[Tagging] Describe explicitly that values of highway tag do not imply anything about road quality (except highway=motorway and highway=motorway_link)
Ilpo Järvinen
ilpo.jarvinen at helsinki.fi
Wed Aug 19 12:39:12 UTC 2015
On Wed, 19 Aug 2015, Mateusz Konieczny wrote:
> I am planning on adding this information to wiki in near future.
>
> Note that it afffects also highway=path - in that case some/many
> people are convinced that there is some kind of difference of implied
> quality between highway=path and highway=footway.
Funny, how you put it as informal paths and unpaved, non-made forest
trails so far have been pretty much what I expect throughout the world
(although I admit I've no experience on areas in Africa). But surely you
can pretend that forces of erosion and weather, and the effects of a
similar terrain and vegetation suddenly work differently somewhere :-).
But of course once shiny built-up footway can fall into a state of such
disrepair that is in worse condition than those informal paths, so you
have some truth in what you say too.
> highway=path wiki page already contains information that
> highway=path "may have any type of surface"
Most of those who would want to tag those "paths" would likely prefer
introducing own highway type anyway (such as highway=trail as =path is
unfortunately taken) - but in that case there's always fierce opposion
from few who are convinced such "paths" don't exists. And that
non-existance of alternative to highway=path is likely the main reason
why they have been forced to use highway=path in the first place (even
though they know some people think that =path == =footway).
--
i.
> 2015-08-12 10:56 GMT+02:00 Mateusz Konieczny <matkoniecz at gmail.com>:
> What is below is supposed to document existing consensus rather
> than
> introduce new rule. I am aware that there is significant
> majority
> convinced that some road types universally guarantee or imply
> certain
> values (like widespread usage of highway=track to mark all
> unpaved
> roads and only unpaved roads, popular in some regions).
>
> I am also aware that in some regions "dual carriageways are
> usually at
> least highway=tertiary", "paved roads are at least
> highway=unclassified", "highway=primary has at least 2 lanes in
> each
> direction" or "paved roads passable for the entire year are
> highway=trunk" are good approximations - but it does not make it
> universally true or necessary requirement to use these tags.
>
> proposed description to be added on
> http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:highway - maybe also on
> pages
> about individual road types.
>
> Only highway=motorway/motorway_link implies anything about
> quality.
> Other road types, from highway=trunk through highway=tertiary to
> highway=residential=residential/service or
> highway=path/footway/cycleway/track do not imply anything about
> road
> quality. In area with poor infrastructure road forming main road
> network, of the highest importance in region should be tagged
> highway=trunk - no matter whatever is is high-quality asphalt
> road or
> unsurfaced tract unusable after major rains.
>
> In absence of surface, tracktype and other tags describing
> quality of
> road one may try to extrapolate this information from
> value of highway tag. Note that this needs tuning for every
> region.
> Typical highway=primary may be drastically different in various
> places
> across the planet.
>
> It is highly recommended to add and use tags describing road
> quality
> like surface. In one region it may be obvious that all
> highway=tertiary
> are paved and highway=track unpaved but no assumption like that
> will
> work worldwide.
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