Photo: autoevolution
For many drivers out there, Waze has become an essential part of their daily driving experience, as the application comes in handy not only when they’re trying to find a faster route to a destination, but also when they want to be in the know with what’s happening on the road ahead.
Thanks to the huge community that powers the app, Waze provides information on traffic incidents, including not only accidents, roadkill, and broken lights, but also traffic jams, police traps, potholes, and so on.
In so many ways, Waze makes every journey more predictable, and this means that the time we spend behind the wheel eventually becomes safer too.
At the same time, the Google-owned company also wants its users to be prepared for smarter driving, and this is why Waze is always up-to-date with the changes happening on public roads out there, eventually providing users with access to latest-generation features as well.
Case in point, Bristol, the United Kingdom.
Starting in late November, Bristol has its very own Clean Air Zone that requires owners of polluting vehicles to pay a daily charge whenever they enter a designated area. The new regulations came into effect on November 28, so since then, Euro 3 and earlier petrol vehicles, as well as Euro 5 and earlier diesel vehicles would have to pay at least 9 pounds (about $11) to enter the Clean Air Zone.
Leaving aside the controversy that’s been created by the introduction of the fee, Waze comes in handy to both those who want to avoid the Clean Air Zone (and therefore not being forced to pay a charge) and those who have a compliant vehicle and can freely enter the designated area without any cost.
The app has been updated with settings to let motorists choose if their vehicle is CAZ-compliant or not, so by default, Waze can provide a notification if you may have to pay a fee if the route goes through the Clean Air Zone.
If you’re driving a non-compliant vehicle, Waze will search for routes that avoid the CAZ.
The Clean Air Zone has been updated in Waze with the help of map editors, so in theory, every little change happening on the road should be immediately reflected in the way the application provides routes to drivers running it.
At the end of the day, Waze is once again proving smarter than the other navigation apps out there, including Google Maps, mostly thanks to the community of volunteer map editors and users who run it daily. After all, this is precisely what makes Waze such an advanced piece of software: its gigantic user base that keeps contributing with reports on what’s happening out there.
In so many ways, Waze makes every journey more predictable, and this means that the time we spend behind the wheel eventually becomes safer too.
At the same time, the Google-owned company also wants its users to be prepared for smarter driving, and this is why Waze is always up-to-date with the changes happening on public roads out there, eventually providing users with access to latest-generation features as well.
Case in point, Bristol, the United Kingdom.
Starting in late November, Bristol has its very own Clean Air Zone that requires owners of polluting vehicles to pay a daily charge whenever they enter a designated area. The new regulations came into effect on November 28, so since then, Euro 3 and earlier petrol vehicles, as well as Euro 5 and earlier diesel vehicles would have to pay at least 9 pounds (about $11) to enter the Clean Air Zone.
Leaving aside the controversy that’s been created by the introduction of the fee, Waze comes in handy to both those who want to avoid the Clean Air Zone (and therefore not being forced to pay a charge) and those who have a compliant vehicle and can freely enter the designated area without any cost.
The app has been updated with settings to let motorists choose if their vehicle is CAZ-compliant or not, so by default, Waze can provide a notification if you may have to pay a fee if the route goes through the Clean Air Zone.
If you’re driving a non-compliant vehicle, Waze will search for routes that avoid the CAZ.
The Clean Air Zone has been updated in Waze with the help of map editors, so in theory, every little change happening on the road should be immediately reflected in the way the application provides routes to drivers running it.
At the end of the day, Waze is once again proving smarter than the other navigation apps out there, including Google Maps, mostly thanks to the community of volunteer map editors and users who run it daily. After all, this is precisely what makes Waze such an advanced piece of software: its gigantic user base that keeps contributing with reports on what’s happening out there.
Google News