MassDOT partners with Waze to ease statewide traffic gridlock
On Thursday, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced it will team up with Waze, a Google-owned smartphone app that helps users find shortcuts when they’re driving.
Under the agreement, Waze will provide MassDOT with real-time, anonymous traffic data that includes incidents and slowdowns. Meanwhile, MassDOT will provide real-time notifications about construction work, crashes, road closures and other roadway obstructions to Waze.
Waze adjusts its map for each driver data point it receives in an effort to provide users with up-to-date information on traffic delays. The company says it has over 709,000 monthly active users in the Boston area who drive over 172 million miles each month and report about a million issues each month, including potholes, crashes and road closures.
The arrangement is part of Waze’s Connected Citizens Program, a “free, two-way data exchange’’ between the app and municipalities around the world. The City of Boston has been part of the program since last year.
“Through the use of traffic data, the MassDOT-Waze partnership will assist in making future investments in highway infrastructure projects that will improve driver safety and promote economic development,’’ said MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack in a statement.
On its website Waze says the city of Boston has looked at three months of Waze data to determine the locations with the highest rate of double-parked cars. The data resulted in a month-long test where Boston police patrolled those areas on bikes to make sure scofflaws moved their vehicles. According to Waze the program resulted in over 240 move-along warnings and 36 parking tickets.
“Building on the success we have had partnering with the City of Boston and other Massachusetts municipalities, Waze is excited to extend this data exchange to MassDOT to further optimize local driving experiences statewide,’’ said Waze’s Connected Citizens program manager, Paige Fitzgerald.
Last year, the city of Boston announced a similar arrangement between the municipality and ride-sharing provider Uber. The agreement was intended to provide Boston officials with data to better inform urban planning. However, a review of the program by Boston.com has found that agreement has not delivered on its intended purposes.
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