[Tagging] Sidewalk Tagging for Routing

[Tobias Knerr]

On 24.11.2015 17:21, Clifford Snow wrote:
> Thanks everyone for the input. As much as I like the concept of using
> the sidewalk attribute to the road, it doesn't seem like it is all that
> useful for adding kerb slope.

Sure, but the sidewalk attribute is essential for other, much more basic
use cases that separate ways fail to serve.

> I don't think relations are the right answer either. It isn't easy to
> teach new people how to add relations. We should be able to identify
> footpaths adjacent to roads by their spatial characteristics. 

But we CAN'T, at least not in any reliable fashion. "Just draw a way
somewhere near the road and magic computers sort out the mess" is,
frankly, not a viable option.

There has to be some explicit connection between sidewalks and their
roads. And as soon as you take this into account, the separate sidewalks
stop being newbie friendly at all. They only seem that way because you
pretend the main challenge does not exist.

> Should we depreciate the sidewalk=left/right/both/none tag in favor of
> drawing separate footpaths?

No.