I don't have much experience with like reversible dedicated roadways, since we don't do that in NJ, but it seems reasonable to add a nominal amount of time like 5 or 10 minutes for safety.

Nice idea, but is there enough accurate data available for it to be useful, either automatically obtained or entered by the community?

CBenson wrote:Yes, waze will just pic the path with the fastest traffic speed if on the HOV lane after 4:00. However, when routing before 4:00 waze will pick the exit that can be routed through before 4:00 with the fastest traffic speed.

Ok, this makes sense now.

On an unrelated note, are there any plans to add a vehicle type for dedicated electronic toll collection lanes? For example, many toll roads/crossings in the New York area that are partitioned off for EZPass express lanes, which often force a driver to have to either go left or right at a physical barrier without any kind of announcement from Waze - with lane configurations that would call for the use of wayfinders had they been exits instead of express electronic toll lanes. I've seen many URs where people were totally confused by why we can't produce keep left/right instructions in these toll plaza scenarios.

For timed restrictions, I really do think we need to cover ourselves against the situation where a lone driver is navigated into an HOV lane at 3:55 when enforcement starts at 4:00 and is not navigated to the first exit out as soon as the clock hits 4:00.

I'm still not sure I understand how this is going to happen (assuming I have just passenger car selected in the Waze client, as is currently hard-coded) if we effectively impose an even exit restriction at all possible exits, including the one at the end where the HOV lane ends. Wouldn't Waze just pick the path with the fastest traffic speed since all possible exits from the HOV lane have the same penalty regardless of what you're driving?

If anything, at each possible exit from the HOV lane, the segment continuing along the HOV lane should be restricted to only allow HOV-compliant vehicle types to continue along the HOV lane during or at the beginning of hours of enforcement.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but it's just not adding up for me.

Ok. It's only temporary anyway.

I'm not sure I'm understanding what you all mean by "placing HOV restrictions on the exits." It seems to me this would force directions to keep you in the HOV lanes regardless once you're already there - even if Waze figures you should exit for traffic concerns or whatever.

Frankly, I really don't think any of this is our problem until HOV is fully supported by the Waze client, and the whole danged lane and all it's approaches and exits should just be private roads (off limits to navigation) until then - just like we don't give any guidance at toll-collection areas whether to go into like high-speed EZPass lanes or not.

You would only have to apply the hack in one place, making it easier to remove later, no?

Right.

So then there's currently no way for Waze to tell if you're in the HOV lane legitimately or not. Seems to me like there are several things in play here:

1. Restrict the initial entry to the HOV lane for non-HOVs (currently everyone) during hours of enforcement.

2. Assume, once someone has passed this initial entrance, that their discretion has trumped the provided directions, and their presence in the HOV lane is legitimate. This should make the remainder of the HOV thru lanes as well as any exits available to navigation.

3. It is possible that you get directions into the HOV lanes just before the hours of enforcement begin, and then at each possible exit from the HOV lanes once the hours of enforcement start, Waze has no way of determining whether you can continue in the HOV lanes or whether you must exit - unless we "hard-code" one way or the other into the map - since vehicle type rules other than any passenger car are currently not supported.

What if we could make a guess-timate about how long it should take to travel all the way through in the HOV lanes, and set back the beginning of the restriction time by that amount? For example, if HOV enforcement was to start at 4pm and we figure it takes about 20 minutes to go all the way thru from beginning to end of the HOV roadway, we could set the TBR to start at 3:30pm. Then we would not need to hack any exit or continuing segments of the HOV roadway.

Once again, not perfect - and I don't think any immediate solution will be - but this helps reduce the problem of being illegally in the HOV lanes on Waze's account at the time enforcement begins, while still allowing anyone already in the lanes to continue and or exit as Waze observes fit.

russblau wrote:

PesachZ wrote:

russblau wrote:The main benefit is where HOV starts at 4 pm and a user's route takes them by the HOV entrance at 3:50. If the exits are restricted, Waze will know to get them off before 4:00.

If main benefit is only applicable on HOV lanes with are time restricted, perhaps we should implement a modified version of this guidance.

Restrict the exit segments as well IF any portion of this HOV lane is only in effect at certain times. If it is a 24/7 HOV lane, only restrict the entrance segments

That makes sense to me.

In response to Sketch, at least in Virginia, there are signs prominently posted along the HOV lanes that say "HOV enforcement starts at X:XX". State Police have made it clear that if you enter the lane close to the start of the HOV period, it is your responsibility to make sure you exit in time. Personally, I don't ever use these lanes close to the beginnings of the HOV periods, but I do sometimes enter them right after the end (in fact, I sometimes time my departure to or from work to allow me to do this), and I have indeed seen police on more than one occasion waiting by the entrance and ticketing anyone who tries to enter one minute before the end of the HOV period.

Shouldn't the other fork, at each possible exit to the HOV lanes, which stays in the HOV lanes actually have a little way-finder segment that blocks all non-HOV vehicles during times when such restrictions are in effect? This way if a non-HOV vehicle is in the lane when the clock strikes 4:00 (for example), the directions are pretty much guaranteed to tell you to exit out of the HOV lanes at the next possible opportunity.