A West Hollywood resident has organized a campaign against the so-called “Waze Craze” that is upsetting people in some residential areas by diverting commuters down residential streets.
During rush hour on Thursday Joel Becker, a resident of Ashcroft Avenue, took to the street with Joel Ring to hold up a sign asked drivers to slow down. Becker also sought signatures from residents on a petition to the West Hollywood City Council asking the city to devise “traffic calming” measures for Ashcroft, which he said are increasingly necessary because of the cars directed down that residential street by the Waze app. Such measures could include the installation of road bumps to slow traffic and make the street less desirable for motorists in a hurry.
Waze is a smartphone app owned by Google that collects the traffic patterns of its users and uses them to recommend faster ways to get from point A to point B. If one route is too crowded, Waze will recommend a less crowded one, which may well divert a driver off a commercial street and through a residential neighborhood.
Becker said Ashcroft residents have noticed an increase in cut-through traffic on their street that they attribute to Waze. “This (traffic) did not exist before that app existed,” he said. Ring, an Ashcroft neighbor, agreed, saying “I don’t feel safe during rush hour.”
Waze recently entered into a partnership with the City of Los Angeles which will share information with the app about construction, film shoots and other traffic slowing events. In exchange, Waze will provide real-time information to the city about traffic patterns and conditions. In the future, the City of Los Angeles might be able to use Waze to let its residents request street repairs and other services now submitted through its 311 system. An estimated 1.3 million Los Angeles residents use Waze.
However those who want to limit the traffic that Waze sends through their neighborhoods can sign Becker’s petition to the City Council by emailing the West Hollywood West Residents Association at [email protected]. Each block in the neighborhood would have its own traffic calming measures implemented.
Call the local police and request they take radar if people are speeding. If you don’t like traffic, here’s a hint… Don’t live in the city.
City streets are for EVERYONE. We all paid for them with our dollars. Forcing every car traveling through WeHo onto either SMB or Sunset is a recipe for DISASTER. Side streets can relieve some of the congestion and should be used MORE not LESS. If the problem is speeding, fine — what a perfect location for Deputies to fatten their ticket quotas, but making streets one-way, putting speed bumps, or doing other nasty tricks to wall off residential areas only makes driving and living in WeHo worse. BTW, as some who lives around Westbourne, in the 20 odd years few… Read more »
One only has to observe Olive Dr. between Fountain and Santa Monica in the morning. Not only are cars lined up 8 to 10 deep at Santa Monica but the cars race down the street well in excess of 25mph.
With the MELROSE Triangle Project Approved Now in Weho West get ready for even more traffic jams. Is it really the drivers fault if they are trying to get from point a to b in the most effective route? Its time to repeal the MASTER Plan and put REAL sensible zoning laws in place that cant be side stepped by council with over ridding considerations. Or using the buzz word of affordable housing with new projects to make in seem like a good idea. Affordable housing has to be put into new developments. Its The city LAW. But more mega… Read more »
@Guy….Are you opposed to safe streets? Are you the knda guy who watches videos on your iPhone in restaurants or answers the phone during a movie screening? Technology can’t judge what is right or wrong….that’s up to us to figure that out. Waze has increased the traffic on that residential street because it can. Unfortunately the end user, some humans, disregard the fact that they are cutting through a street where it’s unsafe to drive at 40 miles per hour. All that resident was trying to do was make those drivers aware that what they’re doing is dangerous and to… Read more »
I doubt Waze is the problem nor will attacking it solve your problem News for the complaining residents on Ashcroft: those aren’t your personal streets all taxpayers in weho pay for ‘your’ street if other people prefer to take Ashcroft and obey the speed/safety laws I agree w jonas f-off deal, honey !! other side streets experience traffic from time to time Plus, waze is far better than siri if uber, waze, and other apps help improve society let it happen! its the grumpity crumpity armchair dictators want to regulate *or stop* it because they don’t like change they wave… Read more »
Manny is right – the big problem isn’t so much the increased traffic but rather the recklessness involved. I see this 1st hand on my street (Phyllis) which is one way (into Doheny). When Cynthia gets backed up in the PM, some drivers come up, turn illegally right, then, realizing they are breaking the law actually speed up in order to get past their offense – which of course makes what they are doing even more illegal. (Don’t get me started on people who decide it’s legal to drive in reverse the wrong way. And of course not using their… Read more »
Chris & Manny: Agreed. In this technological age of immediacy, folks seem to have lost a consciousness that despite the Internet, actual human beings cannot move at warp speed. Illegal turns, no stopping at signs, disregarding signs, disregarding speed limits and their own personal safety continue to exacerbate the issue all the while talking and texting. Among other offenses it is a fast track to a heart attack from the stress and/or unforeseen vehicular tragedy. Better personal time management and police watching for and issuing citations seem a logical common sense answer. Remember the motorcycle cop hiding behind the bushes… Read more »
BREAKING NEWS TO JONAS!…..it is illegal to drive recklessly above the speed limit posted on residential streets. (which is typical of what cut-through drivers do)
News flash! It’s not illegal to drive down a residential street. Don’t like it? Move out.
Spike Strips everywhere will make West Hollywood an exclusive walk city. We can be a 1.9 square mile High Line. Those residents anxious to attend the Levitation Clinic may sign up below.
Alison, you say “We have to take back control of our streets” but you also say “West Hollywood West residents seem to think they are special”…..Why?….because they want to take back control of their streets?
Oy vey Alison!!!
I’ve noticed the same thing Alison (they are south of my Norma Triangle neighborhood, equally highend these days, much more mellow. They have a lot of new residents who moved (many work close by on Robertson or at Cedars or similar) and are shocked to learn they live in an urban center. Lauren Meister is their creation, and the rest of WeHo has to live with the consequences (D’Amico also lives there).
West Hollywood West residents seem to think they are special. Every single residential street gets cut through traffic that speeds. We can’t put traffic calming measures on every street that is residential. We just need the Sheriff’s Department to start enforcing the laws. We need more Deputies on the streets, actually writing tickets. No excuses. No bowing to complaints about tickets. We have to take back control of our streets.