[OSM-newbies] Questions about adding cycling paths in Moscow

[Alex Mauer]

On 09/11/2009 10:53 AM, Someoneelse wrote:
> Alex Mauer wrote:
>> ... I would avoid highway=cycleway, as it is
>> a shared-use path.
> 
> If you're saying there that highway-cycleway means that it can't be used 
> by anything other that cycles, then I don't think that that's right 

Agreed.

> (although if you're saying that you wouldn't personally tag it that way 
> because there's a better way to do it, then that's different, of course).

The problem I find is that renderers don’t tend to take into account the
access rules properly (though they have good reason – this is not easy,
as Dave Stubbs helpfully pointed out).  They see highway=cycleway, draw
it as a cycleway, and go about their business, never noticing the
bicycle=designated, snowmobile=designated, or horse=designated tags.

If a renderer were to properly take these tags into account then it
would mean that there’s no functional difference among highway=cycleway,
highway=bridleway, highway=footway, and highway=path – a shared use path
could just roll a 4-sided die and pick one, and then apply the
appropriate access tags.  Better to simply standardize on one of them,
and IMO it’s best to standardize on the one that carries no extra
implications.  That’s why I would avoid and discourage use of
highway=*way, especially in cases where it’s clearly a shared-use path.

> I would personally prefer the "if it looks like a duck and quacks like a 
> duck, it's a duck" way of distinguishing a cycleway from the other 
> options, while making sure that other tags make it clear what's allowed 
> and what not in any particular case.

I would tend to agree, but what’s “quacking” for a cycleway?  Does that
mean that there’s a sign saying bikes are allowed?  Does it mean it’s on
a local cycling club’s map?  Does it mean you saw a cyclist riding there
once?  Or does it mean there’s no sign forbidding it?  Those are
rhetorical questions, but I’m sure that while everyone has a good idea
how they’d decide, it’s not the same for everyone.

-Alex Mauer “hawke”

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