[Tagging] Tags useful for rendering of roads in poor conditions

[David Bannon]

Hello Fernando, I was just advised about this mailing list so have
joined yet another ! (sigh...)

Thanks for pushing this issue, my concern is that people's lives are
potentially at risk here. 

While I am not really committed to using tracktype= as the trigger, on
the Austrialian mailing list we had a long discussion about it and, more
or less, concluded it was the best option from a poor set.

The options were summarised on
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/User:Davo

and in the Discussion section, you will see that I quoted some numbers,
dating back to late 2012 showing that there are twice as many tracktype=
tags used as surface=unpaved.  I think the biggest problem with surface=
is that it has so many possible values.

The original approved definition of tracktype made it clear it could be
used where highway= other than 'track' and it is widely so used but I'd
have to download all the data again to get fresh numbers on that.

I wanted to extend tracktype= to three further values representing 4x4
only roads. But could not get a committment from enough people to get a
vote going.

But, all that aside, the real need is to see unsealed roads rendered in
such a way that people are warned and not put in danger. I would be
happy to support and sensible trigger tag. Except, perhaps, smoothness=,
I will not describe the pretty little road I live on as "horrible" !

David