Subject: Urgent request for route modification - Endangering users on Rue de la Garenne (Montpellier)
To the Waze Support team and the Waze Map Editors community,
I am writing to you today, on behalf of local residents and daily users, to report a major safety and nuisance issue related to the routes currently suggested by your application in the city of Montpellier (34000).
For some time now, we have noticed that a large number of motorists are being diverted through Rue de la Garenne. While this shortcut does not represent a significant time saving for drivers, it does, however, create very serious safety problems and major disruptions for the neighborhood.
To better understand the situation, it is important to note the specific configuration of this road:
• Development history: Access to Rue de la Garenne was intentionally modified when the Montpellier tramway network was created, specifically with the aim of limiting the traffic flow which was already too dense.
• Narrowness of the road: It is a particularly narrow street, with only a single lane of traffic for cars.
• Mixed mobility: The street is two-way for cyclists, but offers very little safe space for pedestrians.
• Local infrastructure: It includes three dead-ends as well as multiple accesses to private car parks, requiring regular maneuvering.
• High school density: The street is home to the Lycée Nevers as well as a higher education establishment. Normally, there is an extremely high concentration of high school and university students, particularly at the start of the street.
Since Waze has been heavily suggesting this route as a transit road, the consequences have been alarming:
• Immediate danger to pedestrians, cyclists, and the many students in the neighborhood.
• Increased risk of collisions due to the narrowness of the road, the two-way cycle path, and parking exits.
• Dangerous behavior: Many motorists in transit, impatient or inattentive, do not respect speed limits, which are nonetheless essential in such an area.
• Unbearable noise pollution for residents, destroying the peace of this residential and school neighborhood.
In summary, routing a flow of vehicles through this street brings no real benefit to motorists in terms of traffic flow, but creates real inconvenience and numerous risks of accidents.
Consequently, we ask you to please intervene in the mapping (Waze Map Editor) to disable Rue de la Garenne as a transit route for motorized vehicles, or to modify its attributes so that the algorithm stops suggesting it as a shortcut.
We use Waze constantly and are delighted with its services. We want to maintain this usage for the best, for ourselves and for the whole community. Our message therefore aims to be of service to everyone.
We thank you in advance for your responsiveness and for your commitment to the safety of all road users.
Kind regards,