[OSM-newbies] Proper use of "bicycle = no" tag

[Mike Harris]

Could the "designation=" key help here?

Physical OK, legally designated: bicycle=yes;
designation=(bridleway/cycleway/byway/... according to local jurisdiction -
but anyway something to indicate higher rights than just on foot)
Physical OK, not legally designated or forbidden: bicycle=yes.
Physical OK, legally banned: bicycle=no; designation=footpath (for example
in England this means no bicycles unless specifically permitted by
exception).
Physical problem, not legally designated or forbidden: bicycle=no.
Physical problem, legally banned: bicycle=no; designation=footpath, etc.

Just a thought ... I find the designation= key extremely useful to add
information regarding legal rights as opposed to information regarding
physical state.

Mike Harris
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Isaac Wingfield [mailto:isw at witzend.com] 
> Sent: 04 November 2009 04:00
> To: newbies at openstreetmap.org
> Subject: [OSM-newbies] Proper use of "bicycle = no" tag
> 
> I came across a place today where there was effectively a 
> "sidewalk" (paved, smooth, wide enough for two-way traffic) 
> about a hundred feet long, connecting two dead-end streets. 
> There was a sign at the end saying "NO Bicycles. NO 
> Skateboards, ..." basically forbidding everything that has wheels.
> 
> It occurred to me that there could be two entirely different 
> reasons for using the tag "Bicycle = no"; first, because of 
> the condition of the surface, or its slope, or something else 
> physical, that would just make it impossible to ride a bike 
> on it, or second, that although the surface would be fine for 
> bike riding, it is forbidden by a sign.
> 
> So the question is, does that one tag "bicycle = no" apply to 
> both of those cases, or is there a proper tag for the way 
> that would make the difference clear?
> 
> Isaac
> 
> 
>