The Waze app, now owned by Google, is really quite spectacular. The crowd-sourced data allows drivers to avoid speed traps, accidents, and will re-route you around traffic.
Now the makers are testing another new feature in Los Angeles that’ll take a major annoyance out of driving around the City of Angels: Intersections.
Yes, the app has added an option for drivers to “avoid difficult intersections” on their journeys.
These intersections can be a nightmare as they require drivers to turn onto busy roads into oncoming traffic, with no traffic lights and limited visibility (as depicted above by the sad Wazer turning left).
In a post on its official blog, Waze wrote: “Turning left or going straight becomes a stressful scenario that requires crossing multiple lanes of oncoming traffic.
“The situation is significantly worse when traffic peaks at rush hour, making it tense and often very difficult to cross or turn.”
In LA the feature is now automatically enabled, with drivers required to disarm it if they wish simply to take the fastest and most convenient route consequences be damned.
“By default, Waze will calculate the best possible route that bypasses a difficult intersection,” the firm explained.
“That being said, when the bypassing route is significantly longer, a driver may still be routed through a difficult intersection. The goal of the feature is to reduce the amount of these intersections, not completely eliminate them.”
Waze will encourage drivers to offer feedback on which intersections give them the most trouble.
No news yet on plans to roll out to other territories.
