This is a work in progress!
Please bear with us as we organize, update and correct entries for the country of Belize. This wiki was originally from the Canadian wiki - thank you! Canada, being a Commonwealth country, also has English among it's languages and they usually drive on the right-hand side of the road, so it's a much better fit than most for Belize. But we will work to make it a wiki that is tailored for the citizens and visitors of Belize that use Waze.
Please see the list below for Area/Country Managers to ask for more information or check out the Belize forum on Discord.
A Complete Guide to Waze in Belize
Welcome to Waze map editing in Belize and to the editing community!
Many of the policies and best practices that have been developed for the US also apply to Belize. This page contains information that is unique to Belize. Because some of it is still being developed, please follow the guidance for the US where it is not in conflict with the information here.
Getting Started
Please see the article Getting Started.
Another great resource for new map editors is the Welcome to WME.
Help Improve Waze
Please see the article Help Improve Waze
Forums
Please check out the Belize-specific forums here: Belize Forum
Feel free to post questions and ask for advice in your editing. Belize is very different in a number of ways from Canada and the United States, so the generic editing guidelines don't always apply.
Area/Country Managers
If you are an Area Manager that covers part of Belize, please add yourself to this list. See comments via an "Edit" of this section to add yourself.
List of Area Managers
| Username | Primary Areas Managed | Comments | Forum PM |
|---|---|---|---|
| daveks14 | Country-wide | Rank 5 Large-Area Manager USA Great Plains Region (PLN), Central & Eastern Ohio | PM |
| hmarian | Ontario | Waze Global Champ, Rank 6 CM for Canada; AM for Greater Toronto Area and the surrounding communities | PM |
| manoeuvre | Ontario | Waze Global Champ, Rank 6 CM for Canada; AM for Greater Toronto Area | PM |
Area/Country Manager Requests
To request Area Manager or Country Manager access, please see this thread: AM/CM Application
Unlock/Update Requests
Belize handles unlock/update requests through the Discord channel.
Closures
Please report future planned road closures via Discord.
Partial closures (i.e. one of two lanes in a direction) should not be reported.
Major Events (e.g. Commonwealth Games, Tour d'Alberta, etc.) should still be dealt with using the Waze Major Traffic Events (MTE) form.
The MTE method is preferred over adding restrictions -- MTE is nearly immediate (processed several times per day by Waze staff), and does not rely on a tile rebuild. The closure will also be visible in the app and on the livemap, in addition to avoiding routing through the segment.
City Naming
NEVER include the District in the City field. For example don't put in "Belmopan, Cayo".
If you find a city that can't Save without the District name (perhaps it changes when you Save it, or generates other Save error), please post a message in the Belize forum.
This applies to both Primary names and Alternate names -- the Alternate city is assumed to be in the Primary country.
Road Naming
Highways
Major Highways should be named in this format:
(name-of-highway) Hwy (H is capitalized, the 'wy' in lower case) e.g. Philip Goldson Hwy
Not 'Philip Goldson Highway' or 'Philip Goldson HWY (all caps)'.
