[Tagging] Disused bus stops

[Tijmen Stam]

On 17-08-16 07:47, Michael Tsang wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> Should I place public_transport=platform on disused bus stops where no buses
> serve, but the infrastructure is still in place? What if the stop_position is
> marked on the ground, but no corresponding platform next to the highway?

A stop_position isn't a physical thing on the ground, it's just a 
logical entity tying a platform to a way. So IMHO a stop_position should 
never appear without a platform.

Depending on the country, "legal" bus stops have legal implications. In 
the Netherlands, you can't park on or within 25m of a bus stop (whether 
it has a bay or is proper streetside) and you can't pass a bus wanting 
to leave a bus stop within city limits. In fact, we had a court case 
about the legality of certain bus stop designs triggered by a car 
parking near a "bus stop" (which turned out to not legally be a bus stop).

I still map "abandoned" platforms if they're vaguely recognizable as bus 
stops, but if they're truly not used anymore, I forego the stop_area, 
and just use public_transport=platform. Especially if there is still a 
pole with a name on it, which is in the Netherlands what legally makes 
it a bus stop.  See e.g. 
<http://www.citrastructurae.net/missed-connexxion-1-amersfoort-leusden/img_8576/> 

This is a legal bus stop, with the associated legal constructions that 
cars can't park here and within 25 metres (even if it's not a bay).

This 
<http://www.citrastructurae.net/missed-connexxion-1-amersfoort-leusden/img_8599/> 
former bus stop isn't a legal bus stop, so I can legally park here 
(except not, for non-bus-stop reasons). So this case is doubtful. One 
could use abandoned:public_transport=platform here.

This 
<http://www.citrastructurae.net/missed-connexxion-1-amersfoort-leusden/img_8640/> 
is not legally a bus stop, but I would still tag it as one, because it 
has heightened curbs to allow easy boarding, and is on a bus lane (no 
entry except trucks or buses, and "bus" written on the road). Next to 
that, it isn't abandoned, but not in use yet.

Near my work we have two "legal" bus stops called "calamiteitenhalte" 
(calamity stop), used for when the bridge in the official bus lane has 
maintnance. I have tagged these like "full" bus stops, completely with 
stop_area, except they don't have any routes on them.

So conclusion: if a layman and/or a lawyer could mistake it for a bus 
stop: tag it as one. Otherwise, doubtful or don't.


Tijmen


P.S. Anyone knows what's wrong with openbusmap.org? Updates usually 
appear within 5 minutes, but now have been lacking for 3 days.