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A '''turn instruction''' is the combination of text, images, and speech that Waze provides to the user in providing route guidance, ideally with minimal thought and without confusion.
A turn instruction is the combination of text, images, and speech that Waze provides to the user in providing route guidance, ideally with minimal thought and without confusion.


This page covers the topic of turn instructions generally and includes guidance for modifying all editable aspects of a turn instruction - but not lane guidance.{{TOC}}
This page covers the topic of turn instructions generally and includes guidance for modifying all editable aspects of a turn instruction inside the Turn Instruction interface. This does not include [[usa:Lanes|lane guidance]], which has its own instructions.
 
By default, the use of [[Road Shields|road shields]] in turn guidance is limited to editors of rank 4 and higher.{{TOC}}


==Overview==
==Overview==
Turn instructions tell and show a user where and when to turn, keep, exit, continue, or make a U turn. Editors must take special care to ensure that turn instructions give Wazers clear and useful directions.
'''Note that customized turn instructions do not work at all in Waze in CarPlay or Android Auto. They only function in the mobile app.'''
 
Turn instructions tell and show a user where and when to turn, keep, exit, continue, or make a U-turn. Editors must take special care to ensure that turn instructions give Wazers clear and useful directions.
[[Fichier:Canada-15nord.PNG|bordure|droite|sans_cadre]]
By default, a turn instruction will use the street name of the outbound segment for both display and spoken directions. If there is a 1) road shield associated with the primary street name on that outbound segment and 2) that street name is simple and contains the same number as the shield, then the turn instruction will display the shield in place of the street name.
 
Currently, this can look poor in the app as only the highway number is replaced by a shield, as in the image at right.
 
Reasonable people interpret this as "Autoroute Autoroute 15 Nord" since the shield implies "autoroute". As a result, using a customized turn instruction will look better right now.


By default, a turn instruction will use the street name of the outbound segment for both display and spoken directions. If there is a road shield associated with the primary street name on that outbound segment and that street name is simple and contains the same number as the shield then the turn instruction will display the shield in place of the street name.
You can customize turn instructions with road shields, destinations, exit numbers, and more. This enhances the Waze experience and we encourage its use.


Editors can customize turn instructions with road shields, destinations, exit numbers, and more. this enhances the Waze experience and is encouraged.
==General principles==
You can the official Waze instructions [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GVORIWdUQSrxUJwxDhjn53ZE6-wblC3H22BiBtierL8/ here].


===General principles===
Turn instructions should match signage as closely as possible within the limitations of the Waze interface, while remaining sensible.
Turn instructions should match signage as closely as possible within the limitations of the Waze interface, while remaining sensible.


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*for any numbered exit;
*for any numbered exit;
*anywhere a shield is desired but won't be automatically displayed; and
*anywhere a road shield is desired but won't be automatically displayed; and
*anywhere else that directional signage shows something other than the primary name (or shield) of the outbound segment such as most exit ramps and onramps, wayfinders, intersections with specialized signage for a turn.
*anywhere else that directional signage shows something other than the primary name (or road shield) of the outbound segment such as most exit ramps and onramps, wayfinders, intersections with specialized signage for a turn, and other occasions.


Here are examples of those use cases.<gallery>
Here are examples of those use cases.<gallery>
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A good rule of thumb to use is that if there is a big green sign (BGS), then there should be a turn instruction. But that is not an absolute rule.


Here is an example where a turn instruction should not be used, since this is a named street and having Waze mention the highways would be confusing rather than clear.
[[Fichier:Canada-StJ.png|centré|Rue St-Jacques at the intersection of Boulevard Cavendish has directional signs to indicate how to get to highways, but users should more simply be directed left and right on Rue St-Jacques.|alt=]]


==How to do this==
To access the Turn Instructions dialogue, hover your cursor over a turn arrow and click on "Add instructions".


Compass directions should be '''spelled out using large-and-small-caps''' (Nᴏʀᴛʜ, Sᴏᴜᴛʜ, Eᴀꜱᴛ, Wᴇꜱᴛ) when they are used to represent a direction of travel.
===Basic layout===
As stated, the goal is to resemble the road signage as much as possible, but the functionality has limitations such as a lack of horizontal display space and a restriction to two lines of information (plus an exit sign).


