Farm tracks and roads through fields
Accessible to everyone: Level L1
These rules apply to all editors.
Note
Agreement approved by the Swiss community (DE: Feldwege, FR: Routes à travers champs / chemins agricoles).
Waze is above all an application for motorists. It is not an off-road GPS, nor a tool for hikers or cyclists. Public drivable roads remain the main priority of mapping.
Road types and attributes
| WME type | Penalty | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Street | None | Normal, accessible road |
| Street + Unpaved attribute | Slight: the user can choose to avoid it | Dirt track accessible to normal vehicles |
| Private Road | Strong: routing impossible except in special cases | Private track closed to normal traffic |
| Dirt Road / 4x4 Trail (Off-road) | Very strong: routing impossible | 4x4 track, road impassable for normal cars |
"Unpaved" attribute
The Unpaved attribute is designed to work only on types with no base penalty.
✅ Usable on: Street, Primary Street, Minor/Major Highway, Freeway ❌ Useless on: Parking Lot Road, Private Road, Narrow Street, Off-road
Scenarios
Case 1: Dirt track with a prohibition sign (except certain vehicles)
Two acceptable options:
- Street + Unpaved: the user can decide via the app settings whether to take this track
- Off-road / Not maintained: avoids routing in 99% of cases, even for users who accept unpaved tracks
Case 2: Small paved road with a prohibition sign (except certain vehicles)
→ Private Road
Case 3: Small paved road without a prohibition sign
Two acceptable options:
- Street: users who have the legal right to pass can be routed there
- Narrow Street: preferred for single-lane passages, allows more flexibility in routing
About the Unpaved attribute
The Unpaved attribute adds to any Street and adds a penalty that the user can choose to avoid or not. Applied to a segment that already carries a type penalty (Private Road, Off-road), it has no effect.
Sources
- Waze Discuss, Field Roads / Feldwege / Routes à travers champs (2017): https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/field-roads-feldwege-routes-a-travers-champs-new-2017/64680