[Tagging] StreetComplete 10 / foot=yes on residential

Jarek PiĆ³rkowski jarek at piorkowski.ca
Thu Feb 14 19:17:09 UTC 2019


On Thu, 14 Feb 2019 at 13:51, Tobias Zwick <osm at westnordost.de> wrote:
> I doubt access restrictions are used that way in reality.
> The absence of keys like the mentioned key walkable(, cycleable,
> motorcarable, hgvable etc.) is a clear sign for that, because there are
> enough situations where the situation on the ground is clear for a
> surveyor but there is no official sign.

Personally, I have used foot=no to tag ways that are clearly not
walkable without confirming the exact legal position, and don't really
have a problem with that.

But that feels different from tagging foot=yes. Access tags are always
a general rule - for example a privileged vehicle would be able to
enter a highway with access=no, and workers on foot might be able to
work on a motorway or within an intersection. foot=yes to me means
that I expect to be able to pass on foot, unless the path is closed
for repairs or blocked off by police or whatever - but I have that
expectation anyway on any highway=residential that is not tagged with
foot=no.

> I am sure the police would find something
> else to charge you with when you take a walk on for example this busy
> intersection https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/188015324 , like,
> hindrance of traffic. Note that the road authority also did not bother
> to put any signs there [*]
> ...
> Let's be pragmatic: We don't tag things just because and also do not
> live in clouds. So, why do we tag access restrictions at all? -
> To be of use for routing and other use cases where it is relevant
> whether something is accessible or not, simple as that.

The example that started off the thread is highway=residential. The
Deichtorplatz example you gave is highway=secondary, and the bits of
highway=residential in the junction would not affect pedestrian
routing on their own because they only connect to highway=secondary. I
would expect majority of bridges, underpasses, intersections, and
other such foot=no highways to be higher-class than residential.
Which highway classes does the StreetComplete query ask about?
And does it make sense to ask about highway=residential -- and I mean
highway=residential as it is tagged, not as it is defined by laws or
lack thereof?

Second. To me, the question is not whether there exists a
highway=residential + sidewalk=no with foot=no, but rather do enough
of them exist to warrant asking this about every one of them, and
tagging foot=yes on every other one? Especially considering that
foot=yes is taken to be the default anyway.

--Jarek



More information about the Tagging mailing list