The word "to" should be included in visual fields ''if and only if'' it is actually present on signage.
The best practice is therefore to use the top "Visual instructions" line of the turn instructions for road shields (if there are any) and to put any text below that separated by forward slashes in a "Free text" box in the "Towards" field. The top of the interface displays what the turn instruction will look like in the app. You can see this in action here:
[[Fichier:Canada-exit.png|centré|alt=]]


The auxiliary legends "to", "via", and "jct", where present on signage, should be capitalized '''using small caps''' if they are capitalized on the sign (ᴛᴏ, ᴠɪᴀ, ᴊᴄᴛ), and should match the case on the sign if in title case (To, Via, Jct) or lowercase (to, via, jct).
If there are no road shields for a turn instruction, place the first line of text in the "Visual instructions" line with a "Free text" box and put any subsequent text in a "Free text" box in the Towards field, as follows:
[[Fichier:Canada-exit2.png|centré|alt=]]


To insert large-and-small-capitals or small capitals as needed:


*You can copy and paste the large and small capitals from this list: {{nowrapcode|Nᴏʀᴛʜ}} {{nowrapcode|Sᴏᴜᴛʜ}} {{nowrapcode|Eᴀꜱᴛ}} {{nowrapcode|Wᴇꜱᴛ}} {{nowrapcode|ᴛᴏ}} {{nowrapcode|ᴠɪᴀ}} {{nowrapcode|ᴊᴄᴛ}}.
Canadian signs are fairly straightforward. If you encounter an unusual case, please contact a [[Main Page#List of Senior Editors|senior editor]].  
*If you are a macOS user, you may wish to set up automatic text substitutions in the Text tab of the Keyboard pane in System Preferences.
*If you are a Windows user, you may wish to use AutoHotkey.
*The script [https://github.com/TheCre8r/WME-Road-Shield-Helper WME Road Shield Helper] can insert these easily.


Although the large and small caps above render somewhat strangely on the web, and especially in the fixed-width copy-paste boxes, rest assured: they look good in the app.
===Exit signs===
If the turn instruction is for an exit, choose the colour of exit polygon appropriate for the accompanying sign. Note that the colour of the polygon is not necessarily the same as the colour of the sign. In the examples from Quebec on this page, the sign is green but the exit polygon is yellow, and so these turn instructions in Quebec use a yellow polygon.


===Editable components of a turn instruction===
The exit polygon is always displayed in the top right corner of the turn instruction panel.


====Visual instructions====
To use an exit polygon in a turn instruction, choose the correct colour and add the exit number in the box to your choice.
The '''visual instructions''' component contains the "meat" of the instruction, including most [[Shield|shields]].


In the app, the "visual instructions" component is displayed as the primary element of the turn instruction, on the first line (below the distance to turn) and with bold text.
Do not use an exit polygon to indicate the voice prompt for a turn direction such as "keep right", "exit right", etc. The exit polygon is purely a visual effect.


====Toward====
===Voice prompt===
The '''toward''' component is primarily intended for things like control cities and other destinations, but it may also be used for additional road names and shields where doing so would allow better matching of a sign layout.
This is the same option that Waze editors can use in the dialogue box for turns in the WME. You may change it there or in the Turn instructions dialogue. It is an identical choice and will be duplicated from one to the other.


In the app, the "toward" component is displayed in non-bold text as the second line of the instruction, below the "visual instructions" component.
===TTS===
TTS stands for "text to speech".  


====Exit signs====
If you make no changes here, Waze will speak the default turn instructions. There is rarely a reason to override the default instructions.
The '''exit signs''' component is used to insert an exit number in a dedicated, fixed place.


In the app, the "exit sign" is displayed in the top right corner of the turn instruction panel.
Waze has implemented a limited set of pronunciations of words in small caps. Each of these must be added individual and this is not a general rule. The list of small-caps TTS that Waze has implemented so far is:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Small caps
!English TTS
!French TTS
|-
|ɴᴏʀᴛʜ
|north
|nord
|-
|ᴇᴀꜱᴛ
|east
|est
|-
|ꜱᴏᴜᴛʜ
|south
|sud
|-
|ᴡᴇꜱᴛ
|west
|ouest
|-
|ɴᴏʀᴅ
|north
|nord
|-
|ᴇꜱᴛ
|east
|est
|-
|ꜱᴜᴅ
|south
|sud
|-
|ᴏᴜᴇꜱᴛ
|west
|ouest
|-
|ᴄᴇɴᴛʀᴇ-ᴠɪʟʟᴇ
|centre-ville
|centre-ville
|-
|ᴄɪᴛʏ ᴄᴇɴᴛʀᴇ
|city centre
|city centre
|}
 
==Best practices==
Turn guidance only applies to turns, not segments. If you have many segments joined at a node that requires turn guidance, you will have to create turn guidance for every turn arrow coming out of that node.
 
