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Hi,<br>
<br>
<tt style="background-color:#e0e0f0; white-space:pre;" dir="ltr"><a
href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:noexit"
title="Key:noexit">noexit</a>=yes</tt>, apparently corresponding
to <a
href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Road_signs_in_Belgium#F45">this
dead end signal,</a>
is said to be used "at the end of a <tt
style="background-color:#e0e0f0; white-space:pre;" dir="ltr"><a
href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:highway"
title="Key:highway">highway</a>=*</tt> to indicate that there no
possibility to travel further by any transport mode along a formal
path or route". But:<br>
<ul>
<li>it's very unclear what "at the end of" means. Which? According
to the icons (only):</li>
<ul>
<li>on a way? (50% usage) then on which end of it is the dead
end?</li>
<li>on a node? seems more sensible, but how determine towards
which way of several connected there?<br>
</li>
</ul>
<li>"This tag is mainly useful where a road or path ends close to
another way but where it isn't possible to get through due to a
barrier or other obstruction which may otherwise look like a
mistake for a connection to the nearby road. It helps other
mappers and quality-check programs to understand the situation
correctly." ???</li>
<li>"This tag should not be used where the way is only it is a
dead-end for one transport mode, but where other modes can
continue." ??? ???</li>
</ul>
<p>The main question is: <b>is it an access restriction</b>?
Knowing if it is an access restriction is of course uttermost
important for the Number One OSM application to work: routing
programs like on GPS: a program using an algorithm cannot accept a
vague definition. If one thing must be said clearly, it is that.<br>
<br>
The article suggests it is, throwing in a reference to <a
href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_tags_for_routing/Access-Restrictions"
title="OSM tags for routing/Access-Restrictions">Access-Restrictions</a>
which in turn refers to <a
href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:access"
title="Key:access">Key:access</a>, but all that without a single
word of it. <br>
"mainly useful..." and "it helps other mappers..." suggest it is
not.<br>
</p>
Routing-wise, that tag seems perfectly useless, because the much
less ambiguous, better way to indicate no passing from one way to
another is simply not to connect them, or, in case of vehicle
distinction, to connect them with a tiny bit of segment on which the
access restriction applies the normal way.<br>
<br>
<a
href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=50.5329&mlon=5.5619&way=154977461#map=16/50.5329/5.5619">The
only one I ever noticed is here</a>. As you can see, it does not
indicate which end. It seems the odds are in the west, but there is
absolutely no access-restriction there. When coming from the
north-west or the Rue de l'Athénée, I've seen a router leaving the
main road and taking onto that way. Go figure!<br>
<br>
It looks from discussions that this tag is really confusing people
regarding the restriction meaning. I have read that such a vague
definition "is used for routing". Now you figure. !!!<br>
<br>
I doubt very much that this tags helps anybody or any quality-check
program to understand anything. A note should suffice, and I think
the best option would be to remove that confusing tag.<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
<br>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>André.</td>
</tr>
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<br>
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