Permanent hazard

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Permanent Hazards (“PHs”) are a map feature that will present audio & visual alerts to all drivers passing across the attached segment or, in future phases, through the designated area. According to Waze’s 2023 PH How-to Document[1], Permanent Hazards are meaningful road insights that users want to know while driving. Alerts will encourage users to slow down and drive more safely, saving not only drivers’ lives but pedestrians’ too.

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List of Permanent Hazards

This list of hazards now available in the WME in the United States, previous features that have been folded into the hazards feature category, plus some PHs that are only available in other countries or not yet available.

  • Cameras (see feature-specific article)
  • Railroad crossings (see feature-specific article)
  • School zone (see feature-specific article)
  • Sharp curve
  • Speed bump
  • Tollbooth
  • Multiple lanes merging
  • Complex intersection (US guidance pending)
  • Pedestrian crossing~ (no longer planned) [2]

Editing restriction

As of May 2024[update], due to the recent release of PH and the evolving nature of the PH feature, there is an Editing restriction for PH of Rank 4. Additionally, the PH will also inherit the lock level of the segment to which it has been added. For example:

  • If the segment is locked to L1 and a PH is added, and the country’s lock level is L4, the lock level for the PH will be L4.
  • If the segment is locked at L5 and a PH is added and the country’s lock level is L4, the lock level for the PH will be L5.
 If an editor is able to delete a segment, any linked PH will also be deleted, even if the editor does not have sufficient permission to delete the PH directly.

When to add a PH

Remember: the intent of Waze staff is that PH are meant to help fulfill the role of a local co-driver sitting in the right-front-seat of the user’s vehicle, giving timely alerts about upcoming unexpected hazards on the road.[3] Place yourself in the drivers seat, and consider if adding a PH would help keep your drive uneventful and nearby pedestrians and road users safe.

When to add a Sharp Curve PH

Add a Sharp Curve PH if the advisory speed is significantly reduced when compared to the regulatory Speed limit. Other factors may also be considered in determining if a bend warrants a PH, such as:

  • Intersections within the bend
  • Steep grades in or surrounding the bend
  • Visibility obstructions leading up to and at the bend

Potential indicators for a Sharp Curve PH include the following road treatments:

  • Chevron alignment signs along the shoulder of a turn
  • Flashing beacons (yellow lights) supplemental to warning signs
  • Centerline or shoulder rumble strips
  • In-lane pavement markings warning of the bend (“CURVE AHEAD” or “CURVE 25 MPH”)

Where to place a Sharp Curve PH

Place the Sharp Curve PH at the beginning of the bend, in the direction of travel (not necessarily at the warning sign). In the case of a sharp hairpin turn on a two-way road, you may use a single two-way Sharp Curve PH at the apex (middle) of the bend.

When to add a Speed Bump PH

Add a Speed Bump PH for each speed bump or speed hump on the road. According to the PH How-to Document[4], any speed bumps within 500 meters from each other will be grouped, and only one alert will be shown to the driver.

 Although there is no prohibition for marking speed bumps on any particular road type, there is no urgency to map speed bumps on PLRs, as speed bumps are expected by drivers in most parking lots. Obviously, unexpected, unmarked, or particular “nasty” speed bumps should be marked, no matter the road type.

Some types of traffic calming measures have unique guidance:

  • Raised Intersections. Raised intersections have an elevated road surface at the intersections between streets. According to NACTO, “raised Intersections reinforce slow speeds and encourage motorists to yield to pedestrians at the crosswalk.”[5] These kinds of raised intersections should be marked with a Speed Bump PH.
  • Raised Pedestrian Crossings at Intersections. Similar to raised intersections, raised crosswalks at intersections are designed to slow vehicles approaching a pedestrian crossing (crosswalk) at an intersection. These kinds of raised pedestrian crossings should be marked with a Speed Bump PH.
  • Mid-Block Raised Pedestrian Crossings. Some raised pedestrian crossings appear mid-block, away from an intersection. These crossings often feature prominent signage, median pedestrian refuges, or flashing beacons. These kinds of raised pedestrian crossings should be marked with a Speed Bump PH.