There are two tricks you can use to reduce your work. 
 
===1) Avoid busy nodes===
You can create more node junctions in order to reduce the number of turns coming out of them. Look at this example, which should use turn guidance for the highlighted highway entry ramp:
[[Fichier:Canada-busynode1.png|centré]]


====[[Voice prompt]]====
The '''voice prompt''' component allows you to decide whether to override the "Waze default" voice prompt.


In the app, this affects both the spoken instruction and the arrow that is displayed on screen before [[lanes]] appear.
In this simple example, the turn from Boul Langelier and the turn from the parking-lot road would both require turn guidance. Users exiting the parking lot road will get the turn guidance for the highway ramp if you do this properly.  


====[[TTS]]====
You can modify this junction by creating a second junction for only the parking-lot road, like this:
The '''TTS''' component allows you to override the street name that would otherwise be '''spoken''' in the instruction.
[[Fichier:Canada-busynode2.png|centré]]


In the app, the "TTS" component replaces the street name portion only of any TTS instruction. It affects only the spoken instruction, and only if you are using TTS (because, of course, only TTS speaks street names).


====[[Lanes]]====
Now, you only need to create one turn guidance for the highway entrance ramp. Users exiting the parking lot road will get a "Turn left on boulevard Langelier" followed by the turn guidance for the ramp.  
The '''Lanes''' component, including the number and association of lanes and the arrows displayed on screen once lanes appear, is editable using the [[lanes]] interface and is outside the scope of this article.


===Non-editable components of a turn instruction===
This is more elegant and more accurate. Just remember that all road segments on the Waze map should be more than 5 metres long.


====Distance or time====
===2) Use inheritance===
The '''distance or time''' component is based on reality and explained in more detail in the article on [[audible instructions]].


==Guidance==
'''WHILE INHERITANCE IS A GREAT IDEA, IT DOESN'T CURRENTLY WORK WITH TURN INSTRUCTIONS.'''


*
When you have two road segments that attach at a common node, it is easier to create one turn guidance rather than multiples. Waze road name inheritance will pull and use the later instruction if there is no name on intervening segments.


===Exit signs===
That sounds complicated. It is much easier to understand visually. Here we have two roads leading to a highway entrance ramp. We could create turn guidance for each, as indicated by the two red arrows:
Use the right exit sign if the exit is to the right of continuing lanes, or the left exit sign if the exit is to the left of continuing lanes.
[[Fichier:Canada-double-tg.png|centré]]
{{Mbox|text=We’ve requested exit sign options without an arrow, which will be useful in cases where (we hope) inheritance will take you down an "exit right, then keep left" path or similar. For the time being, [don’t add turn instructions yet at all/add the one that fits best and leave yourself a map comment or other note to come back].|type=important}}
 
Type the exit number into the field as it appears on the sign (numbers, letters, with or without spaces and hyphens; but remove spaces if necessary to fit within the character limit).
 
However, we can use only one turn guidance if we put it here, as long as that crossing segment has no name:
[[Fichier:Canada-single-tg.png|centré]]
 
 
Both previous segments will "inherit" this single turn guidance. You have cut your workload in half.
 
Note that you will still have to create a separate turn guidance for users turning right from boulevard Langelier onto the entrance ramp.
 
==What to watch out for==
 
==="Towards" field===
The "Towards" field is simply the name of the field in the Turn Instructions interface. It does not add any visual representation of the word "towards" and it does not pronounce the word "towards" in the app.
 
If you require the pronunciation of "towards" in your TTS, please use a guillemet, which is the French quotation mark: <big>»</big>. The symbol works for both French and English.
 
But there is usually no real reason to add that "towards". It increases the time to pronounce TTS when we should be trying to reduce that.  
 
===Road shields===
 
=====Road shields not appearing in list=====
Often, you will need to use a road shield in a turn instruction but because that road shield is too far away in WME, the Turn Instruction interface will not present the shield you need as an option.  


