As everyday users, we develop a deep, almost instinctive understanding of our cities. We know which streets feel safe, which corners we prefer to avoid, and which areas become uncomfortable after a certain hour. Waze already offers an excellent model of community-driven navigation by allowing users to report accidents, hazards, and police presence. Extending this collaborative approach to pedestrian mobility could significantly improve people’s sense of safety during their daily walks.

SafeRoute is a proposal for a new pedestrian option that would suggest routes which are better lit, more populated, or generally perceived as safer, while avoiding places that the community reports as isolated or problematic. In this idea, users could share their experiences by marking areas that feel unsafe (for instance dark or deserted streets, suspicious situations, or past incidents) as well as places that feel secure, such as well-lit avenues or shops that stay open late. Waze could then validate and weigh these reports just as it currently does for traffic-related information.

Based on this shared knowledge, the routing engine could offer an alternative pedestrian path that prioritizes reassurance and visibility rather than simply speed. This would give users the chance to choose not only the fastest option, but also the one that makes them feel more at ease.

I have already created a simple working prototype that demonstrates this concept. It collects basic reports, estimates a safety score for the route, and then opens the navigation directly in Waze or Google Maps. You can try it here:

https://puermarius93.github.io/saferoutes/

SafeRoute is not meant to replace existing navigation apps but to enrich them with a dimension that is rarely addressed: the emotional reality of moving through a city on foot. Many people — women, students, workers returning late — would benefit from the possibility of choosing a path that feels safer, even if it takes a few extra minutes.

I would be glad to share more details about the concept, the prototype, or how such a feature could be integrated into Waze.

Thank you for your attention and for the work you already do to improve urban mobility.