[OSM-newbies] How to map routes

[Germán Buela]

Hi guys,
Two questions:
1) Is OSM a good platform for building a public transport database
which will eventually tell you how to go from A to B? Can you browse
transport services in a town, and see the route for any line you
choose, or any lines that go through a certain neighbourhood /
area...? Are the site developers aiming to have this kind of
functionality? (that was more than 1 question... )
2) I've been trying to create some routes for my town in Potlatch,
Play mode, but couldn't make that work. The instructions here (step by
step guide): http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Relations/Routes
don't seem to work, see my comments here:

   1.  Create each segment of the route and tag them as appropriate.
   2. Select one segment and click on the second symbol on the right
side, which looks like two chain segments.
-----> Can't select segments individually! Therefore I can't tag them
individually, nor complete step 2. I clicked on the icon after
creating the route as a series of segments connected by nodes, but
it's now an indivisible unit.
   3. "Create a new relation" should be selected; click "Add".
-----> I click on Add and the popup goes away...
   4. Type in the word "route" and click "ok".
-----> Where? The popup just went away, I'm on the map again. I'm
pretty much stuck here, and the next steps don't apply. Where did I
get it wrong? Thanks...!

   5. Add aditional tags as needed.
   6. Now there is a additional field which looks different from the
other key/value input fields. This field describes the "role" of the
way. Eg. bicycle/foot/bus.
   7. Select one of the other segments and click on the "chain
link"-symbol. Do not select "Create a new relation", but instead,
select your created relation in the dropdown menu. This should be the
one with the highest number in the list. Click "Add" to add the way to
the selected relation.
   8. Repeat for every other segment.