===Visual instructions and toward===
There are a few ways to solve this problem.  
The “Visual instructions” and “Toward” components contain most of the visual elements of a turn instruction, including [[road names]], [[shields]], control cities, and other destinations (but not exit numbers).


Think of the “Visual instructions” field as line 1 of the visual instruction, and of the “Toward” field as line 2 of the visual instruction.
#Create a new road segment in WME near where you are adding your turn instruction. Give it a name, then de-select it and reselect it. Once you have reselected it, assign the road shield you require to that new segment. Hit the Apply button. You do not have to save the new segment. The road shield you have just created will now appear as an option in the list of road shields in the Turn Instructions interface. Once you have created the road shield, delete the new segment you created and save your work. The road shield will continue to be available nearby for future turn instructions even after the new road segment has been deleted.
#Put the road shield you need on a nearby existing street. Hit the Apply button and follow the rest of the instructions given in the previous method. Don't forget to delete this road shield when you are done.
#Zoom out in WME so that the road shield you require appears in your field of view. Reload the WME webpage. Zoom back in to you turn instruction and the road shield you need may now appear in the list. It also may continue to be absent.


====Exit ramps, entrance ramps, wayfinders, and where there is a Big Green Sign====
=====Using "foreign" road shields=====
This subsection applies to all instructions onto, off of, or between freeways, exit ramps, onramps, or similar, and wherever there is a [[Big green sign|Big Green Sign]].
Sometimes, you may need to use a road shield from another province or from the USA. For example, if you are in Ontario, you may need to use a road shield of a Quebec autoroute or an American Interstate. You cannot create those shields in Ontario, but there is a workaround that will let you "import" them to your province.


The principal goal of mapping turn instructions is to match the layout of any Big Green Sign as best we can, and to match non-BGS signage in a consistent way.
To get the shields into your turn guidance, you must create a new segment with one end in the province/country whose shield you need and the other end where you need to use it. Then follow the instructions in step 1 in the previous section.


=====Which signs to use=====
Here's an example that placed an American road shield in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, as seen here:
Where there is a Big Green Sign assembly for the movement you're mapping (like a typical freeway exit sign), use information from the last Big Green Sign assembly before or at the location of the movement.
[[Fichier:Canada-I-89.png|centré]]


Where there is not a Big Green Sign (which is often the case at the foot of an exit ramp or before entering an onramp), combine shield elements from the Directional Assembly and text elements from the Destination Sign [see pages 149-165 of MUTCD 2009 edition].


=====Shields=====
To get that American shield, follow these steps:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Guidance
!Example
|-
|Generally, [[shield]] elements should be placed in the “visual instructions” field (''i.e.'', on line 1).
|[[File:Shields-line-1.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|Rarely, shield elements may be placed in the “toward” field (''i.e.'', on line 2) '''only''' when the shield is near the bottom of a multi-line sign.
|[[File:Shield-in-towards.png|thumb]]
|-
|Add shields in the order they appear on the sign assembly.
|
|-
|Any shield that is preceded by “ᴛᴏ” on the sign should be preceded by “ᴛᴏ” (using small caps) in free text in Waze as well.
|[[File:TO-bgs.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|If two or more adjacent shields have the same direction, omit the direction from all but the last such shield (they “share” this direction)—unless there is a compelling reason not to do so.
|[[File:Share-direction.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|Do '''not''' include text separators between shields, shield directions, or auxiliary legends (“ᴛᴏ”, “ᴠɪᴀ”, “ᴊᴄᴛ”).
|[[File:No-sep.jpg|thumb]]
|}


=====Text elements (street names and destinations)=====
#Create a road segment that stretches from the US to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. In this example, this segment was 42 kilometres long. Assign the new road to the US and an American state in the Address fields. You can assign a city name or click the "None" box. Name the road something relevant.
#Give this segment a road type of freeway. This is not important for the shield, but it may save you time if you saved it and you have to hunt for it to delete it. Freeways show up at all zoom levels.
#De-select and reselect the segment. Because the road is assigned to the US, you get your choice of US shields!
#Once the road shield is assigned and applied to the new segment, you can use it anywhere within range.


