UPDATED 18:46 EDT / AUGUST 11 2016

NEWS

Waze partners with marathons and other events to route you around road closures

Popular Google-owned traffic app Waze is about to get a lot smarter when it comes to major events that close off busy streets. Today, Waze announced its new Global Event Partner Program, which will allow event planners to submit road closure data in advance so you do not suddenly find yourself waiting for a three-hour parade to pass by.

According to Waze, the new program will kick off with 20 event partners around the world, including the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, which comprises 30 marathon events across the globe, and The E15 Group’s sports partners, which include the Atlanta Falcons , Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Washington Nationals, and Atlanta Hawks.

The Waze Global Event Partner Program is free to join, and any event organizers can apply for the program online.

“Waze believes communities can outsmart traffic together,” the Waze team said in a blog post. “More than 65 million monthly active Wazers worldwide provide critical insights about real-time conditions through the app, and we believe that we should give back to this community of drivers whenever we can.”

“By making the program free, we’ve removed cost as a barrier for participating and are providing partners of all size and scale with our comprehensive knowledge and tools to improve their overall event experience.”

If Waze’s new program gets enough event organizerss to sign up, it could give Waze a serious edge over other traffic apps, which often rely on real-time traffic data rather than predicting slowdowns, especially those caused by special events.

“The Program can help extend your great experiences to include the roads and parking lots surrounding your events,” Waze tells event organizers. “Together with Waze, you can optimize traffic flow to get attendees into venues or to events more quickly, yielding happier fans and potentially greater revenue from concessions, meet-and-greets, souvenirs, and more.”

Image courtesy of Waze

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