Waze called out for directing drivers onto closed roads in parks

The Royal Parks have publicly contacted popular navigation app Waze to stop them from directing motorists down closed roads in parks.

The charity, which looks after London's eight Royal Parks, Tweeted Waze on Saturday morning stating they "would like to talk to someone about several of the reasons you [sic] we'd prefer you not directing drivers down closed roads in a park, what's the best way to reach you please?"

The Tweet was accompanied by a screengrab that showed a route directing drivers through Richmond Park, which is a renowned hotspot for cyclists in the English capital. 

After stating initially that they would look into the matter, Waze then admitted their error citing 'a temporary glitch' after The Royal Parks posted a second example of the incorrect routing:

The Tweets caused concern with many social media users however, who criticised both Waze and The Royal Parks themselves for not doing more to alleviate the problem.

The Department of Parks & Recreation told The Royal Parks: "We welcome your engagement with routing providers, although we think you should tell the providers not to route through the park at all."

Merton Cycling Campaign also felt the charity were not entirely blameless: "You're enabling this. You own the problem. Just close the gates to through traffic as responsible stewardship of a national nature reserve during a climate emergency requires."

Calls for The Royal Parks to close the gates to Richmond Park were repeated by several further users, while 'Marty Velo' asked the question "why have you guys not tried to get in touch with them since the app was released years ago? It's a bit late now isn't it? The parks are overrun with dangerous ratrunning drivers."

And a 'Madeleine Baines' also noted Google maps were guilty of the problem:

Have you experienced similar issues with your local park? Let us know in the comments section below.