Hi everyone,
I am opening this topic to have the standardization of the road network in Macedonia for Waze purposes defined in one place.
First, something important
Waze is not a map; it is a navigation system.
Most errors stem from a misunderstanding of the basic principle: Waze is not a topographic map, but a navigation tool. Many beginner editors try to modify the map so that it reflects reality as accurately as possible. Roads with divided lanes are split, pedestrian and bicycle paths are added, and curves are perfectly rounded. The ultimate goal of Waze is to provide the best navigation instructions. The fewer details there are on the map, the easier and faster it can be used while driving, especially on the small screens of smartphones.
The goal is not to physically model the roadway lane by lane. Such an approach often leads to unnecessary complexity — which means a cluttered map, confusing directions, and much, much (and even more!) additional work regarding map maintenance.
KISS principle
Keep It Short Safe & Stupidly Simple
KISS keeps the road geometry as simple as possible without losing essential driving instructions. Try to keep this in mind while creating and improving the map. More info here: KISS - Wazeopedia
Categorization in Waze Editor (WME)
Based on data from the official road map of the Public Enterprise for State Roads, categorization should be performed according to the following model:
A-roads (Motorway) – marked with green signs 
Freeway- A-roads (Expressway, trunk road, or other) – marked with blue signs
Major Highway - Old A-roads (sections replaced by new expressways)
Minor Highway 
R1 (Regional road of the first order) Minor Highway- R2 (Regional road of the second order)
Primary Street 
R29 (Regional road of the third order and roads connecting places of cultural and historical value) Primary Street- R1, R2, R29 (Mountain sections) – likely unpaved sections Check
Unpavedor change the type toOff-road / Not maintained - Other roads and roads leading to populated areas
Street
Categorization of other roads in cities:
- For major city streets, use
Primary Street - For narrow streets (
Narrow Street):- One-way street with a width of less than 2 meters.
- Two-way street with a width of less than 4 meters.
- Others are marked as ordinary streets
Street
If a street on the ground is not in good condition (for example: unpaved road, dirt road, or cobblestone), the Unpaved option should be checked.
Parking
On-street and roadside parking should not be marked in Waze for now.
Naming Rules
To maintain consistency across the map, please observe the following rules:
Street Naming
The primary name of all streets must be exclusively in Cyrillic, and names in Latin script or English should not be added. All words in a street name should start with a capital letter.
Roads (A, R, and E categories): All designations for roads of the A and R categories, as well as E designations for European corridors, are written in Latin script and should have no city (select None for city in the editor).
Correct: Name: R1101,City: None (No city)
Incorrect: Name: Р1101(with Cyrillic Р),City: Bitola- Roads through populated areas without streets: If the road passes through a populated area where there are no defined street names, both variants should be added to the segment (as primary and alternative names).
- Example: You should have
R1101, BitolaandR1101, No City.
Example for a street that is part of a regional road: If we take the fictional example of “Makedonska” street in Bitola, which is part of the regional road R1101, the naming should look like this:
- Primary name:
Македонска, City:Битола - Alternative name (road number):
R1101, City:None - Alternative name (European road number):
E75, City:None
Railway
Railways should be exclusively marked with the name “МЖ” and no city: МЖ, None.
Places
- Place names must be written exclusively in Cyrillic. An abbreviation or Latin script can be used as an alternative if the name of the location is of foreign origin.
- For the correct use of “Point” or “Area” for locations on the map, please check and follow the following official guide in detail:
When to use Area or Point
New Road Construction
For the construction of new roads where there is no traffic, they can be mapped as Runway without connecting to existing roads, but it is preferable not to map them at all.
When construction is near completion and connections with existing roads are made, the following method should be applied: Scheduled reconfiguration
More Information
- Editing manual - Waze Community Wazeopedia
- Best map editing practice - Waze Community Wazeopedia
- Official Interactive Map (WebGIS) of the PE for State Roads
- If the system asks for a login, enter username and password:
public.
- If the system asks for a login, enter username and password:
- Official system of the Real Estate Cadastre Agency
- Wikipedia: Roads in Macedonia — 2011 Categorization
Although these categorization rules are already generally defined, the topic is open for discussion and your suggestions.