The inhabitants of many small towns have been going through hell for some time. At issue: the Waze navigation application, which saves motorists a few minutes of travel time to the detriment of the peace of mind of some. Explanations.
It has almost become a reflex. You get in the car and before starting, you enter your destination in Waze to ensure you take the quickest route possible. Traffic jams, accidents, works… Thecommunity GPS app signals almost everything, allowing motorists to save time while freeing their minds since it is impossible to get lost even if you follow an unfamiliar detour. This tranquility, however, has a price that one would not suspect.
To avoid motorway traffic jams, there are no 36 solutions: you have to avoid them by using less busy routes. This is for example the case of the D262 departmental road at the A7 exit at Montélimar. It allows you to reach the Ardèche gorges a little faster. Except that it passes through the central square of the village of Saint-Montan, a medieval town of 180 inhabitants. Depending on the period, its mayor Christophe Mathon counts “up to 1,000 cars per day” while the streets of the town “are not suitable to receive such traffic. Buses and semi-trailers have already found themselves stuck and been forced to reverse. These maneuvers create monster traffic jams“. And it’s far from being the worst off.
Waze GPS has transformed the daily lives of residents of several French villages into an ordeal
Several small municipalities in France are sounding the same alarm. Because of Waze, there is chaos in their streets. Matthieu Lestoquoy, mayor of the village Camphin-en-Carembault in the North, crossed by the D925, “counted up 14,000 vehicles per day on this axis“. He points out that this extraordinary traffic has very real consequences. In addition to traffic jams, pollution or noise, “three children were even hit by vehicles“.
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Alerted by the elected official and other mayors, Waze returns the ball to local authorities, “only authorized to make certain modifications, which will be relevant for all drivers using this route“. Faced with this response, initiatives had to be taken. Many villages affected by the phenomenon have installed traffic lights in the city centermakes certain streets one way and lowered the lspeed imitation at 30 km/h. The goal is to make passing through the municipality less attractive for Waze.
A successful bet since “the effects are visible on the app. We can see an orange and red marker on this axis in our municipality, thanks to the slowdowns. This does not encourage motorists to risk it. Even if it is still far from perfect, traffic is becoming more reasonable again“, concludes the mayor of Camphin-en-Carembault.
Source: Le Monde