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Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

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Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

#121

Post by simplesleeper »

krn wrote: post #114
Steve44 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The main difference between Waze and Google Maps is that Waze uses real time traffic data. Google Maps has real time traffic data and the accuracy is staggering. I occasionally use Google Maps for navigation in the car and it even highlights traffic stationary at traffic lights and temporary road works as I’m approaching. This level or real time detail really amazed me. I’ve not spent any time looking onto how they…

> Google Maps has real time traffic data and the accuracy is staggering. But does Google Maps use real time traffic data to calculate the most optimal route in the same way as Waze does? As I understand, that's the main difference between the two.

They certainly get different results - but as I said, I don't know the intricacies of their system

Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

#122

Post by msluyter »

I try to minimize not total driving time, but something I call "agony" (term borrowed from Hipmunk). So, I'll take meandering side streets over a stop-and-go highway if it means I'm moving most of the time, even if the total wallclock time is greater. Or I'll take 3 right turns to avoid a harrowing left hand turn. Anything that keeps my blood pressure down. AKA, "long cuts."

Assuming there are at least some out there who feel the same, it occurred to me once to try to publish/monetize these agony free routes but I realized it'd pretty much instantly lead to the Waze problem.

Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

#123

Post by adrianN »

simplesleeper wrote: post #80

Transport for London Tech Lead here. In London, we have been collaborating with google waze - we provide them with information at the local level. Streets that waze should not use for route finding (e.g. roads with schools) can be blocked for use by Waze. Both local councils and TfL can provide this data. The main difference between Waze and Google Maps is that Waze uses real time traffic data. There are multiple map…

Do you have a citeable source for the claim that the underground pays for the roads? You often hear drivers that claim more rights because "they pay for the roads".

Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

#124

Post by stordoff »

gibolt wrote: post #23
BooneJS wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Menlo Park has a few streets labeled local traffic only as well.

Palo Alto has quite a few as well. Some are just marked with signs, many have physical barriers allowing only bikes and large trash collection vehicles to easily pass.

Is there an example of these? I'm having a hard time picturing how a barrier can allow bikes and large traffic to pass whilst blocking other traffic.

Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

#125

Post by ishi »

megaremote wrote: post #100
ishi wrote: post #89

The article tries to paint Waze as an "evil" corporation, but to me it sounds like they haven't perfected their algorithms yet. If Waze reroutes 1,000 cars to a shortcut that can only handle 100, that's idiotic and does not provide a good service to users. But if their algorithms took the road's capacity into account, everyone would benefit since there would be no "synthetic" traffic jams. In my experience traffic ap…

I guess you bare no responsibility for blindly following google? Ridiculous that we just accept people driving these dangerous 2 tonne vehicles everywhere for their own selfish reasons.

Of course the responsibility lies with the driver, and he/she should take the driving instructions with a grain of salt. But often while driving you do not have time to think about it for more than a second before having to decide whether to take the turn or not. Furthermore, you don't even know in advance whether the turn will lead you to a dangerous location. And when driving in an unfamiliar foreign country, your reliance on navigation apps is almost absolute.

The examples I listed do not bode well for self-driving cars: if they rely on incomplete navigation maps/databases, they will make wrong navigation decisions and possibly lead the passengers into danger or a dead-end (such as an alley that's too narrow for the vehicle to traverse).

Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

#126

Post by [deleted] »

simplesleeper wrote: post #121
krn wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Google Maps has real time traffic data and the accuracy is staggering. But does Google Maps use real time traffic data to calculate the most optimal route in the same way as Waze does? As I understand, that's the main difference between the two.

They certainly get different results - but as I said, I don't know the intricacies of their system

[deleted]

Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

#127

Post by codedokode »

apexalpha wrote: post #106
sosodev wrote: post #33

It seems to me that Waze isn't the problem. I've seen very similar problems where I live. When the freeway gets backed up, as it inevitably does, traffic spills out into awfully designed city streets. I once got stuck in small neighborhood for 2 hours while the freeway was backed up and that was before Waze existed. In Southern California we have massive urban sprawl most of which is filled with cul-de-sacs within cu…

But usually people don't go into neighborhoods they don't know. Locals might cut through a city but others won't. Now, with Waze and Google, literally everyone can cut through a city even though they've never been there. This is the problem: these roads weren't build for it and the neighbors are left with busy streets, noise pollution and an increase in traffic.

But aren't those public roads, made for everyone to use?

Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

#128

Post by buro9 »

adrianN wrote: post #123
simplesleeper wrote: post #80

Transport for London Tech Lead here. In London, we have been collaborating with google waze - we provide them with information at the local level. Streets that waze should not use for route finding (e.g. roads with schools) can be blocked for use by Waze. Both local councils and TfL can provide this data. The main difference between Waze and Google Maps is that Waze uses real time traffic data. There are multiple map…

Do you have a citeable source for the claim that the underground pays for the roads? You often hear drivers that claim more rights because "they pay for the roads".

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-budget-2019-20.pdf

Page 128.

London Underground does bring in more revenue 2.864bn than it spends 2.041bn, and subsidises Streets and Buses to the tune of 0.889bn (with a little coming from media revenue too).

However it isn't the 80% claimed above.

Time to find out this: about 1 minute.

Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

#129

Post by oh_sigh »

simplesleeper wrote: post #118
neka wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waze doesn't seem to allow you to specify whether you're a trade vehicle or not so it keeps routing trade vehicles into Regents (and the other Royal) Park which they are prohibited from and liable to be fined.

Agreed - I've had similar issues when renting a big van - I was directed through streets where I didn't comply with width restrictions

Did you ever tell Google maps that you were in a big fan? Otherwise, how would it know?

Re: Traffic apps turned L.A.’s neighborhoods into ”shortcuts”

#130

Post by masklinn »

L_226 wrote: post #99
simplesleeper wrote: post #80

Transport for London Tech Lead here. In London, we have been collaborating with google waze - we provide them with information at the local level. Streets that waze should not use for route finding (e.g. roads with schools) can be blocked for use by Waze. Both local councils and TfL can provide this data. The main difference between Waze and Google Maps is that Waze uses real time traffic data. There are multiple map…

> The main difference between Waze and Google Maps is that Waze uses real time traffic data. Do you mean that Waze uses real time data provided by 3rd parties ? Because I have always had the understanding that Gmaps uses location and telemetry data from (the Google maps) mobile apps to determine traffic conditions in near real time.

I expect what they mean is Waze uses real-time traffic data for routing. Google Maps displays traffic conditions but I don't remember that impacting the routing it gives you. Last time I used it, it just marked road sections as high-traffic but didn't truly re-route around on the fly.
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