How To Avoid ZTL: Google Maps And Waze Compared

Waze is the best tool to avoid entering the ZTL in major cities—some suggestions to avoid the risk of infringement and avoid fines. The so-called ZTL, an abbreviation of limited traffic zones, are areas of the city within which vehicular traffic is limited, either permanently or in certain time slots. ZTLs are usually set up in historical centers, and access is allowed only to motorists in possession of a permit issued by the Municipality (for example, to residents) or by the municipal police at the request of other subjects who, out of necessity, have to pass through the gate temporarily.

The signal indicating the presence of the gate and the access control system using video cameras must be visible and positioned at least 80 meters from the entrance to the ZTL. The ordinance of the Municipality with which the ZTL was established must also be reported.

However, the ZTLs still need to be solved for motorists, especially those who often travel within cities. They need to learn better. It may happen because you are busy navigating traffic to reach the destination set in the navigator. You do not notice the signs indicating the beginning of a restricted traffic area. And after a few days, you will receive a fine, often quite steep.

Avoid ZTL With The Navigator: Better To Choose Waze

Pay attention to the navigator you use: few can manage the ZTL, indicate parking spaces near the destination, avoid the gates and provide alternative routes. Indeed, a system has not yet been implemented in Google Maps to take account of the ZTL and promptly inform the motorist. Waze not only integrates this system but also offers Pass or a mechanism that allows you to enter data on the ZTL permit possibly obtained from the local police.

Referring to the article Comparison Google Maps Waze: differences between the two navigators for comparison, it is worth noting how Google Maps only integrates a function to avoid tolls which, however, is not useful for avoiding the ZTL. Google Maps merely displays the message. This route has limited or private traffic roads (the exclamation point on a yellow background) but does not warn the user when approaching the ZTL gate at the risk of getting finished.

Although Google has owned the application since 2013, Waze still integrates some features not inherited from Maps. The effective management of the ZTL is one of them. After starting Waze, you can set your destination by touching the icon representing a magnifying glass (bottom left). Simply pressing Go, Waze will calculate the best route and show a warning message if the destination is in a restricted traffic area.

By selecting Add Pass, you can indicate to Waze that you have a ZTL Pass, which allows access to restricted traffic areas along the route (if necessary, contact the local police to obtain it). During our tests, Waze has always performed well, especially for destinations that are located in larger cities. For smaller towns, on the other hand, Waze, on some occasions, needs to take into account the ZTL in route planning, not showing any warning messages.

Therefore, it is always advisable to use the utmost attention when approaching city centers and, above all, to use Waze to take advantage of another function: the search for the closest parking lots . When setting the destination, Waze first shows the closest parking to where you intend to reach. If you have already searched for the same destination in the past, pressing them magnifying glass icon will appear in the first place with a clock icon: do not select this item in the history; otherwise, Waze will not show the nearby car parks.

Instead, conduct a new search by selecting the item that does not show a clock but the classic placeholder. In this way, you will get The most popular car park or The closest car park: by selecting one of these items or checking the View More car parks list, it will be possible to find out where you can park your car and how long it will take to reach your destination on foot. Once you have chosen the car park, start the navigation by choosing Park at the bottom right.

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