock-laced trails and come right to me on the close one -- I missed both deer, barely.
Another time I built a brushpile (not tall enough)on a trail that was 6-7 yards further from me than I wanted and up against a government fence. The first doe to come down this trail and hit my barricade ....jumped the dad-burned brushpile. Foiled again. I was surprised the doe would go to the trouble of jumping when she could have walked around it and meet my arrow.
A couple of times I've tied strands of barb-wire (where the landowner wouldn't mind) together to create a low-crossing.