Abbreviations
Please do not shorten names when they are integral to understanding the street name:
e.g. Bad: N St, S St, Ave Rd e.g. Good: North St, South St, Avenue Rd
Street Name Abbreviations
| Approved Abbreviation | Pronunciation | Do Not Use |
|---|---|---|
| Alley | Alley | Aly |
| Aut | Autoroute | Autoroute |
| Av | Avenue (French) | Avenue, Ave |
| Ave | Avenue (English) | Avenue, Av |
| Bend | Bend | Bnd |
| Blvd | Boulevard | Boulevard |
| Boul | Boulevard (French) | Boulevard, Blvd |
| Brg | Bridge | Bridge |
| Bypass | Bypass | By-pass |
| Carref | Carrefour | Carrefour |
| Ctr | Centre | Centre, Center |
| Ch | Chemin | Chemin |
| Cir | Circle | Circle |
| Circt | Circuit | Circuit, Cct |
| Close | Close | Cl |
| Common | Common | Common, Cmn |
| Conc | Concession | Concession |
| Crnrs | Corners | Corners,Cors |
| Crt | Court | Court, Ct |
| Cove | Cove | Cv |
| Cres | Crescent | Crescent, Cr |
| Crois | Croissant | Croissant, Croiss |
| Crossing | Crossing | Cross, Xing |
| Cds | Cul-de-sac | Cul-de-sac |
| Divers | Diversion | Diversion |
| Dr | Drive | Drive |
| Éch | Échangeur | Échangeur |
| Espl | Esplanade | Esplanade |
| Estate | Estates | Estates, Est |
| Expy | Expressway | Expressway, Expwy |
| Exten | Extension | Extension,Ext |
| Field | Field | Fld |
| Gdns | Gardens | Gardens |
| Glen | Glen | Gln |
| Green | Green | Grn |
| Grnds | Grounds | Grounds |
| Grove | Grove | Grv |
| Harbr | Harbour | Harbour, Harbor, Hbr |
| Hts | Heights | Heights |
| Hwy | Highway | Highway |
| Hghlds | Highlands | Highlands |
| Hill | Hill | Hl |
| Hollow | Hollow | Holw |
| Imp | Impasse | Impasse |
| Inlet | Inlet | Inlt |
| Island | Island | Is |
| Knoll | Knoll | Knl |
| Landng | Landing | Landing,Lndg |
| Lane | Lane | Ln |
| Lmts | Limits | Limits |
| Lkout | Lookout | Lookout |
| Manor | Manor | Mnr |
| Meadow | Meadow | Mdw |
| Montée | Montée | Mtée |
| Mount | Mount | Mt |
| Mtn | Mountain | Mountain |
| Orch | Orchard | Orchard |
| Pk | Park | Park |
| Pky | Parkway | Parkway, Pkwy |
| Passage | Passage | Psge,Pass |
| Ptway | Pathway | Pathway |
| Pines | Pines | Pnes |
| Pl | Place | Place |
| Plat | Plateau | Plateau |
| Plaza | Plaza | Plz |
| Pt | Point | Point |
| Port | Port | Prt |
| Pvt | Private | Private |
| Prom | Promenade | Promenade |
| Rg | Range | Range |
| Ridge | Ridge | Rdge |
| Rd | Road | Road |
| Rdpt | Rond-point | Rond-point |
| Rte | Route | Route |
| Rle | Ruelle | Ruelle |
| Sent | Sentier | Sentier |
| Sq | Square | Square |
| Subdiv | Subdivision | Subdivision |
| St | Street | Street |
| Terr | Terrace | Terrace, Ter, Tce |
| Tsse | Terrasse (French) | Terrasse, Terr |
| Thick | Thicket | Thicket |
| Tline | Townline | Townline |
| Trail | Trail | Trl |
| Trnabt | Turnabout | Turnabout |
| Villge | Village | Village, Vlg |
Road Types
The USA has a standardized Functional Classification system which has been adopted by Waze Champs as the method for classifying different road types. Overall, this has resulted in use of the highway types for arterial roads in the metropolitan areas, with the Primary Street type being available for collector-type roads.
Unfortunately, Belize (and Canada) does not have the same standardized government-published maps to adopt here, but we can consider many of the same principles. We'd like to consider the following criteria for use within metropolitan areas. In the event that the infrastructure of a smaller town has been designed with arterial routes, this may be adopted there, but will typically be less obvious.
Roads in cities
As a highway enters a city/town, it often becomes a named street, and sometimes would no longer fit the usual criteria for a "highway".
Due to a number of reasons, including long-distance routing issues, as well as appearance, the highway should remain as the same type it entered the city/town (except if it's a Freeway -- if it no longer fits the Freeway criteria, it may be downgraded to Major Highway with Freeway routing until it is again a Freeway).
The road type designation should follow the entire named/numbered route.
