I have the setting “avoid toll roads” enabled.
Over the last couple of weeks, Waze has directed me to take the Mass Pike multiple times.
Happened again 2/20/2017 driving from Newton to Acton.
Why is this happening?
Previously the MassPike had toll booths and we flagged segments that crossed them as “toll roads” Then with the switch to gantries we had to change them all over.
We believe that they are all properly placed but we may have missed some.
OR
There was a bug in the system that overrode that setting.
Can you tell us what Mass Pike segments were involved in the routing? From which entrance to which exit specifically?
Thanks.
Entry at Exit 17 Newton/Watertown.
Since I did not take this route, I don’t know where the exit point would be.
Thanks for the reply. I scanned I-90 W and there was a toll segment within a mile of the entrance at Exit 17, before Exit 16. It should have prevented routing. I’ll check with national experts.
I’ve been told that the “avoid toll roads” is not an absolute restriction - one can imagine that if it were, and the toll road was the only way there, it’d crash the system. Therefore, the most likely scenario is that the alternatives were much longer in time required, however, you should always be offered multiple routes under the “routes” tab. Just tap the center bottom of the screen and the far left option is “routes” and 3 are usually given.
I drove to West Newton before I could get a route that avoided the Mass Pike, and that route listed the same arrival time at my destination as the first two route choices that included the Mass Pike.
I live in Newton Corner, very close to the Mass Pike exit 17. Is it possible to mark this section of the Mass Pike as a toll road?
Per instructions from Waze, only segments with the gantries (where they scan your EZPass) are to be marked. Editors combed the area and found all gantries, made changes to isolate the gantries and mark them as “toll” segments. Marking other segments as tolls does not necessarily allow Waze to route appropriately. We have also not had reports in the area from other users with similar issues, suggesting this was a glitch.
Again, to be clear, when the app suggested 2 options using the Pike, both involved entering at Exit 17?
Yes, both suggestions indicated entry to Mass Pike at exit 17.
I have had this problem sporadically over the last couple of weeks, perhaps because I live on Church Street in Newton.
Would it be best if I check the list of directions given for each routing choice before choosing it, or is there a better way?
Might be - if possible the surest method for us to check is to do a screen shot of your instructions, if you can, and attach it to a forum post. Or email to masswazers@gmail.com.
I have a daily route where the Pike is usually the fastest option. I will turn on the toll avoidance feature and see if I can create the issue for myself.
-Bob C.
Thanks!
This morning Waze offered me 3 routes:
#1: 57 minutes (via mass Pike)
#2: 1:04
#3: 1:12
Then I turned on toll avoidance and got three possibilities:
#1: 1:00
#2: 1:12
#3: 1:14
(none of those were the Pike)
I turned toll avoidance back on and it gave me the Pike as an option again.
Shani- The way that Waze typically works is it adds behind-the-scenes penalties for things that it’s told not to do. It doesn’t make any routing impossible, unless the road is physically disconnected on the map. So for example if it’s faster to cut through a gas station, the routing algorithm adds a substantial penalty (i.e. “penalty minutes” which are all behind the scenes and we never see) to the route to make it behave the way we would like.
In this case, toll avoidance adds a substantial penalty to a toll road (I don’t know the exact number) when you activate toll avoidance. Well it’s supposed to - very rarely the routing algorithm has been known to puke and make bad decisions. That might be what happened, or maybe any alternative routes were just SO much longer that it took you over the Pike anyhow (doubtful).
Do you know how to have Waze show you alternative routes? I do that quite frequently - maybe half of the time, just to make sure it’s not doing something weird.
-Bob C.
Thanks Bob! That’s pretty much what we would expect should happen. There’s no official number set for the penalty - it’s proprietary - but guesses are a substantial amount of time.
I tried various routings trying to duplicate the problem I saw on Monday 2/20/2017 driving Newton, MA to Acton, MA. It is much easier to figure this out when I am not driving.
The routes start from my home parking lot
Right onto Church Street
Left onto Centre Street
to I-90 W / Mass Pike / Watertown / W Newton, Massachusetts (this is Exit 17)
and then routing various ways from Washington Street in Newton, MA.
I think I found something that might explain this issue when the Map Editor routes a driver through Newton Corner.
One 16.4 ft segment of Centre Street in Newton is listed with the name to I-90 W / Mass Pike / Watertown / W Newton, Newton, Massachusetts.
Permalink is https://www.waze.com/editor/?env=usa&lon=-71.18409&lat=42.35627&layers=29325&zoom=7&mode=0&mapProblemFilter=0&mapUpdateRequestFilter=0&venueFilter=0&segments=82820640
The segment immediately before this one is labeled Centre Street, Newton, MA and has the Permalink https://www.waze.com/editor/?env=usa&lon=-71.18340&lat=42.35622&layers=29325&zoom=7&mode=0&mapProblemFilter=0&mapUpdateRequestFilter=0&venueFilter=0&segments=69331143
The segment immediately after this one is labeled Centre Street, Newton, MA and has the Permalink https://www.waze.com/editor/?env=usa&lon=-71.18376&lat=42.35616&layers=29325&zoom=7&mode=0&mapProblemFilter=0&mapUpdateRequestFilter=0&venueFilter=0&segments=82820641
Now I know what to look for in Waze routings through this area.
If this situation made me think that I was being routed onto the Mass Pike, it may confuse other Wazers as well.
Since both of the segments before and after this segment are listed as Centre Street, Newton, MA - should this segment be listed as Centre Street, Newton, Ma also?
Excellent catch! I’m running this by a few others to see if we want to make some changes, and what should be there instead of the instructions you heard.
Photos of the “big green signs” in Newton Corner directing traffic to the Mass Pike, Newton, and Watertown sent to masswazers@gmail.com 2/24/2017.
Thanks for the photos. Per email, edits have been made.