Ran across this interesting little configuration:
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Originally, this stretch (named “Air Strip”) was classified as a street and connected to all the adjacent roads. Perhaps the locals drive freely on it, but this didn’t seem a prudent way of mapping it. When I disconnected it from the nearby roads, I realized that there were several that were clearly intended to cross it:
- Fletcher Rd
- Piper Ln
- Howard Rd
I was able to shorten it a bit and disconnect Howard Rd, but the other two have me stumped. For now, I made the intersections like railroad crossings, trusting that there are signs that say something like, “active runway! look both ways before crossing”. It looks like Piper Ln might double as a taxiway, too.
Feedback on this unusual configuration and my questionable solution, please.
Hrm, looking at their website and FAA data, Piper Ln is actually an active runway as well. The marked one is Runway 8/26, and Piper Lane is 18/36.
It advertises itself as a private air community, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if locals drive on the runways / taxiways, though I’ve never been up there, so can’t say for sure.
Checking with the FAA never occurred to me! Great idea. I’ll change the type on that road as well. If I don’t get any pushback, I’ll leave it in this configuration until someone squawks. Thanks!
No worries 
Airports and aviation is a side hobby of mine, so figured I’d look. It’s an interesting setup for sure, it almost looks like people are living on the airfield if those blue spots are pools.
That settles it; according to their self-description, they live at the airport and no doubt walk and drive on and/or across the runways. I’ve changed the relevant section of Piper Ln to an airstrip, too, and given the runways their proper designations. I’m sticking with the railroad crossing approach until someone more senior tells me otherwise. I made Fletcher Rd private where it crosses the runway to discourage outsiders from wandering across it; the penalty will route them around it, unless there’s no other way to get where they’re going. Waze won’t create an error report that way if someone decides to drive across on their initiative, though. Locked all of it at level 3, too, to spur some discussion if someone wants to change it. Thanks so much for helping me parse this one out!
I just got waze and attempted to drive to the Ranch. How do I go in and edit this. There are many problems. For example there is no route to my house and the addresses are screwed up.
Hi taildragger51, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your first post, and on finding exactly the right place to look for help.
The editors who last worked this area may not have been familiar with our Road Types / USA wiki article, which points out that “Taxiways that do commonly serve street vehicles as well as aircraft, for example at fly-in communities, may be mapped as Streets provided they remain disconnected from any runway.”
Is this a situation where the community is so small that the same stretch of asphalt serves not only as street and taxiway but runway as well? Yikes, that seems dangerous. I can see having a home on a taxiway, but I’d have misgivings about having my driveway connect direct to a runway.
Anyway, what you will need to improve routing here is for the locks to be lowered and to connect with an experienced editor who can review. Unfortunately I can’t help, I’m focused on Northern California and my editable area doesn’t include this location. Hopefully a more local editor can pitch in here.
Taildragger51, I believe I can help you out. I’ll take a look at this area now and see what I can do to improve the setup for you.
OK. I think I have it all fixed up.
I added a few addresses to houses that were not yet mapped.
I changed the runways back to streets and used the alternate name field to hold the runway names for now.
I connected the previously disconnected runways to the roadways so you can route to the homes using the runway as the street address.
Give it a few days to update the map tiles and it should route properly after that. If you still have problems, reply here or send me a private message by clicking my name and I can help you out.
@kentsmith9, not sure what taildragger1 would say with local knowledge, but looking at the community guidelines here…
http://media.wix.com/ugd/460943_acadde49e71a4fcc8259bf78d4e5f80c.pdf
…it seems that the runway should probably be set as not for through traffic (PR or PLR), and that the TRs should prohibit crossing the runway at all intersections except Fletcher Rd, as per this excerpt:
“Fletcher Road, at the west end of Runway 08/26, is designated as the only crossing point for
vehicular traffic going to and from the North side of the Borrego Air Ranch. Aircraft have the
right of way, but pilots should exercise caution and watch for vehicles crossing Runway 08/26 at
Fletcher Road. Although Fletcher Road is the only authorized crossing point, pilots should
always exercise vigilance for vehicles entering or crossing the runways at other points.”
That through traffic should be prohibited on the runway makes terrific sense, but the document linked above does not say that explicitly. It only implies it by saying that aircraft should taxi on the runway where possible “to avoid conflicts with cars and pedestrians”.
I left all the segments down at Rank 1, so if you guys want to review and alter my changes, I have no problem. I saw a sign from the main road on SV that the area had active aircraft. I doubt anyone is driving around out there who does not live out there, so you have limited chance of someone having no idea what is happening.
I see the runway has an area to the north side of it that appears to be regularly driven. Since technically it is the same roadway as the runway, just part of the shoulder, I would not propose we draw a separate road, but that is one option. It would not match the visual since there is no actual second parallel road, so that might cause more confusion.
The home on the southeast corner had no drivable surface when the two runways were mapped as runways, so I don’t believe they should simply be returned to runways, but we can set the turn restrictions so drivers are routed from the north west end to get to the far homes.
I have no editable area there, and am happy to leave it to locals. The PDF linked in my previous post indicated that certain runway crossings were prohibited, and I am quite unsure that Waze should route through traffic down an active runway, but this place is so small and so far away from everything the best approach is for the locals to do whatever makes them happy, within reason of course
I did restrict all turns onto that runway based on the PDF, but I did leave them connected. It should route traffic from the north side after crossing at the west end. Only the houses on the runway should get routed onto the runway.