Freeways
In general, Freeways will have:
- Multi-Lane, divided road
- No cross traffic
- No stop lights (except for ramp meters)
- No stop signs
- No parking
- No stopping (except for toll booths, freeway access metering, movable bridges, and traffic congestion)
- Highest speed limits (relative to region)
- Some have minimum speed limits
- Limited access:
- Access restrictions vary by region but some typical restrictions are:
- No pedestrians
- No bicycles
- No mopeds
- No Animal-Drawn Vehicles
- Entrance ramps are typically designed with an acceleration zone so that cars can accelerate up to freeway speeds before merging into freeway traffic
- Exit ramps are typically designed with a deceleration zone so that traffic can exit the freeway at freeway speeds without obstructing traffic, then have sufficient distance to slow down before any turns
- Access restrictions vary by region but some typical restrictions are:
When considering the road type, use the above noted Freeway classification as a guideline, with the idea that a "Freeway" may lack one of the criteria.
Major Highway
Use for major arterial roads. Often these have 2-3 lanes (or more) in each direction, and may be structured to be turned into freeways eventually. Usually this means relatively few intersections, higher speed limit, and higher capacity.
Additionally, if a road enters an area as a Freeway, but then loses its limited-access situation, it will generally continue on as a Major Highway.
If only one type of arterial is used by the municipality on their maps, the decision between a "major" and a "minor" will be that of relative importance and capacity. Generally, a "major" will have 2+ lanes, whereas a minor may only have one. Local knowledge is also especially useful in determining this.
Minor Highway
Use for arterial roads. They are more direct than using collector roads and sometimes have slightly increased speed limits. They would usually have one to many collector roads, and may have Local Streets and driveways.
Primary Street
Suitable for collector roads through neighbourhoods and thoroughfares that aren't arterial. They usually have Local Streets and may have driveways. They might terminate into a higher-level road, or another Primary Street, or down-grade to continue as a Local Street, as indicated by relative importance.
Alleys
Alleys should not usually be added to the map. Refer any such proposed additions to an Area Manager. Do not removed existing Alleys without first discussing with an Area Manager.
In places where they are retained, they should have their city name set and the "None" box checked for Street Name. They should also be changed to Parking Lot street type. Do not use the Narrow Street type.
In considering whether one should be mapped, the primary question is "would it be appropriate for a stranger (e.g. pizza delivery guy) to park there and enter the residence from that side" - if the answer is "no", then they should definitely not be mapped.
Parking Lot Roads
Please read the Best Map Editing guidelines on parking lot roads. All parking aisles are to be mapped.
Locking Standard
Segments that have restricted turns must be locked to a minimum Level 3.
If the current lock is higher than the minimum standards listed below, please don't lower the lock.
If you have a concern about the current lock then please discuss your concern with an Area Manager.
| Segment Type | Minimum locks |
|---|---|
| Template:Freeway | 4 |
| Template:Ramp | highest rank of connected segment |
   |
3 |
| Template:Road | 4 |
| Template:Road | 3 |
| Template:Primary Street | 2 |
| Template:Street | 1 |
| Template:Road | 4 |
Place Editing
Place Update Requests (PURs) should be reviewed for accuracy. Once a PUR is Approved, all relevant information pertaining to the Place should be entered. Please use each company's website to gather all the information you can. Once a Place is complete, lock the Place to Rank 3.
This practice will prevent app-trusted users and most IGN editors from making incorrect changes to places we know are right. App-trusted users and IGN editors are rarely Ranked as high as 3.
Following are general standards for Place locking in Belize:
| Place Type | Minimum locks |
|---|---|
| Airports | 4 |
| Hospitals | 4 |
| Major Tourist Attractions/Landmarks | 4 |
| Police/Fire Stations | 3 |
| Gas Stations | 3 |
Telephone Number Format for Waze Places
+501-NXX-XXXX
- NXX is the prefix
- XXXX is the 4-digit block
This number format allows mobile phones, regardless of their home network, to dial a number without having to modify the number first.
Place Naming
Place Naming should adhere to the following guidelines.
