The National Works Agency (NWA) has officially partnered with Google for use of its Waze mobile application. The use of the application is expected to provide motorists with real-time, verified traffic and road works updates. This partnership is designed to assist commuters in efficiently planning their daily routes, particularly during peak hours.
Waze Mobile Limited is a subsidiary of Google LLC through which its global navigational platform will be utilised locally.
Manager of Communication and Customer Services at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, says that the partnership significantly strengthens the NWA’s public communication capabilities by delivering vetted, accurate information directly to road users while combatting unverified traffic reports.
Mr. Shaw explains that with schools now reopened, peak-hour traffic volumes have increased substantially along major corridors and in urban centers. Through the Waze application, motorists will be provided with available live traffic data and recommended detour routes to avoid localized bottlenecks and reduce overall commute times.
He says that under this partnership, the NWA will feed official operational data into the Waze platform, regarding planned road closures, traffic diversions, active construction zones, traffic signal disruptions, and emergency road hazards.
Mr. Shaw says that the NWA remains committed to leveraging modern technology in order to improve safety and efficiency across Jamaica’s main road network.
