House Numbers on Service Roads Discussion View history

Service roads or frontage roads

Service Roads and Frontage Roads are often used interchangeably by Waze Users. Dictionaries even state that the quick definition of one is the other. A more formal definition for both terms is along the lines of a road that is parallel or near to a more significant road, and that allows people to access local businesses and/or houses.
For the purposes of this article to keep it simple we will refer to these roads as Service Roads.

Choosing road type for service roads

Please make sure that the service roads are set to the correct road type. General USA guidance is found in the Road types article. There are several items to consider in the following order:

Regional or State guidance, if applicable, will be listed on their respective Wazeopedia page.
Road continuity, when the service/frontage road is a "feeder road" and continuity of the road type is required for proper routing. Road types § Exceptions explains how Texas or Detroit style feeder roads should be handled.
Functional Classification map(s) from the local authorities (Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration, etc.) are preferred. [Often found on State wazeopedia pages.] Utilize this guidance in conjunction with Functional Classification resources.
If the Service Road services a Freeway or Expressway, and is not covered by the above guidelines, then follow the guidance for frontage roads for freeways/expressways found in the Road types § Primary Street article, and set the road type as a Primary Street .
If none of the above items apply, then consult with your State Manager(s) to determine between Primary Street or Street type based on usage density.

Problems

Service Roads often cause routing problems. Some of the more frequent routing problems are:

Routing off the main road to the service road, and then back onto the main road.
Being navigated to the main road for an address which is on the service road. The address may not be reachable from the main road, especially if there is a barrier between the roads. Additionally stopping may be dangerous or prohibited on the main road.
The address is not found in search since it is listed on the service road, but it should use the main road's address. This causes the search to use 3rd party results even if there is a confirmed HN in Waze, leading to routing issues.
Drivers unknowingly taking the main road instead of the recommended service road, and then being unable to make a recommended turn further down since they are on the main road instead of the service road. This results in Turn Not Allowed, Incorrect Junction, or Wrong Driving Directions URs.

Here is an example at Arlington Blvd in Northern Virginia. The reporter was unable to make the turn from Arlington Blvd to N Montague St because they did not follow the recommended route. The recommended route was the PL above. Note: Editors need to make sure that the service road is labeled service road. Sometimes they are found labeled the same as the main road and Users don't understand to go to the service road. Users who turned on the main road and won't be able to make the subsequent turn.

Solutions

Naming service roads

To prevent routing detours and to ensure we trigger Big Detour Prevention,
a. Keep the service road separated from the main road at all points by at least one segment.

b. Ensure the segment separating the main road from the service road DOES NOT have the main road name as either the primary or alternate name. This can be achieved by having an unnamed segment or the name of an intersecting road.

c. Check for any Bowties, or forks, where the main road connects directly to service road, a feeder road connects directly to both the main and service roads, or a slip road (entrance or exit) connecting between the service and main roads and eliminate any Best Continuation issues.
In most cases these are best left as no-name segments.
When adjusting for BDP also keep an eye out for any unintended Best Continuation issues, which would prevent the user from being given a prompt advising which road to turn on to.
Test the routing after the tiles are built.
To allow address matching in search, and proper House Number routing, ensure that the main road name is added to all the service road segments as an alternate name.