When you are already running late, construction and traffic are not your best friends. Because of this, over 100 million drivers use WAZE, a community-based traffic and navigation mobile app that informs drivers of unexpected delays.
The City of Plano is partnering with the WAZE app to keep the community up to date on the latest road closures and how to navigate around any traffic congestion. Users of WAZE are notified with alerts from the app that warn them of unforeseen delays and then provides alternate routes to their destination in a timely manner.
According to the City of Plano press release, Plano has been a member of WAZE Connected Citizen Program since summer of 2017. The Connected Citizen Program is a program created by WAZE to work with local governments to collect helpful data for driving. Some of the data collected includes road closures, speed limits, locations of parking lots and traffic accidents.
As a way to thank local governments for providing timely data, WAZE shares crowdsourced data to the local authorities. “We are learning how to use this data to improve travel for drivers,” Steve Stoler, City of Plano director of media relations, stated in a press release. “We believe using this crowdsourced data will aid us in improving mobility in Plano.”
The partnership with WAZE is the City’s latest Smart City initiative. Smart Cities are urban areas that use an array of technology to electronically collect information to manage community services, from transportation to finding lost pets. Through the partnership with WAZE, the city is more equipped to moderate and ease transportation through the city. These Smart City initiatives not only enhance the quality of services, but they also have the ability to reduce costs.
