[OSM-newbies] copy and paste motorway

[Richard Fairhurst]

David Groom wrote:

> 1) First select the way you want to copy
> 2) Then "zoom the view to the selection" - keystroke 3
> 3) Then edit > Copy
> 4) Then edit > Paste
> At this stage the new way will be exactly on top of the old way  
> with the new way currently selected
> 5) drag the new way to where to want it to be.

I should point out

<mandy rice-davies>
(well, I would, wouldn't I)
</mandy rice-davies>

that using Potlatch's parallel ways feature will produce much better  
(read: usable) results for a way with any curvature. Where the way  
curves, the new "parallel" way will have greater/smaller radius  
accordingly: a copied-and-pasted way would have the same radius.

It looks like this is a long-standing feature request in JOSM:

http://josm.openstreetmap.de/ticket/67
http://josm.openstreetmap.de/ticket/199
http://josm.openstreetmap.de/ticket/586
etc.

and, of course, the JOSM dudes are free to copy/translate the  
Potlatch code as they like, because it's PD (cross-posts to legal- 
talk, ducks and runs away very fast).

cheers
Richard