Moving around the M-30 can be a challenge, since it is one of the most complex tunnel systems in Europe. And, until today, entering its tunnels also meant disconnecting the precision of the GPS: losing the signal or not being clear about what exit to take. From now on, that will no longer be a problem.
In collaboration with the City of Madrid and Madrid Calle 30, we are deploying with Waze a system of 2,700 Bluetooth beacons (1600 of them in the tunnels of the M-30). Thanks to this network, drivers will be able to have precise navigation even underground, where they have GPS signal sometimes complex. This effort is now possible with the help of Waze, as well as with the participation of ImaSapi, a company in charge of supply and installation.
What does they mean for those who drive in Madrid
Every day, more than half a million drivers circulate through the M-30 tunnels. From now on, when they enter with Waze or Google Maps active and with the indications of the route, its smartphones will automatically detect the signal of these beacons and show the exact route within the underground network. The result: a safe, guided and reliable navigation, even in one of the most complex tunnel systems in Europe.
How it works
Las Waze beacons They are low consumption devices that work with batteries and emit a constant and unidirectional Bluetooth signal. This allows the application to provide the drivers accurate information so that they can “navigate” and move along one of the most busy roads in the city without fear of getting lost, with the security and peace of mind of being assisted at all times by a robust guided system.
By having a precise location in the tunnel, the collaborative nature of our modern navigation applications, such as Waze and Google Maps, can be extended underground, where drivers can send and receive real -time updates on traffic conditions or hazards on the road. At the time a driver enters a tunnel, the smartphone bluetooth receiver detects the signal and activates guided navigation, precisely calculating the user’s position, since the beacons emit a bluetooth radio signal that identifies each of them.
To enjoy these novelties and facilities, applications users Waze or Google Maps (available on Android and iOS)they will have to enable Bluetooth and grant applications permission to use beacons when they drive.
A pioneer collaboration
With this initiative, Madrid thus becomes the European city with the largest network of active beacons and in the second in the world, after Sydney. This milestone has been possible thanks to the sum of efforts from the dedication of our Google and Waze teams to engineering and deployment in tunnels of Madrid Calle 30 and ImaSapi
For Waze engineers, implementing the beacon system in a network of tunnels as extensive as the M-30 was a real challenge. The M-30 is one of the most complex tunnel systems in Europe, with 22 entrances and 24 outputs, and with complex segments such as the section that goes from the Prague bridge to the Toledo bridge, which consists of two parallel but superimposed tunnels.
The only European tunnel system comparable to the M-30 in terms of volume of drivers, although less extensive, is that of Paris, which includes the tunnels of the Défense and the tunnel network around the Périphérique, which are also equipped with WAZE beacons. New York City also uses Waze beacons in important tunnels such as the Lincoln tunnel (2.4 kilometers under the Hudson River), the Holland tunnel (two twin tunnels of 2.6 kilometers also under the Hudson), the Queens-Midtown tunnel (1.9 kilometers under the East River) and the Hugh L. Carey tunnel 2.8 kilometers that connect with Manhattan under the East River).
The future of connected mobility
Our mission is to help moving around the city is simpler and safer. With this project, we take another step in the innovation of urban mobility, carrying the advantages of collaborative navigation to places where until now it seemed impossible.
With this beacon network, get lost in the M-30 tunnels ceases to be an option. Madrid is at the forefront of digital mobility in Europe and we, in Google and Waze, we are proud to be part of this path.
