Google Maps is displaying incorrect information for the recently-reopened road network around Westbard Avenue in Bethesda. The website shows a traffic signal at the intersection of Westbard Avenue and Ridgefield Road, which reopened last Friday, December 1, 2023. There is no traffic signal at that intersection, only stop signs. But that's not all that's wrong.
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| Note shown by Google Maps incorrectly labeling a block of Ridgefield Road as "Closed" |
Even more strangely, the "Traffic" layer of Google Maps is showing the block of Ridgefield Road between Newington Road and Westbard Avenue as "Closed until Jan. 19, 2024." This is also - obviously - incorrect, as the road has been open for three days now. I'm curious where Google is retrieving this data from. Up until today, I assumed that information about planned road closures was retrieved from official government feeds that announce such information - the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, in this case.
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| Despite Google Maps' claims, there is no traffic signal at this intersection |
The rest of the traffic information for the Westbard area appears to be correct, including the recently opened "Brookside Drive" block between River Road and Westbard Avenue. I checked with a user of the Waze navigation app, who reported back that Waze was displaying accurate information about the Westbard area as of last night, so it appears to be a Google issue.
Alternative Facts! Love it! The new reality! Everyone is right, nobody is wrong! What could go wrong, or right? Thanks Robert for my morning irony chuckle! Our area is particularly a ripe environment!
ReplyDeleteWho cares
ReplyDeleteA light at Westbard and Ridgefield actually makes some sense as it slows people down who are flying through residential neighborhoods. I’m not sure why having a light on the main artery makes sense, nor why having a left turn signal into a neighborhood is helpful.
ReplyDeleteYou can just report the change/error and google will update.
ReplyDelete@5:28 - Glad you had your morning chuckle, but don't place the blame on "our area". This type of error is rampant with Google and their mapping process nationwide. Having a snarky attitude to your community is not funny.
ReplyDeleteI believe the first poster was referring to the new acceptance of alternative facts versus real facts. Not whether Google erred. Like many knee jerk responses, it pays to stick with "the call of issue." This is another reason nothing gets addressed and fixed lately. It pays to pay attention.
DeleteYou're just delaying the people trying to deliver items in your neighborhood, requiring them to spend more time and gas to use some other road. Stop it.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the new traffic signal is only necessary for pedestrians. Children need a way to cross the street there.
ReplyDeleteThe new traffic signal should be flashing yellow for traffic moving along the new road, and flashing red for cars approaching the new road from the neighborhood.
It should only turn solid red when a pedestrian activates the signal by pressing the pedestrian button.
This is how the signal further down Westbard Avenue functions, at the bus stop between the Giant and Mass Ave.
Waze has been owned by Google for 10+ years.
ReplyDeleteThe new traffic light really backs up traffic that is leaving the shopping center, creating a dangerous situation as cars are trying to turn left into the shopping center across two lanes and people are trying to go left out of the shopping center as well. Additionally, the light at "Brooskide" and River Road is way too short - adding to then numerous issues with this new traffic light - by creating even more of a hazard/danger for drivers trying to leave the shopping center when the light at Westbard and Brookside backs up - it should not be there - a full blown traffic light is completely unnecessary in that spot. Im not sure why they don't wait to activate - unless Regency would prefer less traffic on the street until they finish construction and are trying to make it difficult to use the road - the county and that state should be all over this situation.
ReplyDeleteOK Boomer... hit "report issue" and stop complaining like it some grand conspiracy. All navigation services are only as good as fast as the people that report changes to the roads.
ReplyDeletePerhaps even funnier - Google Maps (plain, not Satellite View, viewed at close range) is showing the new alignment of Westbard Avenue - but blocked by that building on River Road that was torn down last year.
ReplyDelete10:16AM, how would pedestrians cross that busy street without a signal? Seems dangerous to me.
ReplyDeleteEasy - you have a pedestrian traffic light that flashes when a pedestrian is present as someone else
DeleteCommented OR - WOW shocking you have pedestrians walk up a ways to one of the other 6000
Lights that will be on the road to
Cross once all the construction is done - there is nothing in the area for them to cross to in the meantime
I have found that Google Maps is pretty good at correcting errors once they are reported.
ReplyDelete8:22, a pedestrian traffic light makes perfect sense, and I hope MCDOT will reconfigure the light to work that way.
ReplyDeleteIf there were no signal here at all, pedestrians would just cross here anyways, and someone would end up getting hurt. It's a moot point, anyways. It's been built, and it's not getting torn down or mothballed.