LA And Traffic App Waze Announce Partnership
A new partnership between the city of Los Angeles and the mobile application Waze was formally announced Tuesday by Mayor Eric Garcetti, who believes this collaboration could cut down traffic time in the city.
The announcement came after the mayor hinted at the partnership during his State of the City address a week earlier.
The application allows for users to submit real-time data that helps others see traffic jams and other roadway obstructions, including filming locations for movies or TV shows along with road closures. According to Mayor Garcetti, 1.3 million people in already use the app in L.A., but with today's announcement, more are expected to join.
Waze is currently partnered with 30 cities across the world. Los Angeles is the second largest city the app has a contract with and the largest within the United States.
Di-Ann Eisnor, the head of global expansion for Waze, said as the app continues to develop, more features will become available. During the press conference, she cited other cities that have used the app for infrastructure improvements.
Even with the excitement surrounding the partnership, some are skeptical about the app's functionality. Waze user Kevin Spillman noted that sometimes the app would reroute him to roads that were either not accessible or didn't exist.
The application is expected to expand its functionality soon, though. Mayor Garcetti also announced today that in the near future, Waze would be available as a tool for promoting amber alerts and reporting hit-and-runs.