Information related to using Waze in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Cities and Towns
In WME, every segment of every Street, Primary Street, Private Road and Minor Highway should have a city name applied to it. Major Highways should have a city name applied to all segments that also have street addresses, other segments are optional. City names on Parking Lots, Railroads, Walking Trails, etc. are nice, but not required.
City names are not required on Freeways and Ramps and may interfere with navigation instructions at ramp interchanges on all highway types. Only place city names on highway segments junctioned with ramps, or on ramps, if you know how to avoid the navigation problems.
The only city name that should be applied to a segment is the incorporated municipal name or the official 2010 Census Designated Place (CDP) name. Do not use other unincorporated names such as villages or neighborhoods. Do not use Postal names or areas.
See PennDOT's municipal maps for incorporated city borders and proper naming information. For city maps that are missing from this list, you may be able to get the information you need from PennDOT's County Maps or by visiting that city's GIS website. CDP outlines and names for Pennsylvania are found here.
If a road runs on a border, according to Waze statements, the other city should be in the alternate name field to support future address searches.
If a road segment runs across a border, it should be split with a junction on the border if there should be house numbers applied within each city. This will support future address search. Otherwise apply the city name that makes the most sense, or none at all for highways.
See Duplicate Cities for information on resolving the numerous conflicting city names in Pennsylvania. When a municipality has the same name and city type (i.e. Borough, Township, City), append the county after the city name in the format Cityname, Countyname. This is based on a recommendation by Waze for future database organization.
Standard Abbreviations
When naming roads or Ramps, use Penna as the abbreviation for Pennsylvania. Penn causes Text to Speech conflicts with the numerous items named after William Penn. PA should not be used except as shown below.
Penna Tpk is the proper abbreviation for naming ramps and alternate names for the Turnpike.
Major Roads
See Road Naming (USA), Road Types (USA)
State Routes with Three-Digit Route Numbers
In Pennsylvania all State Routes with three-digit route numbers should be minor highways or higher. They should have any common name as displayed on street signs as the primary name in WME and the route number in the alternate field. The format State Rte 111 and PA-111 are both acceptable until Waze announces how shield generation for state roads will work. Do not alter route numbers if they are currently in one of the acceptable formats. State Hwy and variations should not be used unless it is on the road signs.
- Note: Some state routes have mixed signage, with route numbers at major intersections and road names at minor intersections. Until Waze gets state shields working, the best practice is to name the segments according the the signage that the motorist will see as he approaches the state route, with priority given to the major intersections.
State Routes with Four-Digit Route Numbers
Most state routes with four digit route numbers should be Primary Streets, with the exceptions shown below. There is no need for the route number in the alternate fields.
County or Township Roads
County roads and Township routes need no special designation. Their route number info is not needed in the alternate field.
Primary Roads
Primary Roads should connect two important things, for example:
- Two PA-xxx state highways, or higher
- PA-xxx highway (or higher) and a decent-sized town
- Key tourist or business destinations
Primary Roads should have the name on the street signs as the primary name in WME. PA-xxxx, Sr-xxxx or State Rte xxxx should never be used, unless there is no other name for the road.
- Not every PA-xxxx route is Primary. Some just trail off into nothing. Other short ones connect two minor things, so they can be ignored.
- Primary Roads should be improved roads with smooth grading and yellow center lines painted throughout.
- Multi-lane roads that don't meet the definition of Major, and are not Minor based on PA-xxx or US-xxx route designation, are almost always Primary Roads.
- In cities, sometimes it is obvious that the street department wants you to follow certain routes. Those should be made Primary.
Local knowledge should always be applied when designating Primary Roads. If you are not sure, try to drive it and see if it should be elevated above a regular street for our users.
Ramps
When naming Ramps to state routes, use the SR-111 or the PA-111 formats only. Match what is on the big green sign directing you to the ramp.
Landmarks
Landmarks in Pennsylvania should follow the guidelines from the state of Connecticut until the national standards are complete.
Major Construction Projects
See the Pennsylvania forum for a list of long term road closures and changes to traffic flow that impact the Waze Map.
Special Roads
- Divided Highways
- Carpool, HOV, Transit lanes
- Roundabouts/Traffic Circles
- Cul-de-sac's
- Parking Lot Roads
- Toll Roads
Alleys
- Alleys should always be mapped if they have a name.
- Alleys should always be mapped if they are the sole access to a home or business.
- Alleys should always be set to "Private Road"
- Alleys are normally mapped if they are acknowledged by the municipality.
If an alley does not meet the above criteria, mapping is optional. Leave the name field blank.
Non-Driveable Roads
Generally, if a path can't be driven on (e.g. Walking Trail, Pedestrain Boardwalk, Stairway, Runway/Taxiway) then it not normally mapped. If it is mapped, it should not be connected to any roads. This is due to the way the routing engine works, as Waze will route users to drive on these "Non-Driveable" road types.
It is permitted to map Railroads since some users run Waze while on the train and contributing false data to the system. This false data has been known to effect drivers on adjacent roads. Railroads should be level -5 and locked at the highest level of the editor.
Time Restricted Turns
There is beta testing for setting Time Based Restricted turns in WME. Watch for announcements in the forum on this feature
Speed / Red Light Cameras
Limited Red Light Cameras are legal in the State of Pennsylvania.
Speed Cameras
Not Legal in Pennsylvania and should not be mapped.
Red Light Cameras
Red light cameras are legal only in certain cites and suburban towns. Currently Philadelphia is the only city with cams. Link Goes Here
Other Camera Types
These are cameras or signs that either provide driver feedback or are used for traffic control. These devices CAN NOT issue tickets and should not be mapped.
To Do List
Want to help out with the map in Pennsylvania? Check out the To Do List. (May be out of date.)
Mapping Resources
Area Managers
| Username | Area Managed | Comments | Forum PM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 6 Country Managers | |||
| jondrush | Northeast Region Coordinator | PM | |
| Level 5 Country Managers (Pennsylvania Based) | |||
| bigbear3764 | Chicagoland, Lake,Cook,McHenry Co | PM
| |
| Level 4 Area Managers | |||
| failsafe | Cook, Lake, and DuPage Counties | Also Southeastern Wisconsin up to Kenosha | PM |
| Level 3 Area Managers | |||
| dmiller1984 | DuPage and Kendall Co | PM | |
If you are an Area Manager that covers the State of Pennsylvania, or a USA Country Manager that does a lot of work in Pennsylvania, please add yourself to this list (alphabetical by username).