======If there are no shields======
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Guidance
!Example
|-
|If the instruction contains only one text element (and no shields), include that text element as free text in the "visual instructions" field.
|[[File:Amelia.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|If the instruction contains two text elements, include the first text element as free text in the "visual instructions" field, and the second text element in the "toward" field.
|[[File:Two-text-elements.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|If the instruction contains three text elements, include the first text element as free text in the "visual instructions" field, and the second and third text elements in the "toward" field with the appropriate separator.
|[[File:Three-text-elements.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|If the instruction contains four or more text elements, use your judgment, and spread them between "visual instructions" and "toward" as appropriate with the proper separators.
|
|}


======In conjunction with shields======
This image shows the segment created to bring the US I-89 shield to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu:
{| class="wikitable"
[[Fichier:Canada-use-Fwy.png|centré]]
|+
!Guidance
!Example
|-
|If the instruction (in addition to shields) contains only one text element, place the text element in the "toward" field (except in the rare instance that the shield and text are on the same line on the same sign, in which case the text element can be added as free text in the "visual instructions" field).
|[[File:61-airline.jpg|thumb]]
|-
|If the instruction (in addition to shields) contains two or more text elements, generally, place all text elements in the "toward" field with the appropriate separators.
Exception: if the first text element(s) in order, but not all of the text elements, are alternative names for the shielded road, add the first text element(s) as free text following the shield (with separators if there are more than one), and the subsequent text element(s) in the "toward" field.
|[[File:10-airport-br.jpg|thumb]] [[File:Airline-tulane.jpg|thumb|In this case, "Airline Dr" and "Tulane Ave" are alternate names for US-61.]]
|}


====Surface intersections====
This subsection applies to instructions at intersections that do not involve freeways, exit ramps, or onramps, and that do not have a Big Green Sign.


The principal goal of mapping turn instructions is to match signage in a consistent way.  
And here is the turn guidance that uses it:
[[Fichier:Canada-USshield.png|centré]]
(Note that we should probably spell out "Interstate" in Canada.)


If the only signage visible when approaching the intersection matches the primary street name of the outbound segment, there is no need to change the turn instructions.  
=====Road shields and cities=====
Road shields are assigned to Waze cities, but the city you choose for your road shield in a turn instruction is completely irrelevant.  


If signage visible when approaching the intersection contains either ''additional'' or ''different'' information,  
=====Road shields and cardinal directions=====
Once an editor selects a road shield, it will appear with the cardinal direction assigned to it when it was created. You may freely change or delete this cardinal direction. It is completely modifiable, which leads this discussion to...


*Shields and road names should generally be in the “Visual instructions” field, with shields before the road name.
=====Road shields and small-caps font=====
[[Fichier:Canada-smcaps.png|bordure|droite|sans_cadre|649x649px]]
Rigorous testing has led us to conclude that using small caps not only better emulates what drivers see on any BGS, but also that it just looks so darned refined in the app (see image at right). As a result, we have established the use of small caps as a standard in Canada for turn instructions. '''We have also expanded this to include the directions on all road shields.''' 


*If ''both'' shields ''and'' a road name are present, omit the direction (even if signage includes the direction).
However, it is not trivial to get small caps to appear. The following characters can be copied and pasted into WME: ᴀʙᴄᴅᴇꜰɢʜɪᴊᴋʟᴍɴᴏᴘʀꜱᴛᴜᴠᴡʏᴢ (there are no glyphs for small-caps Q or X).  
*If ''only'' road shields are present, include the direction when signage includes the direction.
*Include any destinations and control cities in the “Toward” field (with appropriate separators).


Where a shield is used (often with a “ᴛᴏ” auxiliary legend) to show that the immediate turn will take you toward another road or highway, you can include that shield in the “Toward” field (together with any auxiliary legend present). Such signage may often be found on frontage roads that provide freeway access.
Or you can copy and paste these samples of the four cardinal directions: 
{| class="wikitable"
|ɴᴏʀᴛʜ
|ᴇᴀꜱᴛ
|ꜱᴏᴜᴛʜ
|ᴡᴇꜱᴛ
|-
|ɴᴏʀᴅ
|ᴇꜱᴛ
|ꜱᴜᴅ
|ᴏᴜᴇꜱᴛ
|}


===Voice prompt===
Once you have access to these copyable/pastable samples, you can set up your computer to automatically provide them as a keyboard shortcut.
See [[Voice prompt]].


===TTS===
*On macOS, you can set up automatic text substitutions in the Text tab of the Keyboard pane in System Preferences.
The TTS box can be used to override the street name component of the instruction.
*On Windows, you can use AutoHotkey.


