WRAL.com partners with Waze to bring Triangle drivers real-time traffic

WRAL has partnered with popular social traffic app Waze to offer Triangle commuters real-time traffic information through the WRAL News app and WRAL.com.

Waze provides live traffic updates based on community reports and GPS data gathered from devices with the Waze app installed. Because the information is crowd-sourced, Waze is able to provide traffic information not only for the major thoroughfares, but also for those less-traveled roads and highways.

Users of the WRAL News app as well as WRAL.com can glean this information via an easy-to-use interactive map embedded on the traffic section of the app and website.

"The Triangle is so much more than just Raleigh and Durham; it includes communities far outside the belt lines," said John Conway, general manager of CBC New Media. "With Waze, we can provide an incredibly valuable service to those commuters that has long been missing."

The interactive map allows users to pinch and zoom on specific locations to find information about what may be causing traffic delays – from accidents to broken-down vehicles, construction and even debris on the side of the road. A specific address can also be searched if you are looking for traffic information for an area along your route.

Waze app users can submit incident reports through the Waze app, and those incidents are displayed on the Waze map embedded in the WRAL News app and on WRAL.com in near real-time.

GPS data from Waze app users helps estimate average traffic speeds and commute times.

"Most traffic maps and apps rely on a network of designated 'traffic reporters;' but with Waze, every user – those users who are actually making that drive – are the traffic reporters," said Jake Seaton, digital product manager for WRAL.com. "That is an unprecedented amount of power that benefits all drivers on the road."

Through it's partnership with Waze, WRAL is the first broadcaster in the Triangle region to offer users the ability to join its Waze Team.

By joining the WRAL Waze Team, users can share live updates, photos and reports directly with the WRAL traffic department

"We're excited about this partnership," said WRAL Traffic Anchor Brian Shrader. "Our more than 200 traffic cameras are great tools, but having human reports of what's happening on the ground will give us the best possible information to share on WRAL's Morning News."

Submitting a report is as easy as tapping the Reports icon in the Waze app, selecting the report type from the Report menu, and then tapping Send to share the report with the WRAL traffic team. The driver of a vehicle should only use the Waze app when the vehicle is not in motion; or only be used by a passenger in a vehicle.