In the last couple of weeks, Waze has changed my daily route choices coming home from work. My most popular route no longer appears anymore (Downtown Houston via Hardy Toll Road to Beltway 8). It is gone now and was by far the fastest route. Now it always has I45 HOV choice (to Beltway 8) first, which is then followed by I45 (non HOV) to Beltway 8, with 290 as my third choice (can you say “Hades here I come?”) I NEVER saw the HOV option before a few weeks ago and took it the first couple of times thinking there were issues with the Hardy Toll Road. However, that is not the case and I spent $5 TWICE needlessly on I45 HOV watching I45 regular lanes keeping same speed (and dreaming about Hardy Toll Road!) However, since my first two mistakes of listening to Waze needlessly, even when I change to the second choice of I45 without HOV, it often changes back and I have to ignore it! How can I turn off HOV options (which Houston HOV lanes have a million different rules based on HOV/HOT lanes, time frames, etc.) without turning off the Toll Road feature altogether (Houston has many toll roads apart from HOV tolls). I never had a problem before and don’t understand why my best route no longer appears and I am stuck bypassing the #1 Waze choice with the HOV feature I do not want to use. Thanks for anyone out there having similar issues in Houston!
Waze does not officially support HOV lanes at this time… I’m going to move your post to the Texas forum to get you some local help because this sounds like an issue with the map itself…
I’m having the same issue. Every time I try to use navigation that includes a freeway, Waze is suggesting the HOV lanes. I do not use them and don’t want them to appear as a routing option. All my normal routes have been replaced and it’s very frustrating.
Made some changes, let’s see if they help.
The past week or so has been noticeably worse with Waze routing me to HOV lanes on I-45 North from BW8 going north. This has been 5:30 to 6:00 and HOV is not an option for me as a single occupant. At least it now says HOV in the pull down text directions but I really don’t like having to read that while driving, after selecting that route out of the 3 possibilities from the map view.
Waze will always try and direct you along the fastest route. The app currently has no way of knowing if you qualify for the HOV lane so until they provide this option, you will have to check the routes and choose the one that is valid for you at that time.
Until they do have a way of knowing whether you qualify for HOV lanes (say, by user input when routing), then HOV lanes should not be directed to by default. As it is, Waze always directs me to HOV lanes, and today switched me to an HOV-route mid-commute, when I specifically chose a different route at the beginning. Thankfully I hadn’t entered the freeway yet, so I could check at a red light and switch routes [i]again[/i], but the way it’s set up now, it actually wastes time at best and endangers safety at worst.
Can you provide some more details on where your route started/ended? There is no entrance to the HOV going northbound from BW8.
Here’s one example. I-30 eastbound where the HOV starts in Arlington near the Cooper St exit. I wasn’t being directed to take it until a few weeks ago. I believe these lanes are being converted into eventually toll lanes.
I’m having the same issue too… not always but typically, I’m driving south on 45 past 99 and around the Cypresswood area, and Waze gives me the chimes for an updated route that includes the HOV lane. It takes my eyes off the road to have to force an updated route that doesn’t include it, because once I’m past the HOV lane entrance, Waze has no way of knowing which lane I’m actually in.
It happened for me this morning a little after 8. I tried putting in a “turn not allowed” report, but it doesn’t appear on my map now, and I have received no reply about it.
Because HOV access for solitary drivers is technically a tollway, shouldn’t it follow my settings as such? And if I exclude toll roads, can’t it exclude the HOV lane as well?
I realize that won’t resolve the OP’s issue because she wants to take the Hardy, but it might cut down on sending people onto the HOV lane who have no business there.
No, setting HOVs as tolls if it’s not a toll is not our procedures at this time, unless it’s a HOT lane. Waze is working hard to fully incorporate proper HOV routing. Submitting a ‘turn not allowed’ map issue is okay but not really that helpful in this situation, especially if you didn’t leave any details (maybe you did though).
Also, we have only a few dozen active editors in the state and many thousands of map issues to sift through so you will not receive an immediate reply to any map issue you submit.
Thank you for the information.
The I-45 HOV lane used to be classed as “Parking Lot” road in order to prevent you being directed onto it. The downside was that you had to decide if you were going to use it and take a chance it would be faster. Once on it Waze did ok.
Now, it appears the HOV lane has been classified as “Freeway”, which of course means it will be used in routing. The On-ramps have timing restrictions to regulate directional flow.
Problem is that there is no way to mark it as HOV since the option does not exist yet, and the “Toll Road” marker has not been set so you cannot avoid the HOV lane by using “Avoid Tolls” in your settings.
Short term answer is to set the whole HOV lane as “Toll Road”.
We need “HOV Lane” marker for the roads, and “Avoid HOV” in settings if you are not HOV worthy.
Does anyone know how long it will be before we have functioning HOV lane options??
Changes to the HOV system within the editor and app are possibly coming soon! Stay tuned.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk; please disregard any typos.
45S - About twice a month during my route, I get the direction to exit the highway and prepare to enter the HOV lane. (I have the option set to avoid tolls) It definitely causes a headache seeing how I do NOT want to take HOV. I found the easiest fix is to get in the far right lane of the highway, stop the route, and the restart it. A few times doing this will fix the route