HOV lane navigation

[CBenson]

Waze should also notate (just like a toll road) with a little icon in the corner that this is an HOV road. Let the user use their brain (and read the signs) and decide which route they want. We know wazers are smarter than the average driver so this shouldn't be difficult, right?

Sure but there are two separate questions. 1) What should waze do to accommodate HOV lanes? 2) In the meantime, how should we map them with the tools that we currently have?

[CBenson]

I, as a non HOV driver, should not be navigated onto an HOV lane.

I think the question becomes, why not.
First, if you are routed on the HOV lanes, you need only to ask for alternative routes and pick one that does not use the HOV lanes. Thus waze remains useful for non HOV drivers if the HOV lanes are routable. However, if they are not routable, but typically the best choice for HOV drivers, then waze provides very little benefit to the HOV driver.
Second, you are already routed on HOV lanes as a non HOV driver in the DC area. This is because I-66 into/out of Washington, DC is time restricted HOV only for the rushes. The only way to keep you from being routed on the HOV restricted I-66 is to make I-66 entirely non-routable, which hasn't been adopted as the proper course of action.

This would typically be the majority of drivers, so currently, majority rules.

I wonder if this actually true for wazers in some areas. If we take a poll and find that a majority of wazers in an area use the HOV lanes, do we change the policy for that area?

[CBenson]

I agree that there's lots to weigh. That's why I think this discussion is useful. I'm not advocating making the VA I-95 HOV lanes routeable. Not only would this cause non-HOV drivers to be routed on the HOV lanes, but they are reversible so drivers going the against the rush may also be routed on the HOV lanes that are closed in that direction. As MysticCobra argues the barricades are quite clear, so no one is at all likely to actually take the lanes the wrong way. However, I'm not convinced that making the lanes routable is the best solution at this point. But it does seem worth discussing.

[CBenson]

The appearance of the live map is notoriously unreliable. The updates are unpredictable and vary from zoom level to zoom level.

[crunchyfroggirl]

Ah! So that would be why when heading south, Waze will direct me off the HOV at the exit before or the exit after, but will never direct me to take that one, even though it's obv. the quickest.

[Galahad2]

There needs to be a setting that allows us to avoid HOV. Every time I drive to work, the system sends me down the HOV and then thinks I have taken that route, screwing up directions, estimated drive time and my own reporting for other drivers. If I could drive HOV every day, I wouldn't need Waze.

[Galahad2]

The turn is near the intersection of Interstate 95 and Hwy 123 in Woodbridge, Virginia, USA.
http://goo.gl/maps/PaXcI

[istpsu2009]

source: http://www.waze.com/wiki/index.php/Carp ... nsit_lanes

Carpool, HOV, Transit lanes
Carpool lanes, High-occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, and Transit lanes are road lanes reserved for cars carrying more than the driver. The number of required passengers in the vehicle can vary depending on the specific road.
Although currently Waze does not support the requirements of routing over these types of lanes, there are plans to add support for them in the future.
As an interim measure, these lanes should be added to the map as separate roads, with the road type as Parking Lot Roads. This means that if you are not currently in one of these lanes the routing will avoid it, but if you choose to get into the lane, the routing will work correctly.
Supporting these lanes is a priority for Waze, and they are aware of the problems caused by such lanes.
A complete solution needs to consider the following factors:

The driver would need to tell the Waze client app how many passengers are present in the car for that trip. Waze would only offer routes over carpool lanes when there are sufficient passengers to be eligible
A new road type of "carpool lane" would be added with an entry for how many passengers are required to use it
The ability to change the direction of the car pool lane automatically based on time of day and day of week. This is also necessary for other roads
The ability to set the minimum passenger count to zero (meaning the road is open to all drivers) based on time of day and day of week
As car pool lanes are often adjacent to normal roads, GPS tracking is not sufficient to differentiate the two. For accurate road speeds Waze needs to assume you are using the car pool lane when you have passengers (and/or based on your speed)
HOV lanes are being merged with Toll lanes (HOT lanes) and the user needs to be able to select if they want to allow toll roads. The map needs the ability to track multiple lane restrictions (HOV and/or Toll) for the same road rather than defining the road as either an HOV or a Toll lane.

source: http://www.waze.com/wiki/index.php/Carp ... nsit_lanes

[MysticCobra]

If waze had a separate setting like toll roads for HOV's, the user could turn them on or off as routing options.

I think this is the key. We should have an option to use or not use HOV. I would still like to see, when looking at route choices, this a certain route is Express or HOV or Toll or whatever with some sort of icon or asterisk or warning.

[MysticCobra]

I'm not sure exactly what's happening to the HOT lanes. What happens to the HOV lanes inside Edsall Rd.?

I was just reading about this yesterday...from Edsall Rd north will continue as they are today. HOV3 and no toll. "Express" lanes end at Edsall Rd meaning cars with less then 3 people must exit.