Follow the same general principles as with [[road names]]. [[Abbreviations and acronyms]] work here, but you can also use this field to spell things out to be sure they are pronounced correctly.
The [https://github.com/TheCre8r/WME-Road-Shield-Helper WME Road Shield Helper script] also has built-in shortcuts for the correct text.


Feel free to make small adjustments to make Waze talk conversationally. For example, add “the” before the name of a destination that would normally be preceded by “the” (e.g., “Poydras St » the Superdome” or “US-90 BUS W » the Westbank”)
===Punctuation===
Space is the biggest limitation in the app's turn instructions. While there is a valid argument to be made that the visual turn instructions should exactly imitate the BGS and its punctuation (while the TTS follows the established rules in place), that will cost the turn instructions some valuable characters. As a result, we feel it is best to not use punctuation despite its presence on a BGS or other road sign. 


==Interface==
==Other resources==
[more to come. watch this space!]
You may want these quick links to the [[usa:Turn_instruction|guidance for turn instructions in the US]] or to guidance for road shields in Canada.

Dernière version du 29 septembre 2022 à 13:42

A turn instruction is the combination of text, images, and speech that Waze provides to the user in providing route guidance, ideally with minimal thought and without confusion.

This page covers the topic of turn instructions generally and includes guidance for modifying all editable aspects of a turn instruction inside the Turn Instruction interface. This does not include lane guidance, which has its own instructions.

By default, the use of road shields in turn guidance is limited to editors of rank 4 and higher.

Overview

Note that customized turn instructions do not work at all in Waze in CarPlay or Android Auto. They only function in the mobile app.

Turn instructions tell and show a user where and when to turn, keep, exit, continue, or make a U-turn. Editors must take special care to ensure that turn instructions give Wazers clear and useful directions.

By default, a turn instruction will use the street name of the outbound segment for both display and spoken directions. If there is a 1) road shield associated with the primary street name on that outbound segment and 2) that street name is simple and contains the same number as the shield, then the turn instruction will display the shield in place of the street name.

Currently, this can look poor in the app as only the highway number is replaced by a shield, as in the image at right.

Reasonable people interpret this as "Autoroute Autoroute 15 Nord" since the shield implies "autoroute". As a result, using a customized turn instruction will look better right now.

You can customize turn instructions with road shields, destinations, exit numbers, and more. This enhances the Waze experience and we encourage its use.

General principles

You can the official Waze instructions here.

Turn instructions should match signage as closely as possible within the limitations of the Waze interface, while remaining sensible.

Visually, the elements of the turn instruction should match the visual order of elements on the sign as closely as possible.

Custom turn instructions should be added any time signage for a particular turn includes more than just the primary street name (or associated shield) of the outbound segment. In particular, custom turn instructions should be added:

  • for any numbered exit;
  • anywhere a road shield is desired but won't be automatically displayed; and
  • anywhere else that directional signage shows something other than the primary name (or road shield) of the outbound segment such as most exit ramps and onramps, wayfinders, intersections with specialized signage for a turn, and other occasions.

Here are examples of those use cases.

  • An exit and wayfinder on Autoroute 40 Ouest in Montreal.

    An exit and wayfinder on Autoroute 40 Ouest in Montreal.

  • Turn instructions on a major road in Montreal.

    Turn instructions on a major road in Montreal.

  • Turn instructions and a wayfinder on a major road in Montreal. Adding a wayfinder in this case is not recommended, but the turns should be implemented with turn instructions that indicate the cardinal direction.

    Turn instructions and a wayfinder on a major road in Montreal. Adding a wayfinder in this case is not recommended, but the turns should be implemented with turn instructions that indicate the cardinal direction.


A good rule of thumb to use is that if there is a big green sign (BGS), then there should be a turn instruction. But that is not an absolute rule.

Here is an example where a turn instruction should not be used, since this is a named street and having Waze mention the highways would be confusing rather than clear.

Rue St-Jacques at the intersection of Boulevard Cavendish has directional signs to indicate how to get to highways, but users should more simply be directed left and right on Rue St-Jacques.

How to do this

To access the Turn Instructions dialogue, hover your cursor over a turn arrow and click on "Add instructions".

