The Pitfalls of Wazing in Manila

Waze is incredibly useful. I have to admit that through the use of the app, I've discovered dozens of routes previously unbeknownst to me even as a lifelong resident of Metro Manila. Furthermore, knowing my ETA really takes away one form of stress from my commute.

That said, through the years of using the app, I've learned to be watchful of certain pitfalls. Now mind you, these pitfalls are probably not unique to the use of Waze in Manila. I do think however, that because of the nature of Metro Manila roads and traffic, these pitfalls do tend to be more pronounced in Metro Manila.

PITFALL #1 : The Scrimper Pitfall

Ever tried to scrimp when buying something, only to realize soon thereafter that the inferior quality of that thing you bought actually cost you more, sometimes in other ways, over the long run? The Waze equivalent of this is when it gets us to follow highly complex routes through small, crowded streets because it is perhaps 11 minutes faster than the route that mostly uses the major thoroughfares.

These complex routes can be costly in a number of ways: First, when we're using these complex routes for the first time, through crowded streets with many permanent and semi-permanent obstructions, we probably take a longer time to navigate the route compared with what the data on the app suggests - the data having been compiled from the journeys of Waze users who are likely much more familiar with those narrow streets. Second, for me, the stress from your commute is a very real cost, and obviously a complex route is a much more stressful drive than a more straightforward one. Then finally, the increased probability of scrapes, bumps, and even road scams is also a very real cost.

Whenever I share this observation with other Waze users, especially more casual users, they will usually point out that you're given three options and it is your choice whether to use the fast-but-complex route. This is somewhat true, but, there are also many instances that all three routes given will contain the same complex section of a route and are just variations off of that core section.

I have long felt that there's an elegant solution to this which would not be too difficult for Waze to implement if it were so inclined. Waze can ask for user preference on the complexity-vs.-speed tradeoff and incorporate these preferences into a decision on which routes to recommend to a specific user. Specifically, it can ask the user to define how much complexity he is willing to accept to get to his destination 5 minutes faster. As a stand-in for complexity, the number of turns can be used. i.e. how many additional turns are you willing to make to save five minutes of travel time? On one end of the spectrum you'd have the user who much prefers straightforward drives and would not want to make even one additional turn to save five minutes. On the other end you'd have the user who values speed above all else and is indifferent to the number of additional turns, just as long as he can arrive earlier. Waze can have some kind of slider bar for the user to fine tune the exact level of preference between these two extremes.

For all I know, maybe Waze already has the algorithms to detect user route preferences by mining the data from all of his previous drives, and maybe the reason I do not sense this ability in Waze is because I've never ever bothered to set up an account and sign in. Serves me right then eh? For not being an upstanding member of the Waze community.

PITFALL #2 : The Siren Pitfall

In Greek Mythology a Siren is a partly human creature of the ocean, a temptress who would lure mariners to their destruction with the seductive sound of singing. On days of extremely bad traffic that Metro Manilans have come to refer to as "Carmageddon" in equal parts humor, affection, and resignation; sirens come in the form of little known routes that suddenly pop up and promise travel time half of the more well-known routes. Alas, invariably, these routes rely on very narrow streets through densely populated areas (it's those narrow streets again), and the moment Waze recommends these routes the ensuing rush to them cause gridlock at the narrow streets. There are few worse feelings in the world than to be stuck in traffic on a narrow road and to repeatedly hear Waze chiming to inform you that your ETA has been pushed back because "traffic is building up".


PITFALL #3 : The Right Love at the Wrong Time Pitfall

Metro Manila is a very dense metropolis whose streets are particularly susceptible to periodic "rushes" of traffic. For instance, traffic on roads around schools and churches will usually get quite heavy in the thirty minutes right after classes or mass ends. There are times when Waze, with the best of intentions, recommends a route that is great at the time you start your journey, but which, unfortunately, brings you to an area that experiences the aforementioned periodic rushes just around the time that these rushes are about to be experienced. Sometimes this can be quite costly in that you are already committed to that route and have no realistic option to circumvent the problematic pocket. I think a somewhat more predictive intelligence can, and probably will, be one of the next steps in the evolution of navigation apps. To the extent that there is a predictable pattern to traffic buildup, an app like Waze ought to be be able to, and probably will, mine the data they have and proactively keep you away from a route wherein a buildup is expected at sometime along the route just as you will get to the area. But I don't think we're quite there yet.

The improvements we discussed, while definitely doable, may not be high on the priorities of Waze developers if these are not deemed to be indispensable in Waze's core markets, of which the Philippines is probably but a small part, if at all. So, it's not entirely silly when we hear people saying that with Metro Manila traffic, pati Waze nasira ang ulo.