Hi all,
I’ve just started using Waze and have made a few edits, but am wondering if it’s possible to discourage the routing app from sending me down some tiny streets. I live in the Pennines and there are plenty of little roads that I feel we really shouldn’t be driving on. What’s the best way to classify these in the editor?
Example 1: Jerry Ln, Sowerby Bridge
The app told me to turn up here, but I didn’t fancy it.
Example 2: Scout Rd, Mytholmroyd
I think this road is actually ok, but it has been set as restricted, so the app didn’t even suggest going down here.
Any thoughts? Is setting a 24/7 time restriction the best way to avoid these roads?
On a related note, this road is actually private, but Waze still keeps suggesting I use it, even though I’ve added restrictions!
Hi Mini
Welcome to the wonderfully addictive world of Waze map editing! You’ve come to the right place for advice and friendly banter! It might not always be right but it will be interesting.
The scary lane, I wouldn’t restrict it except for those vehicles that wouldn’t fit, after that if its a rough or un-surfaced lane I’d just make it a dirt road/4x4 trail. It’s up to the driver to use their windscreen and make a decision, like what you did… From the sat images and street view I’d maybe make it private and add the house numbers, it’s narrow but drivable. Being drivable is the main thing with that.
I can’t see why Scout Road is restricted, it looks fine and there are no traffic signs that I could see…
Private roads are still navigable and waze will use them if it thinks the end point is on that road, which does happen when the search uses another source which puts it closer to that section of road rather than the section you are trying to get to. Have search here on the forums, there are loads of helpful threads and the wiki has great info too. If you need any help working out the weird things it helps when the rest of us know where you are trying to go, but you don’t have to tell us if you don’t want too. Timbones has a script which might help called route checker, try that with different start and end points, it might shed some light on it!
Pip
Level 5 Area Manager - North of Ireland
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Scout Rd was last editing in 2013 by a level-1 editor who is no longer active. Like you, I can’t see any reason for the restriction, and have removed it.
“Scary” roads are something that Waze does not handle well. There is no setting in the app which says “please keep me on big roads if possible”.
If the road is public but unsurfaced, it should be set to “dirt road”.
If the road is surfaced but genuinely unsuitable for through routing for anybody, then it should be set to “private”. In the UK at least, we use “private” to mean not-for-through-routing as well as genuinely not a public road. “Private” should stop Waze using it, unless the nearest point to the specified destination can only be reached on “private” roads, without the need to add restrictions.
However, some people are quite happy on narrow roads, so please don’t normally set a road to “private” just because you don’t like it. However, that said, Jerry Ln is exceptionally narrow, and doesn’t appear to have any passing places. I agree that it’s not suitable for through routing, so I’ve set it to “private”. Now Waze will only use it to reach a destination which is actually in Jerry Ln. But it’s still on the map, with permitted turns, so the system won’t raise Map error Problems (MP’s) if someone ignores directions and drives along it with Waze running.
The good news is that narrow roads are usually slow roads, so provided you have Waze set to “fastest route” (which is the default), it will tend to avoid them. Don’t forget you also have the “routes” button to offer you a choice of three routes.
If of course you set Waze to “shortest route”, well, you get what you ask for (on a short journey at least; on a long journey Waze still tends to pick big roads even on “shortest”).
And happy Wazing 
Ian
Thanks for your help both! That’s pretty much confirmed what I was thinking, but it’s good to know that if I leave it set to ‘fastest’, I should be avoiding these kinds of road.