Hospitals & Other Medical Services
Hospitals with Emergency Rooms are the only Place type permitted to use the Hospital category. All other day clinics, surgical centres, doctors, etc., must use the Doctor / Clinic category. Other non-core medical services such as Naturopaths, physio-therapists, chiropractors, etc should use the Office category. Emergency Rooms must have a separate Waze Point Place with "ER" prefixed in the primary name, for example:
- ER - Hospital
- ER - Hospital
Government Agencies
Police Stations: City, Agency followed by division name, for example:
- Belmopan Police
- Orange Walk Police
Fire Stations: City, Agency followed by station number, for example:
- Belize City Fire Station
- Punta Gorda Fire Station
Nested Places
If a secondary business within another business location has a different category, contact numbers and opening times, it may be added to the map as a new (second) Point Place with the new primary category and relevant contact details and opening times. Typical examples of this type of nesting would be pharmacies or post offices within supermarkets or superstores.
Place Name Harmonization
use this form to submit the missing information.
A script is available to assist with Place Harmonization but has NOT yet been localized for use in Belize.
When to use Area or Point Place
Here is guidance on selecting Area or Point for Places in the Waze Map Editor.
Optional Area shall only be used after consulting local Area Managers. The place must be a significant landmark with navigational value in the community.
We do not want to impose hard & fast rules for the Optional Area category. Please use some judgement, we do not want to see wall-to-wall areas for every single building structure on the map.
Optional Area shall be landmarked to just the building structure only, do not include the parking lot area.
Fence-line Areas shall be landmarked from fence line to fence line to include all parking lots, roads, and anything associated with the property. Parking lot roads (PLRs), parking lots, and gas stations all serve the same purpose.
| Parent | Category | Type | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car Services | Car Wash | Point | |
| Car Services | Charging Station | Point | |
| Car Services | Garage / Automotive Shop | Point | |
| Car Services | Gas Station | Fence-line Area | Many gas stations also have convenience stores and ATMs. Remember to use "Gas Station" as the primary category and the add any others which are relevant. Please see the Places/Gas Station article. |
| Car Services | Parking Lot | Both | There are very few parking lots which should be mapped at all. Please see the Places/Parking lot article. |
| Transportation | Airport | Fence-line Area | Special-handling |
| Transportation | Bridge | Area | Should only be use for bridges with significance: Peace Bridge, Golden-gate Bridge |
| Transportation | Bus Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Ferry Pier | Point | |
| Transportation | Junction / Interchange | Area | Will not be used in Canada. |
| Transportation | Seaport / Marina / Harbor | Area | Size-dependent. |
| Transportation | Subway Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Taxi Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Train Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Tunnel | Area | |
| Professional and public | Cemetery | Fence-line Area | |
| Professional and public | City Hall | Point | |
| Professional and public | College / University | Area | |
| Professional and public | Conventions / Event Centre | Area | Size-dependent |
| Professional and public | Courthouse | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | Doctor / Clinic | Point | |
| Professional and public | Embassy / Consulate | Area | |
| Professional and public | Factory / Industrial | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | Fire Department | Area | |
| Professional and public | Government | Optional Area | |
| Professional and public | Hospital / Urgent Care | Area | ONLY Hospitals, Emergency Rooms, and places offering Urgent Medical Care should use this category. ERs encompassed in a hospital Place Area should be Points.
