Naming State Highways with Street Names in Towns

[PaintManNO]

https://www.waze.com/editor/?zoom=4&lat=29.39009&lon=-90.26909&layers=BFTFTTTFTTFTTTTFTTTTFT

This is an idea that I had about naming state highways when they have a street name when passing through a city, at least until Waze is able to configure 2 street names in the new editor.

I try to look at this from the point of view of someone who is completely unfamiliar with an area. When driving through rural and sub-rural areas, I find that the numbered state highway signs are usually more prominent than the street name signs. So I think having the state highway number first, with the street name in parenthesis, is a better way to label such roads.

This is also based on the state highway label being relatively short (LA-1 instead of State Highway 1). It would be a bit unwieldy if a street label looked like "State Hwy 3235 (S Alex Plaisance Blvd)".

In areas where the street name is more prominent than the state highway designation, usually in large cities, maybe the order could be reversed: "Barataria Blvd (LA-45)", although that creates some inconsistency.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[RallyChris]

I have one of these in my neck of the woods. We name it based on what the street signs say at that point.

In theory, if they ever got the badges working, we should be able to set the badges no matter what the name is, and that would cover your "other name"

[AlanOfTheBerg]

The current guidelines in the wiki state to use the local name.

I will note, for the record, that I am not sure this is best in all situations/locations. Waze themselves has even stated once that the primary name should be the highway/interstate name. This may be an area of the guidelines which needs some discussion and rework. Each time it's been brought up in the past, it was left as-is for consistency.

[ncc1701v]

I am in favor of using the local name.

• the traveler undoubtedly knows the route number he/she is following, and if there are signs for the route number they can be followed, but
• in many towns the local name is displayed while the route number is only displayed at major intersections or the edge of town.
• even at intersections with numbered routes, there may be a route number sign but there will certainly be a local name sign.

[mwhead2]

https://www.waze.com/editor/?zoom=4&lat=29.39009&lon=-90.26909&layers=BFTFTTTFTTFTTTTFTTTTFT

This is an idea that I had about naming state highways when they have a street name when passing through a city, at least until Waze is able to configure 2 street names in the new editor.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

This is what I've been doing for a while now using the format "Street Name (SR-xxx)"

https://www.waze.com/editor/?zoom=1&lon=-83.49915&lat=33.87046&layers=BFTFTTTFTTFTTFTFTTTTFT

I am in favor of using the local name.

• even at intersections with numbered routes, there may be a route number sign but there will certainly be a local name sign.

Not the case in a lot of areas around here (in N Georgia) as signage is really inconsistent in whether the route number or street name is used (Experiment Station Rd and Hog Mountain Rd are signed as "S.R. 53" at most intersections, for example).

I think having both is a good compromise for now... until whenever Waze adds support for alternate names/badges

[AlanOfTheBerg]

https://www.waze.com/editor/?zoom=4&lat=29.39009&lon=-90.26909&layers=BFTFTTTFTTFTTTTFTTTTFT

This is an idea that I had about naming state highways when they have a street name when passing through a city, at least until Waze is able to configure 2 street names in the new editor.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

This is what I've been doing for a while now using the format "Street Name (SR-xxx)"

It would be better to either not enter anything else at all or use Cartouche to enter the alternate names. When Waze supports multiple display, it will not be using the format you are using there and you'll have to go back and edit every segment in every city you did that to, if you're still around, or someone else will have to. Please follow the naming conventions in the wiki, including using alternate names fields.

[mapcat]

This is something that should be decided after they finally figure out how we're going to handle road badges/shields. My preference would be for editors to gain the ability to add shields to roads, in which case it would be easy to decide what to name the roads: whatever is on the signs at intersections. The map on the client would show [ 1 ] and the TTS/directions display would say "turn left on Main St". But until this is solved, it doesn't really make any sense to make any changes. So follow the wiki guidelines until then.

[mwhead2]

https://www.waze.com/editor/?zoom=4&lat=29.39009&lon=-90.26909&layers=BFTFTTTFTTFTTTTFTTTTFT
This is what I've been doing for a while now using the format "Street Name (SR-xxx)"

It would be better to either not enter anything else at all or use Cartouche to enter the alternate names. When Waze supports multiple display, it will not be using the format you are using there and you'll have to go back and edit every segment in every city you did that to, if you're still around, or someone else will have to. Please follow the naming conventions in the wiki, including using alternate names fields.

I (or someone else) will have to do that regardless because the already existing alternate names are useless at this point. Most alternate names are already gone in my area thanks to the geometry bug (and many are extremely incorrect as is), so I think correcting or adding more is pointless until the functionality is bug-free and integrated into WME.

So until that happens (whenever that might be), I have to work with the tools that are available to me to provide information to make the navigation experience better for the users in my area.

[mapcat]

I (or someone else) will have to do that regardless because the already existing alternate names are useless at this point. Most alternate names are already gone in my area thanks to the geometry bug (and many are extremely incorrect as is), so I think correcting or adding more is pointless until the functionality is bug-free and integrated into WME.

Slightly off-topic but...

What exactly are alt names good for now, anyway?

They don't show on the map.
They don't generate shields.
They aren't used by other search providers.
They may used by Waze's own search: I searched for an address on US Hwy 20 in Cleveland and it gave me what appears to be the right address on Euclid Ave. I say "may" because I did another search for an address on US Hwy 322, and got an address on Superior Ave, which does not list US Hwy 322 as an alt name.

Regardless, if the correct street name is used for the road, alt names shouldn't be necessary, should they?

[bgodette]

I (or someone else) will have to do that regardless because the already existing alternate names are useless at this point. Most alternate names are already gone in my area thanks to the geometry bug (and many are extremely incorrect as is), so I think correcting or adding more is pointless until the functionality is bug-free and integrated into WME.

Slightly off-topic but...

What exactly are alt names good for now, anyway?

Pretty much only for other editors to see for why XYZ Blvd/Pkwy/Ave is a Major/Minor, and in some rare cases as editor annotation.