[UPDATE] Best Map Editing Practice / Parking Lots

[CBenson]

When two parking lots are separated by a street, if the parking lots both join the street at the same junction node, then there is no penalty to cross from one parking lot to the other. In this circumstance, waze will route from one of the parking lots through the other to a destination beyond the other parking lot if that is the fastest route. It seems to me that this behavior needs to be documented in the wiki somewhere.

I propose changing the current wording of Best Map Editing Practice / Parking Lots. I propose eliminating the subsection Use of the Parking Lot Road Type and modifying the initial text to incorporate that text. Thus, I propose to change this

Mapping a parking lot road serves three purposes:
▪it allows Waze to provide door-to-door directions within the lot;
▪it allows the Waze client to get off the main road, avoiding erroneous traffic reports.
▪it prevents the Waze client from routing thru-traffic along the parking lot segments.

NOTE: Most parking lots should not be designated as a Waze "place," and especially not an Area Place (previously known as Landmarks). Landmark-worthy parking must be something of a destination in itself, either having a well-known and documented name, or serving multiple destinations. For information pertaining to using the Parking Lot Place please see: Places/Parking lot.

to

Mapping a parking lot road serves three purposes:
▪it allows Waze to provide door-to-door directions within the lot;
▪it allows the Waze client to get off the main road, avoiding erroneous traffic reports.
▪it prevents the Waze client from routing thru-traffic along the parking lot segments.

The Parking Lot Road type exists to allow the mapping of parking lots, while discouraging the routing server from using them for through navigation. Waze applies a transition penalty when transitioning from a Parking Lot Road to another road type. This penalty decreases the chance that Waze will route through a parking lot as a shortcut but allows better navigation in and out of a parking lot. Every segment that is used to map a parking lot should be of the Parking Lot segment type. It is advised not to mix road types within a parking lot.

Be aware that when two parking lots are directly connected there is no routing penalty for routing through one from the other. Thus, there is no routing penalty to transition from one parking lot to another when the two parking lots are separated by a street and both share a junction node on the street. To prevent routing through one parking lot from another, the two parking lots must be isolated from the each other such that passing from one to the other requires driving over a road segments of a type other than parking lot road.

For information pertaining to using the Parking Lot Place please see: Places/Parking lot.

[CBenson]

When routing from the pharmacy here to points east, waze routes through the gas station. This is the problem I'm trying to address.

Disabling the straight over turns would prevent direct routing from the pharmacy to the Mariott Courtyard next to the gas station. Changing this segment to street type would prevent routing through the gas station without preventing routing to the Mariott.

[CBenson]

So I was looking back at unanswered posts in the Navigation & Routing forum. Here is one that seems to be this issue: https://www.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=133331

This route will route through the intersection of Winchester and Stevens Creek at some times of the day. However, at other times the route bypasses the intersection and goes through the parking lot roads for Westfield Valley Fair. To avoid using the Westfield Valley Fair parking lot roads to get to Santana Row, the two sets of parking lot roads need to be isolated so that travelling from one to the other requires traversing a road type other than parking lot.

If my understanding of this issue is correct, then I do think that it should be documented in the wiki. I welcome suggestions for how to make the explanation more clear. Would pictures be more helpful?

[CBenson]

I'm planning to gather some screenshots to illustrate the issue. Just haven't had time.

[CBenson]

The problem is only if the destination or the origin is in the parking lot. It that case the routing server must route in the parking lot. But if the parking lots are connected at junction nodes on streets, the routing server only sees one big parking lot.

[CBenson]

Works in reverse as well. So for example Waze may route through a gas station to leave a hotel across the street from the gas station, since there will be zero transition penalty from the hotel PLR to the gas-station PLR.

[CBenson]

Would something like this make sense?

https://wiki.waze.com/wiki/User:CBenson/ParkingLot

[CBenson]

Really! That goes against what we've been told about how these penalties coexist doesn't it? I have made the change as what we see is, as always, more reliable than what we have been told.

[CBenson]

How far can I reduce the images and still have them clear for everybody?

I'm open to criticism regarding what is not clear and suggestions for improved wording.

[CBenson]

There aren't that many examples where its clear why the route through the other lot would be faster. Some bad routes are just using a gas station to avoid a traffic light. This was the best example I could find where the advantage of routing through the parking is evident by looking (i.e. is visibly shorter). (Although, in fact I can not get waze to give my example problem route.)