Anyone have experience with this app? Of late it’s creating controversy in LA. Apparently it’s pretty good at directing drivers to the quickest route to destination. How does it work?
Geez, dude, how about a bit of effort?
A link? A description? An explanation of why it’s “creating controversy”? Something?
So apparently here is the controversy
I use it, it helps with my Atlanta commute. It never has routed me into a local neighborhood.
Oh, and, by the way…God I hate local news. :smack::smack:
An article on one controversial aspect: Traffic app facing speed bumps in quiet neighborhoods.
It’s a way for Google to gather information on where people drive to and from and through what routes, to be used for marketing purposes by their paying clients.
In the process the aforementioned people get a GPS Nav app that includes a useful crowdsourced live traffic report and alternate-routing information.
I’ve been using Waze for over a year, and I really like its routes. It isn’t perfect, but it is very very good.
I think they’re making a valid point. I’ll give an example that happened to me just a few hours ago:
The logical route would have been for me to continue on the main road, and then turn right at the traffic light onto another main road. But instead, Waze told me to turn right one block before the light, and then the first left to get to the other main road. The result was that I made three turns instead of one, but Waze probably figured that it would save me a few seconds, not having to wait for the traffic light. My gut feeling is that those few seconds aren’t worth it, but how does the computer make that judgement call?
Anyway, another point of the article was that if too many people are using the local streets for this sort of shortcut, then they will end up going slower, and the traffic routing program will start sending the cars back to the main road.
Yes, these traffic routing programs suck for the locals who like living on a quiet street, but that’s way the ball bounces.
Geez, dude, maybe an independent analysis is preferred.
2 issues brought up in a local TV report.
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You are not supposed to be using your “device” while driving. How do you enter info while keeping your eye on the road ahead?
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Don’t like traffic on your street? You and 6 neighbors should all report an overturned semi in front of your house.
Hmm, not sure why this is a google-evil. Now understand, I’m not saying google is not evil. But Waze isn’t owned or operated by google.
By pulling over to the side of the road and stopping. If one does so, there is no longer any need to keep his eye on the road.
In fact, if one does try to type words or locations while the car is moving, Waze interrupts with a message to the effect of “It’s dangerous to type while driving! Are you a passenger?” I’ll concede that it is simple for someone to answer “yes” falsely, but at least he’s been warned.
Your information is a little outdated.
And it could have as well been Facebook or Apple filling in the blank for “Google” in my post had things gone slightly differently on the business side. Even when it was independent, the point was being able to sell location-appropriate marketing info/advertising: not something evil, but let’s be clear what the real business is.
Since June 2013, yes it has.
Well dangit. Ignorance fought. I read a Frobes article a few months ago about the company that created the Waze app, and how they had not yielded to efforts to buy them out. I just went and (ironically) googled that article. Yeah, I really should have looked at the date. Published 6/11/2012.
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This isn’t any different than any other GPS device. In fact, waze is quicker to set destination than most, and you can do it verbally as well.
I use it quite a bit, and it’s okay. Sometimes very useful in suggesting routes I wouldn’t have known about or considered, and it will adjust on the fly if there’s, say, an accident down the line. It will also do things like (as mentioned above) suggesting three turns to, seemingly, save a couple seconds; suggest left turns from side streets without a light onto major streets; and more than once it’s suggested that I drive in a square around a block before proceeding in the original direction. It’s also supposed to learn your preferences of route for frequently taken trips, but it’s never figured out I live on a one-way street.
The pronunciation is also laughably bad. Sometimes it’s Los An-juh-LEEZ, sometimes Los AN-guh-less. Zoo Dr. is rendered as “Zoo Doctor.” Ave (avenue) is pronounced as if the n was dropped from nave. These are just the ones I remember. Sometimes it’s a problem because its mis-pronunciations are so bad I honestly don’t know what street I’m looking for. It will tell you to “turn right” but the GPS location is not always perfect.
On balance a useful tool, with some really silly and I would think fixable problems.
As for the quiet neighborhood stuff, tell it to the marines. Kids were drag racing up my street well before GPS apps.
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Since this is more of an informal poll of personal experiences with this particular app than a factual question, it is better suited to IMHO.
Routing the thread from General Questions, through traffic, to its final destination in In My Humble Opinion.
Likely that WAZE routed us through Cafe Society to get here though. And you know how backbitey those people can get. Probably filing false reports right now.
The Fella, my sister, and I all love it. Very handy for warning you about real time traffic problems and routing you around them. Also a handy app when traveling. For example, you can set the parameters so that your routes don’t hit toll roads (sometimes crazy fees in rental cars) or to be more scenic. It’s handy for mapping.
The Fella has gotten very into it and actually as we’ve found weird routing things (like driving in a circle around and around b/c someone inputted something wrong), he’s one of the guys posting to the owners or whatever about issues.
I thought that each member was supposed to enter traffic information as they drive.
Not true?
I’ve been using it a few months, and I love it. It has gotten me out of a number of severe traffic jams by routing me in some weird, but ultimately effective ways.
I kinda wish it had an “aggressiveness” setting or something that would tell it that it doesn’t have to route me through these odd side streets in order to save me 30 seconds.