Town asks Waze to stop sending traffic to its residential roads

2 min readUpdated May 30, 2025May 26, 20236:07 AM

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Crowd-sourced navigation app Waze has been asked by authorities in Southern Shores, North Carolina to stop sending traffic through residential streets which it does to help users avoid bumper-to-bumper traffic on the main roads. The problem with doing this is that it leaves the local, residential roads overcrowded. In these quiet neighborhoods, the additional traffic causes pollution, and noise, and can lead to accidents.

While the officials in Southern Shores, North Carolina tried to find a solution including closing some roads, this led to drivers getting stuck on some other streets which caused major congestion. But the local council in Southern Shores feels that it has taken back control by passing a resolution that asks Waze to stop directing traffic to residential streets by removing these streets from the Waze routing system. This would essentially keep traffic on the main roads.

Elizabeth Morey, the mayor of Southern Shores, had a Zoom meeting with two Waze employees and they agreed to make the changes once the aforementioned resolution is adopted. While all of the details are unknown, Waze has agreed to stop drivers from “seeing where it’s faster to go through town streets.” This will probably lead Waze to remove residential areas from its routing models leading drivers to stay on the main roads. This could lead to more traffic congestion as cars would stay on the same road.

Mayor Morey also says that transitioning to residential streets does not make driving any faster although she did not cite any data that would prove this statement. The report suggests that the mayor was pointing out that the speed limits on residential streets are typically lower than the ones allowed on major roads. As a result, drivers usually are forced to drive slower on residential streets.

While the resolution in Southern Shores, North Carolina appears to focus on Waze, it is unclear whether it will eventually be amended to include other navigation apps such as Google Maps and Apple Maps.

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Questions & Answers

Why does Waze direct traffic onto residential streets in Southern Shores?

Waze directs traffic through residential streets to help its users avoid bumper-to-bumper congestion on the main roads. This is done to find what the app perceives as a faster route for drivers.

What problems have arisen from Waze directing traffic through residential areas?

The additional traffic in quiet neighbourhoods causes pollution, noise, and can potentially lead to accidents. It leaves local residential roads overcrowded, despite attempts to manage it with road closures.

How did Southern Shores address the issue of Waze routing through residential areas?

The local council passed a resolution asking Waze to stop directing traffic to residential streets by removing these from its routing system. The mayor also met with Waze employees to discuss the changes.

Will Waze's agreement to change its routing apply to other navigation apps too?

The article states that the resolution specifically focuses on Waze. It is currently unclear whether the resolution will eventually be amended to include other navigation apps like Google Maps or Apple Maps.