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<div style="16px" text-align="left">tl;dr: Please, add always surface tag and other similar tags as needed.<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"><br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">I see that I answered at <br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"><a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Key:highway&diff=1844151&oldid=1843977">https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Key:highway&diff=1844151&oldid=1843977</a><br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"><br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">It is a tricky topic. Lets start from disclaimers:<br><br>(1) I am from Poland and unfamiliar with US local situation (though I am familiar with hiking)<br>(2) I was involved in one of highway=path controversies - </div><div style="16px" text-align="left">see <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/Mateusz%20Konieczny/diary/35389">https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/Mateusz%20Konieczny/diary/35389</a> <br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"><a href="https://gist.github.com/gravitystorm/ff5a6fdc695f08de1751">https://gist.github.com/gravitystorm/ff5a6fdc695f08de1751</a> <br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"><a href="https://github.com/gravitystorm/openstreetmap-carto/pull/1713">https://github.com/gravitystorm/openstreetmap-carto/pull/1713</a><br><br>Note that highway=footway is used in multiple ways. it may be used to indicate </div><div style="16px" text-align="left">(1) a paved footway<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">(2) way primarily for walking.<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"><br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">In both cases I would encourage tagging also physical characteristics - at least surface=*<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">(StreetComplete is useful here).<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"><br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">"Path and track indicate the physical characteristics of the way." - I would dispute this.<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">There are highway=track that are high-quality asphalt, there are ones that are <br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">overgrown/muddy/with deep sand. Note that tracktype=* exists. I would argue the same for<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">highway=path, though many argue that surface=unpaved may be safely assumed there.<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"><br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">"cycleway/footway/bridleway should be discouraged, and should be only used if that is <br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">the only permitted usage" - also for cases like highway=footway + bicycle=yes?<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"><br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left">Apr 19, 2019, 4:28 PM by bradhaack@fastmail.com:<br></div><blockquote class="tutanota_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid #93A3B8; padding-left: 10px; margin-left: 5px;"><div style="16px" text-align="left">Everywhere I've been in the US or Canada a dirt 'way' too narrow for
a 4 wheel vehicle is called a trail, path, or single track. For
the most part they are appropriately (IMO) tagged as path.
Unfortunately the wiki says this for highway:path (the highlighting
is mine):<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"> <br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"> <i>A non-specific path. </i><br></div><span class="colour" style="color:#cc0000"><div style="16px" text-align="left"><b>Use </b><span class="font" style="font-family:menlo,consolas,"courier new",monospace"><bdi style="white-space:nowrap"><a class="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">highway</a></bdi>=<a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:highway%3Dfootway" title="Tag:highway=footway" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><bdi>footway</bdi></a></span><b> for paths mainly for walkers, </b><span class="font" style="font-family:menlo,consolas,"courier new",monospace"><bdi style="white-space:nowrap"><a class="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">highway</a></bdi>=<a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:highway%3Dcycleway" title="Tag:highway=cycleway" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><bdi>cycleway</bdi></a></span><b> for one also usable by cyclists, </b><span class="font" style="font-family:menlo,consolas,"courier new",monospace"><bdi style="white-space:nowrap"><a class="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">highway</a></bdi>=<a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:highway%3Dbridleway" title="Tag:highway=bridleway" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><bdi>bridleway</bdi></a></span><b> for ones available to horse riders as well as walkers</b><br></div></span><div style="16px" text-align="left"><i>and </i><span class="font" style="font-family:menlo,consolas,"courier new",monospace"><bdi style="white-space:nowrap"><a class="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">highway</a></bdi>=<a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:highway%3Dtrack" title="Tag:highway=track" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><bdi>track</bdi></a></span><i> for
ones which is passable by agriculture or similar vehicles.</i><br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"> <br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"> I think it makes no sense to call a dirt path, open to more than 1
user group, anything other than a path. Since about 98% of the
trail tagging that I've seen seems to agree, Is there consensus on
this? Perhaps if the international group likes the description as
is, a clarification on the US road tagging wiki page?<br></div><div style="16px" text-align="left"> <a class="" href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/United_States_roads_tagging" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/United_States_roads_tagging</a><br></div></blockquote><div style="16px" text-align="left"><br></div> </body>
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