Basic layout

As stated, the goal is to resemble the road signage as much as possible, but the functionality has limitations such as a lack of horizontal display space and a restriction to two lines of information (plus an exit sign).

The best practice is therefore to use the top "Visual instructions" line of the turn instructions for road shields (if there are any) and to put any text below that separated by forward slashes in a "Free text" box in the "Towards" field. The top of the interface displays what the turn instruction will look like in the app. You can see this in action here:

If there are no road shields for a turn instruction, place the first line of text in the "Visual instructions" line with a "Free text" box and put any subsequent text in a "Free text" box in the Towards field, as follows:


Canadian signs are fairly straightforward. If you encounter an unusual case, please contact a senior editor.

Exit signs

If the turn instruction is for an exit, choose the colour of exit polygon appropriate for the accompanying sign. Note that the colour of the polygon is not necessarily the same as the colour of the sign. In the examples from Quebec on this page, the sign is green but the exit polygon is yellow, and so these turn instructions in Quebec use a yellow polygon.

The exit polygon is always displayed in the top right corner of the turn instruction panel.

To use an exit polygon in a turn instruction, choose the correct colour and add the exit number in the box to your choice.

Do not use an exit polygon to indicate the voice prompt for a turn direction such as "keep right", "exit right", etc. The exit polygon is purely a visual effect.

Voice prompt

This is the same option that Waze editors can use in the dialogue box for turns in the WME. You may change it there or in the Turn instructions dialogue. It is an identical choice and will be duplicated from one to the other.

TTS

TTS stands for "text to speech".

If you make no changes here, Waze will speak the default turn instructions. There is rarely a reason to override the default instructions.

Waze has implemented a limited set of pronunciations of words in small caps. Each of these must be added individual and this is not a general rule. The list of small-caps TTS that Waze has implemented so far is:

Small caps English TTS French TTS
ɴᴏʀᴛʜ north nord
ᴇᴀꜱᴛ east est
ꜱᴏᴜᴛʜ south sud
ᴡᴇꜱᴛ west ouest
ɴᴏʀᴅ north nord
ᴇꜱᴛ east est
ꜱᴜᴅ south sud
ᴏᴜᴇꜱᴛ west ouest
ᴄᴇɴᴛʀᴇ-ᴠɪʟʟᴇ centre-ville centre-ville
ᴄɪᴛʏ ᴄᴇɴᴛʀᴇ city centre city centre

Best practices

Turn guidance only applies to turns, not segments. If you have many segments joined at a node that requires turn guidance, you will have to create turn guidance for every turn arrow coming out of that node.

There are two tricks you can use to reduce your work.

1) Avoid busy nodes

You can create more node junctions in order to reduce the number of turns coming out of them. Look at this example, which should use turn guidance for the highlighted highway entry ramp:


In this simple example, the turn from Boul Langelier and the turn from the parking-lot road would both require turn guidance. Users exiting the parking lot road will get the turn guidance for the highway ramp if you do this properly.

You can modify this junction by creating a second junction for only the parking-lot road, like this:


Now, you only need to create one turn guidance for the highway entrance ramp. Users exiting the parking lot road will get a "Turn left on boulevard Langelier" followed by the turn guidance for the ramp.

This is more elegant and more accurate. Just remember that all road segments on the Waze map should be more than 5 metres long.

2) Use inheritance

WHILE INHERITANCE IS A GREAT IDEA, IT DOESN'T CURRENTLY WORK WITH TURN INSTRUCTIONS.

When you have two road segments that attach at a common node, it is easier to create one turn guidance rather than multiples. Waze road name inheritance will pull and use the later instruction if there is no name on intervening segments.

That sounds complicated. It is much easier to understand visually. Here we have two roads leading to a highway entrance ramp. We could create turn guidance for each, as indicated by the two red arrows:


However, we can use only one turn guidance if we put it here, as long as that crossing segment has no name:


Both previous segments will "inherit" this single turn guidance. You have cut your workload in half.

Note that you will still have to create a separate turn guidance for users turning right from boulevard Langelier onto the entrance ramp.

What to watch out for

"Towards" field

The "Towards" field is simply the name of the field in the Turn Instructions interface. It does not add any visual representation of the word "towards" and it does not pronounce the word "towards" in the app.

If you require the pronunciation of "towards" in your TTS, please use a guillemet, which is the French quotation mark: ». The symbol works for both French and English.