When to add a Tollbooth PH

Tollbooth PH are a safety feature and are not necessary for every toll location. Add Tollbooth PH at toll locations where:

  • Drivers must decelerate well below average travel speeds or come to a stop; or
  • Drivers must navigate hazards such as toll booths, barriers, gates, or other obstacles before proceeding

When NOT to add a Tollbooth PH

Electronic toll plazas: Do not add Tollbooth PHs at electronic toll plazas or gantries that do not require deceleration or navigating barriers between lanes.

When to Add a Multiple Lanes Merging PH

Multiple Lanes Merging PH should be added where two or more lanes merge together in a manner that presents a potential hazard. This may include:

  • merges that occur within a segment (e.g., the number of lanes are reduced on a segment)
  • merges where two or more segments merge at a junction node or multiple junction nodes in close proximity to form a single post-merge segment.

While lane guidance may provide a user the proper lanes to use for navigation, this hazard alerts users to be aware of traffic merging into their lane from one or both sides, even if they themselves do not need to change lanes. This hazard may be added in situations where:

  • multiple lanes of a segment merge together in a short space and/or time. This may be in tandem with one or more merges from other segments and/or where lanes become exit only (e.g., multiple on-ramps into a ramp or roadway in a short distance or merging traffic must change lanes as some lanes become exit only instead).
  • traffic from two or more merging segments may need to merge across/change lanes in a short space and/or time to reach an intended upcoming segment
  • uncommon/unique merging patterns exist (e.g., the inner lanes of merging segments merge into a new center lane but the outer lanes of the merged roadway continue without a lane change)
  • a merge may not be obvious to the thru traffic on the “main” road of the merge due to a visual obstruction (e.g. rock ledge, vegetation, noise barrier, tunnel wall). As an exception to multiple lanes, this may be added where a single lane merges into a single-lane road if visual conditions constitute a potential hazard. Placement of a PH for this type of situation should be made in consultation with local leadership.

When Not to Place a Multiple Lanes Merging PH

Single lane merges: The PH should not be added where only one lane merges into another road. This includes, but is not limited to, one-lane on-ramps, middle segments of cloverleaf interchanges, and “Y” intersections or other similarly-angled yield intersections.

Where to Place a Multiple Lanes Merging PH

The PH should typically be placed near the junction node (or last junction node if multiple merges occur) of the merging segments and post-merge segment, depending on which segments require the hazard alert.

  • If the PH is only to alert one or more specific merging segments, but not all, it should be placed on the segment(s) to be alerted just before the junction node with the post-merge segment.
  • If two or more segments merging into a single segment should all be alerted, the PH should be placed just beyond the junction node at the start of the post-merge segment.
  • If the PH is being added with the addition consideration of traffic merging across lanes immediately beyond the merge, it may be appropriate to place the hazard further down the post-merge segment to keep the alert on screen through the hazard zone.
 PH alerts are given at a distance of 0.2 miles and therefore placement should prioritize the alert timing for the physical/painted lane merges over the lane changes beyond it

When to add a Complex Intersection PH

[Coming ~soon~ in the near future]

How to add a PH

(Shamelessly lifted from the Waze HQ PH How-to Document) [6]

  1. Click on the Hazards button on the top right side of the screen and click “Enable layer”. Alternatively, enable the Hazards layer from the layer menu.

    512×290 31.5 KB

  2. Now that the layer is enabled, select the PH you wish to add by hovering your mouse over the relevant hazards and clicking Create Point.

    575×166 9.61 KB

  3. Move your cursor to the location on the map where you wish to add the PH, and click. The PH will automatically snap to the nearest segment.

  4. Add the direction using the left pane.

  5. Save.

That’s it! Please note that PH do require a tile build to be displayed in the client.

Examples

[Coming Soon]

  1. How to Doc | Permanent Hazards Phase 1 | External. Waze Mobile Ltd, 30 November 2023. ↩︎

  2. Update about the removal of Permanent hazards for pedestrian crossing. Darya-staff, Waze forum. 15 May 2024. ↩︎

  3. Waze Communities Office Hours - Permanent Hazards: Phase 2 and Beyond.Waze Community Events, 7 April 2024. ↩︎

  4. How to Doc | Permanent Hazards Phase 1 | External. Waze Mobile Ltd, 30 November 2023. ↩︎

  5. Urban Street Design Guide | Raised Intersections. NACTO, retrieved 20 May 2024. ↩︎

  6. How to Doc | Permanent Hazards Phase 1 | External. Waze Mobile Ltd, 30 November 2023. ↩︎

Map tiles
Speed bumps