Learning?

[yrrabsille]

I've been driving to work the same way for many years now. It's not the way most people would go, but it's the fastest way to work, hands down. I've tried every way. I was under the impression that Waze would "learn" my route, but it doesn't. Even after months of using it on a daily basis, it still wants to take me another way (which I've been before, but it's 5-10 min longer). No matter how I put the settings, it just doesn't like my way. I've been in the map editor with a fine-tooth comb to make sure everything is right. Very frustrating. I know my way is better, when I leave the house, Waze usually says it'll take about 48-53 min, but I ignore it's route and get there in 40. Any suggestions?

[RickW-NC]

If you ask for alternate routes, yours should be one of them. If you have the settings on fastest route, learning turned on, and there are not dirt roads to avoid etc. it should include your route. If you go the Waze way with Waze on a few times, it should learn that that route is slower, but it sounds like you already did that. I know it worked at one time but I have not tried it lately. This topic seems to pop up every once in a while.

[yrrabsille]

I've tried the alternate routes option and no luck. I haven't been the Waze way in quite a while, so maybe I'll try that. Thank you


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.756048,-73.991492

[jokizwo]

If waze says one route lasts 48-53 minutes, this is an average of all people. Could be that you personally would be much faster. But waze uses the average. In most cases fast drivers beat the ETA.

What is the real difference in time? Try driving both routes and have a look at your watch. 10 minutes is a huge difference for a route of about 50 minutes. Try that multiple times to have an average. Only one time 10 minutes faster does not count

What if you take your route. Is there a point within the route when waze switches to "your" preferred route? How does ETA change during that switch?

Maybe the map does not support your way? missing turns or anything.

I wonder what Google Maps says to both routes. You know in Gmaps you can configure individual routes by just dragging them...

You know, there can be numerous reasons for the situation :/ On one hand it could be that waze still don't know your way is faster. On the other hand it could be waze still don't know the other way is slower.

[AlanOfTheBerg]

I've also recently reported that my preferred route doesn't come up and/or isn't marked in the 3.0 client, which is supposed to use a heart icon to denote what Waze believes is your favorite. This functionality may be missing/turned off with the recent reduction of services as they work on bolstering infrastructure and code efficiency.

[sketch]

Is your way along surface streets, and is Waze's way along freeways?

The routing server, if I'm not mistaken, gives each node along a route a five-second penalty, since nodes can contain stop signs, traffic lights, slow turning vehicles &c. This is done to offset the server's discounting a certain amount of slow speeds per segment so that average speed is not as strongly affected by stopped traffic at lights and so forth.

It could be that your route has a number of nodes and is therefore assigned a number of penalties, all of which add up to make Waze think your way is slower.

[mapcat]

Also, if your preferred route uses roads designated as "street" anywhere but the beginning or end, Waze will not want to take you that way.

[yrrabsille]

All of this is great info. I tried the Google thing and it suggests the same way as Waze and claims it will take 46 minutes. When I drag it to my route, the time changes to 52 minutes. But when I actually drive my route, it takes me 38 minutes with no hurry at all. When I drive the Google/Waze route, it takes me more like 45 to 50 Minutes. The Google/Waze route is indeed more highways and mine is more backroads, so I think the node issue mentioned above may be the problem.

As far as: "What if you take your route. Is there a point within the route when waze switches to "your" preferred route?"
The result has varied over the last several months, but it has improved. It used to really, really resist my route and try to make me turn back, but lately (a few months ago) it has switched to my route almost immediately after my deviation (it tries once to get me back on the highway). So there was hope that it was going to eventually learn that my way was better, but no luck. My route still doesn't even come up as an option when I ask for options at the start of my commute.

"How does ETA change during that switch?" Well, it actually acknowledges that my way is faster, the ETA at that point usually makes a 9 minute improvement.

I'm going to go though the route and make sure there are no more nodes than there should be and see if things get better (when the maps update). Thank you for all of your help, this gives me more to think over and try out. If there are more thoughts on this, please post. I'll keep you updated.
Barry

[RickW-NC]

If you are using the new editor do the Shift-A thing and look for red arrows on your route. I got the impression you can be routed through them but it costs more. Since we are playing on an evolving field, every little trick helps. (You will want to turn those arrows green and if you do the Shift-A twice after a save they are shown correctly again) Good luck and keep us posted on the results. You might also try routing with the "avoid highways" option turned on and see what it does. It is usually very interesting.

[AlanOfTheBerg]

My experience is that the 3.0 iphone betas did show the heart-preferred route in the client when viewing alternates, but that it hasn't done it for some time now.