Leonia, New Jersey made it illegal for non-residents to drive on 60 public roads in an effort to stop Waze users from cutting through their community.
Waze and other navigation applications were sending lots of commuters through the New Jersey town of Leonia, creating previously uncommon congestion for the town so, "… it shut off 60 of its public roads during rush hour to non-local drivers," John Surico reports for CityLab.
The policy did calm traffic in the streets, but some worry the city went too far. Small businesses complain about losing customers, parents who take their children to school in the city say they get stopped, and residents complain about the hassle of trying to host out of town visitors in a city where out-of-town cars are not allowed. Still, the new traffic law has accomplished its goal. "Many residents said the ordinance’s most passionate proponents were young parents, who had felt that the town’s roads had become unsafe thanks to the extra traffic," Surico writes.
There may be other strategies to deal with traffic applications diverting drivers. Some towns restrict traffic during rush hours or have instituted restrictions on certain right turns.
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