Get a sneak peek at whats next for Permanent Hazards on our April 7th Office Hours!

Post Reply

Suspect, sometimes Dangerous, Directions

Post by pointlessly
I am experiencing some of the most suspect directions. A left turn from Gough Street, south bound, onto Fern, in San Francisco, should be impossible based on the "Live Map" here, yet that's what Waze tried to do to me this week. I mean, really, a left turn onto a tiny, narrow street, even if Fern ran the correct direction in San Francisco, it's practically an alley. No left onto major roads like Bush St or Post St? This is not a safe application. Do not trust it, it may one day tell you to take a left turn in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Driving home today, when I ignored a rather round about suggestion of how to drive home, Waze suggested I continue for several miles down a highway, then make a u-turn, and go back up the highway to resume Waze's earlier round about routing. Until these, and multiple other gaffs in direction, are corrected, Waze remains nothing but a toy, it cannot be taken seriously.
pointlessly
Posts: 10

POSTER_ID:4691559

1

Send a message

Post by AlanOfTheBerg
Check to see if you have an option for 'prefer goodie munching.' it's supposedly removed and turned off by default, but this has been known to cause bad routing.


--
If it looks strange, or I used bad grammar or misspelled anything, it's my phone's fault.
AlanOfTheBerg
EmeritusChamps
EmeritusChamps
Posts: 23627
Has thanked: 568 times
Been thanked: 3478 times
Send a message
Wiki Resources: Map Editing Manual | alanoftheberg@gmail.com
Oregon-based US Ex-Global Champ Editor | iPhone13Pro - VZ

Post by AlanOfTheBerg
pointlessly wrote:Thing is, you go to the "Live Map" to edit these directions and in the case of Gough/Fern, the map here is set up correctly yet the iPhone app tells you to take the wrong turn. Something like this cannot be fixed by this neato nifty user-involved system because somewhere in the system itself there is poor coding or other technical problems.
If that's the case, then this error has been recently fixed by someone and the map cycle update needs to complete to get this change live in the app.
pointlessly wrote:We have a local "helpful" person who also "corrects" my notifications of errors almost as soon as I've placed the notification except nothing is corrected, all he/she seems to be doing is going to the notification on the map, clicking "problem solved" and nothing gets fixed.
You have their username and can PM them, if you have not already.

So the user-involvement is a bit problematic...[/quote]
pointlessly wrote:In the world of collaboration, it's hard to get a good line between inviting enough people in to help get everything correct and keeping out those who are clueless, unhelpful, vandals, or any combination thereof.
pointlessly wrote:I say again: Waze is a sweet little toy, but it's not to be relied upon as anything serious so long as people can capriciously report all manner of things, or unhelpfully "correct" issues that really never are corrected.
At some point, if Waze becomes economically viable, it would make sense for them to be more aggressive in locking down the map.
AlanOfTheBerg
EmeritusChamps
EmeritusChamps
Posts: 23627
Has thanked: 568 times
Been thanked: 3478 times
Send a message
Wiki Resources: Map Editing Manual | alanoftheberg@gmail.com
Oregon-based US Ex-Global Champ Editor | iPhone13Pro - VZ

Post by AlanOfTheBerg
There isn't a way to "not recommend" a turn. it's either allowed or not. As for "sightseeing mode," the purpose of Waze is fastest commuter routing. That's all it is currently about, though there have been suggestions and requests to be able to do otherwise. Trying to set the "avoid highways" option may sometimes give routes which are slower and more like what you're looking for.
AlanOfTheBerg
EmeritusChamps
EmeritusChamps
Posts: 23627
Has thanked: 568 times
Been thanked: 3478 times
Send a message
Wiki Resources: Map Editing Manual | alanoftheberg@gmail.com
Oregon-based US Ex-Global Champ Editor | iPhone13Pro - VZ

Post by AlanOfTheBerg
tedtrost wrote:I'm not clear how Waze would know that a particular intersection/turn is "dangerous". Different people assess danger differently. I'm not aware of other GPS products that identify "danger".
I'm not sure to do that either, but Waze is a social GPS app, and has a few different features no other GPS nav app does, so I wouldn't use that argument against a potential feature. :)
AlanOfTheBerg
EmeritusChamps
EmeritusChamps
Posts: 23627
Has thanked: 568 times
Been thanked: 3478 times
Send a message
Wiki Resources: Map Editing Manual | alanoftheberg@gmail.com
Oregon-based US Ex-Global Champ Editor | iPhone13Pro - VZ

Post by BarzillaiNJ
We received dangerous directions from Waze and would have liked to have been able to report the dangerous intersection, but it wasn't an illegal turn, and the map wasn't incorrectly marked; the turn was just dangerous. The map just doesn't tell the whole story in some cases.

We needed to travel from Chicopee, Massachusetts to the Holyoke Hotel in Holyoke, Mass. In Holyoke, We turned from Main St onto Peltia St (which goes up at about a 55 degree angle) and up to Ingleside St. The left turn onto Ingleside followed by a quick right onto Lower Westfield Rd (again a steep incline) is quite dangerous. There is a serious blindspot at the Peltia/Ingleside intersection. And the quick right onto Lower Westfield is quite the maneuver.

Waze put us through this exercise twice while we were staying at the hotel, so it apparently considers this a main route. We had the preferences set for local roads, so we could see the countryside, but it would be nice if Waze included a way to discourage your computer from choosing this routing. I'm game to edit the map, but my review of the options didn't indicate I could do anything about this. I'm new to Waze and welcome your suggestions.
BarzillaiNJ
Posts: 1
Send a message

Post by BlackjackNY
pointlessly wrote:Cookie munching? Off. (Having it on is pretty pointless, pardon the pun, when there haven't been any munchables in weeks.)

