MDM routing policy

Emergency mode lets a blue-light driver route against signed turn restrictions and posted weight limits. Both exemptions are on by default, and normally belong to the crew on the device.

A service that has decided its crews may not use one of them can fix it centrally. Two configuration keys do that, and unlike the vehicle profile keys, they are policy: re-applied on every app launch, and the matching switch in Driving options is locked.

The two keys

Key (Android)	Type	What true does
respect_turn_restrictions	boolean	Emergency routing obeys signed turn restrictions: no right turn, no U-turn, only straight on and so on.
respect_weight_restrictions	boolean	Emergency routing obeys posted weight limits instead of taking the blanket exemption.

Leave a key unset to leave that setting with the crew. Unset is the normal state, and it does not mean the same thing as false.

Value	Effect	Crew can change it
true	Exemption off. The app routes as a car would for that rule.	No
false	Exemption on, pinned, so a crew cannot switch it off either.	No
(unset)	Exemption on by default; the crew decides	Yes

These change how vehicles are routed

Setting respect_turn_restrictions to true means a crew under blue lights will be routed the long way round rather than against a no-right-turn, even where they are legally permitted to make that turn. That is the intended effect for a service which has made that decision, but it will lengthen some response routes. Agree it with your operational lead before rolling it out.

How they differ from the vehicle profile keys

	Vehicle profile keys	Routing policy keys
Applied	First install only	Every launch
Changing the policy later	No effect on existing users	Takes effect on the next app start
Crew can change it afterwards	Yes	No. The switch is locked.
Key left unset	Built-in default used	Setting stays with the crew

A service that has taken an exemption away needs that decision to survive a tap, a reinstall and a change in the console. That is why these keys are treated differently.

What a crew sees

A fixed option still appears in Driving options, still showing its real value, but greyed out and marked Set by your organisation. Crews need to see how the app is set before they can judge the route it gives them, so a fixed option is never hidden.

Platform key names

The keys follow each platform’s own convention, as the subscription ID already does. A cross-platform profile maps them per platform.

Platform	Configuration channel	Turn restrictions	Weight limits
Android	Managed configuration (Intune, Play EMM)	respect_turn_restrictions	respect_weight_restrictions
iOS	Managed app config (Intune, Jamf, Kandji, ABM)	respectTurnRestrictions	respectWeightRestrictions
Windows	Registry HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\BlueLightMaps	RespectTurnRestrictions	RespectWeightRestrictions

On Windows the value may be a REG_DWORD (1/0) or a REG_SZ (true/false). On iOS it may be a boolean, a number or a string, because consoles differ in how they author a profile.

If the app cannot interpret a value it treats the key as unset. The setting stays with the crew and nothing is locked.

What these keys do not change

Setting respect_turn_restrictions changes turn restrictions and nothing else. These remain available to emergency routing either way:

• Bus gates, bus lanes and bus-only roads, including contraflow running
• Emergency access ways and pedestrianised streets
• Private and access-restricted roads
• Emergency gates
• The response speed profiles
• The weight exemption, which has its own key

Likewise respect_weight_restrictions changes posted weight limits only. Physical height and width limits are never overridden by any profile, in any mode, and neither key affects them.

Known exceptions to policy can be set

OpenStreetMap records exemptions on a turn restriction with an except tag, for example a no-right-turn tagged except=bus;emergency. With respect_turn_restrictions set, emergency routing still takes the turns that have been explicitly exempted for emergency vehicles or buses. This allows cases where a restricted turn into a bus gate, which service policy permits, is still used in emergency mode.

This needs maps built after September 2026, and map data to be verified or amended by the BLM team.

Example

{
  "subscriptionID": "your-subscription-id",
  "respect_turn_restrictions": true,
  "respect_weight_restrictions": false
}

Crews obey signed turn restrictions, keep the weight exemption, and can change neither. Both switches still appear in Driving options showing their real state, marked Set by your organisation.