But there is usually no real reason to add that "towards". It increases the time to pronounce TTS when we should be trying to reduce that.

Road shields

Road shields not appearing in list

Often, you will need to use a road shield in a turn instruction but because that road shield is too far away in WME, the Turn Instruction interface will not present the shield you need as an option.

There are a few ways to solve this problem.

  1. Create a new road segment in WME near where you are adding your turn instruction. Give it a name, then de-select it and reselect it. Once you have reselected it, assign the road shield you require to that new segment. Hit the Apply button. You do not have to save the new segment. The road shield you have just created will now appear as an option in the list of road shields in the Turn Instructions interface. Once you have created the road shield, delete the new segment you created and save your work. The road shield will continue to be available nearby for future turn instructions even after the new road segment has been deleted.
  2. Put the road shield you need on a nearby existing street. Hit the Apply button and follow the rest of the instructions given in the previous method. Don't forget to delete this road shield when you are done.
  3. Zoom out in WME so that the road shield you require appears in your field of view. Reload the WME webpage. Zoom back in to you turn instruction and the road shield you need may now appear in the list. It also may continue to be absent.
Using "foreign" road shields

Sometimes, you may need to use a road shield from another province or from the USA. For example, if you are in Ontario, you may need to use a road shield of a Quebec autoroute or an American Interstate. You cannot create those shields in Ontario, but there is a workaround that will let you "import" them to your province.

To get the shields into your turn guidance, you must create a new segment with one end in the province/country whose shield you need and the other end where you need to use it. Then follow the instructions in step 1 in the previous section.

Here's an example that placed an American road shield in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, as seen here:


To get that American shield, follow these steps:

  1. Create a road segment that stretches from the US to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. In this example, this segment was 42 kilometres long. Assign the new road to the US and an American state in the Address fields. You can assign a city name or click the "None" box. Name the road something relevant.
  2. Give this segment a road type of freeway. This is not important for the shield, but it may save you time if you saved it and you have to hunt for it to delete it. Freeways show up at all zoom levels.
  3. De-select and reselect the segment. Because the road is assigned to the US, you get your choice of US shields!
  4. Once the road shield is assigned and applied to the new segment, you can use it anywhere within range.


This image shows the segment created to bring the US I-89 shield to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu:


And here is the turn guidance that uses it:

(Note that we should probably spell out "Interstate" in Canada.)

Road shields and cities

Road shields are assigned to Waze cities, but the city you choose for your road shield in a turn instruction is completely irrelevant.

Road shields and cardinal directions

Once an editor selects a road shield, it will appear with the cardinal direction assigned to it when it was created. You may freely change or delete this cardinal direction. It is completely modifiable, which leads this discussion to...

Road shields and small-caps font

Rigorous testing has led us to conclude that using small caps not only better emulates what drivers see on any BGS, but also that it just looks so darned refined in the app (see image at right). As a result, we have established the use of small caps as a standard in Canada for turn instructions. We have also expanded this to include the directions on all road shields.

However, it is not trivial to get small caps to appear. The following characters can be copied and pasted into WME: ᴀʙᴄᴅᴇꜰɢʜɪᴊᴋʟᴍɴᴏᴘʀꜱᴛᴜᴠᴡʏᴢ (there are no glyphs for small-caps Q or X).

Or you can copy and paste these samples of the four cardinal directions:

ɴᴏʀᴛʜ ᴇᴀꜱᴛ ꜱᴏᴜᴛʜ ᴡᴇꜱᴛ
ɴᴏʀᴅ ᴇꜱᴛ ꜱᴜᴅ ᴏᴜᴇꜱᴛ

Once you have access to these copyable/pastable samples, you can set up your computer to automatically provide them as a keyboard shortcut.

  • On macOS, you can set up automatic text substitutions in the Text tab of the Keyboard pane in System Preferences.
  • On Windows, you can use AutoHotkey.

The WME Road Shield Helper script also has built-in shortcuts for the correct text.

Punctuation

Space is the biggest limitation in the app's turn instructions. While there is a valid argument to be made that the visual turn instructions should exactly imitate the BGS and its punctuation (while the TTS follows the established rules in place), that will cost the turn instructions some valuable characters. As a result, we feel it is best to not use punctuation despite its presence on a BGS or other road sign.

Other resources

You may want these quick links to the guidance for turn instructions in the US or to guidance for road shields in Canada.

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