Clinics, and Medical offices which do not offer urgent medical care for Walk-Ins should use the Doctor / Clinic or Office, (and any other appropriate) category as discussed above regarding Hospitals. |
| Professional and public | Information Point | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | Kindergarten | Point | |
| Professional and public | Library | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | Military | Area | |
| Professional and public | Offices | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | Organization or Association | Point | |
| Professional and public | Police Station | Area | |
| Professional and public | Prison / Correctional Facility | Area | |
| Professional and public | Post Office | Point | |
| Professional and public | Religious Centre | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | School | Fence-line Area | |
| Shopping and services | Arts & Crafts | Point | |
| Shopping and services | ATM | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Bank / Financial | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Bookstore | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Car Dealership | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Car Rental | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Convenience Store | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Currency Exchange | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Department Store | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Electronics | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Fashion and Clothing | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Flowers | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Furniture / Home Store | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Gifts | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Gym / Fitness | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Hardware Store | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Jewelery | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Laundry / Dry Cleaning | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Market | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Music Store | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Personal Care | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Pet Store / Veterinarian | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Pharmacy | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Photography | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Shopping Centre | Area | |
| Shopping and services | Sporting Goods | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Supermarket / Grocery | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. Must be a Point if it is part of larger shopping mall/center. |
| Shopping and services | Swimming Pool | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Toy Store | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Travel Agency | Point | |
| Food and drink | Bakery | Point | |
| Food and drink | Bar | Point | |
| Food and drink | Coffee shop | Point | |
| Food and drink | Dessert | Point | |
| Food and drink | Fast Food | Point | |
| Food and drink | Food Court | Point | |
| Food and drink | Ice Cream | Point | |
| Food and drink | Restaurant | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Art Gallery | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Casino | Area | Large hotel-casinos perhaps could be Area Places. |
| Culture & entertainment | Club | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Game Club | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Movie Theater | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Museum | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Music Venue | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Performing Arts Venue | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Racing Track | Area | |
| Culture & entertainment | Stadium / Arena | Area | |
| Culture & entertainment | Theme Park | Area | |
| Culture & entertainment | Theater | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Tourist Attraction / Historic Site | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Zoo / Aquarium | Area | Size-dependent |
| Other | Construction Site | Area | Do not map in Canada. |
| Lodging | Bed & Breakfast | Point | |
| Lodging | Camping / Trailer Park | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Lodging | Cottage / Cabin | Point | |
| Lodging | Hostel | Point | |
| Lodging | Hotel | Point | |
| Outdoors | Beach | Area | Do not map without a name. |
| Outdoors | Golf Course | Area | |
| Outdoors | Park | Area | Do not map without a name. |
| Outdoors | Playground | Area | Do not map without a name. |
| Outdoors | Plaza | Point | Unsure about mapping these at all |
| Outdoors | Promenade | Point | Unsure about mapping these at all |
| Outdoors | Scenic Lookout / Viewpoint | Point | |
| Outdoors | Ski Area | Area | |
| Outdoors | Sports Court | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Natural features | Farm | Area | Do not map without a name. |
| Natural features | Forest / Grove | Area | Only map official state/national forests, not every stand of trees. |
| Natural features | Island | Area | |
| Natural features | River / Stream | Area | Use only if water itself is visually obvious to drivers on nearby roads. Do not remap features already present in the built-in Waze water layer unless that layer is incomplete or inaccurate. Map only the typical extent of visible water, not adjacent open space, greenbelt, culvert, meadows, or flood plain. If the river/stream is too narrow to map conveniently with an Area Place, it should not be mapped at all. |
| Natural features | Sea / Lake / Pond | Area | Use only if water itself is visually obvious to drivers on nearby roads. Do not remap features already present in the built-in Waze water layer unless that layer is incomplete or inaccurate. Map only the typical extent of visible water, not adjacent beaches or land. If the feature is too small to map conveniently with an Area Place, it should not be mapped at all. |
Speed Limits
Please refer to the USA Speed Limit guidelines.
Temporary Construction Speed Limits
Do not change the speed limit due to temporary construction; exceptionː a local editor who takes the route on a daily commute and assumes full responsibility of updating the speed limit.
Ramp Speed Limits
For ramps with only advisory speed limit signs, use the highest speed limit of the in or out segment.
Emergency Vehicle Roads 
"Emergency and Authorized Vehicles Only" are to be treated as Non-drivable roads. These are found primarily through the median of divided highways to connect opposite direction lanes.
- Recommended not to map them.
Ferries
The ferry road type is now working in Waze. If a ferry segment is misbehaving, adjust it slightly and save to force a tile rebuild. Belize will adopt US guidelines with respect to ferries.
- If the ferry has a toll, mark it as a toll road.
Update Requests
Where appropriate, reply to users with the standard replies provided by the URC-E script. If 4 days pass without a reply from the user, send the reminder message. Close the UR if a further 4 days pass without a reply from the user.
Technical Information
Please see the article Technical Information.