Of course anyone with common sense is not going to make a turn off of a bridge mid-span or the middle of an overpass, and anyone who's paying attention isn't going to make a wrong turn onto a street running one-way.

Thing is, you go to the "Live Map" to edit these directions and in the case of Gough/Fern, the map here is set up correctly yet the iPhone app tells you to take the wrong turn. Something like this cannot be fixed by this neato nifty user-involved system because somewhere in the system itself there is poor coding or other technical problems.

Or, in the case of some roads local to where I live, in Long Beach, NY, there are certain spots where you cannot make turns, and these were fixed a while back yet now some "helpful" person has gone through and made all connections active at these intersections and even more they are now locked so you cannot fix them. So Waze will go back to giving wrong directions of the sort that could lead a user to getting a ticket for a left turn where it's not permitted. We have a local "helpful" person who also "corrects" my notifications of errors almost as soon as I've placed the notification except nothing is corrected, all he/she seems to be doing is going to the notification on the map, clicking "problem solved" and nothing gets fixed.

So the user-involvement is a bit problematic, sort of like the folks who put red light cameras in the middle of residential neighborhoods, or speed traps (speed cameras) anywhere in New York State -- speed cameras are not implemented in New York State at this time. In Nassau County, New York, there are roughly 50 locations (+/-) with red light cameras, yet I've deleted upwards of 600 "reports" of them all over the area.

I say again: Waze is a sweet little toy, but it's not to be relied upon as anything serious so long as people can capriciously report all manner of things, or unhelpfully "correct" issues that really never are corrected. There is need of some way to control such things, else Waze will be relegated to the list of apps that might have been really useful.
PM sent.
BlackjackNY
Posts: 4
Send a message

Post by bz2012
Every GPS I have ever used has tried to make me turn off the middle of an overpass near my home onto the street below. Deadly if the direction were followed.

WAZE is the first GPS that has allowed me to correct the problem.
Now it gives me the correct directions.

My first GPS tells me that the maps need updating but the company that sold that GPS never made updated maps available. They also failed to follow through on a promised 'upgraded' unit at a reduced price.

Other GPS that I bought has map updates available. They charge a bunch for the updated maps.

My first GPS DOES have one feature that I wish WAZE had. It beeps if it thinks I am exceeding the speed limit AND it turns the speed indicator on the screen 'red'. I wish WAZE would add those features. Of course, then we would need a way to set the speed limits for each segment we edit.

WAZE is an aMAZEing product, for the price.
bz2012
Map Raider
Map Raider
Posts: 1621
Has thanked: 1968 times
Been thanked: 304 times
Send a message

Post by moogonk
BarzillaiNJ wrote:We received dangerous directions from Waze and would have liked to have been able to report the dangerous intersection, but it wasn't an illegal turn, and the map wasn't incorrectly marked; the turn was just dangerous. The map just doesn't tell the whole story in some cases.
I'm not clear how Waze would know that a particular intersection/turn is "dangerous". Different people assess danger differently. I'm not aware of other GPS products that identify "danger".
moogonk
Country Manager
Country Manager
Posts: 563
Has thanked: 196 times
Been thanked: 102 times
Send a message
Moogonk
Country Manager & Multi-State Manager--CT, ME, MA, RI, VT. Rank 5 Resident New Hampshire State Manager


Sometimes you avoid the jam, sometimes you are the jam, and sometimes it's faster to go through the jam. - AndyPoms

Post by pointlessly
Cookie munching? Off. (Having it on is pretty pointless, pardon the pun, when there haven't been any munchables in weeks.)

Of course anyone with common sense is not going to make a turn off of a bridge mid-span or the middle of an overpass, and anyone who's paying attention isn't going to make a wrong turn onto a street running one-way.

Thing is, you go to the "Live Map" to edit these directions and in the case of Gough/Fern, the map here is set up correctly yet the iPhone app tells you to take the wrong turn. Something like this cannot be fixed by this neato nifty user-involved system because somewhere in the system itself there is poor coding or other technical problems.

Or, in the case of some roads local to where I live, in Long Beach, NY, there are certain spots where you cannot make turns, and these were fixed a while back yet now some "helpful" person has gone through and made all connections active at these intersections and even more they are now locked so you cannot fix them. So Waze will go back to giving wrong directions of the sort that could lead a user to getting a ticket for a left turn where it's not permitted. We have a local "helpful" person who also "corrects" my notifications of errors almost as soon as I've placed the notification except nothing is corrected, all he/she seems to be doing is going to the notification on the map, clicking "problem solved" and nothing gets fixed.

So the user-involvement is a bit problematic, sort of like the folks who put red light cameras in the middle of residential neighborhoods, or speed traps (speed cameras) anywhere in New York State -- speed cameras are not implemented in New York State at this time. In Nassau County, New York, there are roughly 50 locations (+/-) with red light cameras, yet I've deleted upwards of 600 "reports" of them all over the area.

I say again: Waze is a sweet little toy, but it's not to be relied upon as anything serious so long as people can capriciously report all manner of things, or unhelpfully "correct" issues that really never are corrected. There is need of some way to control such things, else Waze will be relegated to the list of apps that might have been really useful.
pointlessly
Posts: 10
Send a message