[Tagging] destination:ref with direction?

[Tom Pfeifer]

On 16.12.2020 14:19, Skyler Hawthorne wrote:
> 
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2020, at 05:44, Tom Pfeifer wrote:
>> What is written on the sign at this junction? If "North" is mentioned there I would be
>> happy enough with the tagging above.
> 
> That is correct, the sign says "I 787 North". However the wiki page for the destination:ref key states:
> 
>     The key destination:ref <https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:destination:ref>=* should be
>     used to specify the reference of the roads directly ahead as indicated on signposts, road
>     markings or similar. The value of this key should be equal to the value of the key ref
>     <https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:ref>=* of these roads.
> 
> Note the last sentence. If the destination:ref must be the same as the ref it is going to, then this 
> would be I 787, or else all the ways along the entire I 787 route should have their ref tags changed 
> to indicate direction as well.

Well, it says 'should', not 'must', thus in this case using destination:ref="I 787 North" is a 
refinement of just "I 787". Maybe an improvement for the phrase in the wiki would be
"should be equal to or a further qualification of related to the value...".

On 16.12.2020 15:41, Paul Johnson wrote:
 > Wouldn't it make more sense, and isn't it already more common, for destination tags to contain the
 > information on the destination signs, which /do/ differentiate direction?

Haven't analysed that, but if the destinations are signposted that way, it should be reflected in
the tagging.

 > I feel like this is another example of "the wiki was written by someone with inadequate information."

Both tagging and wiki develop, hopefully forward. In this case, Key:destination:ref redirects
onto an old 2012 proposal, I'm probably going to resolve that soon with describing the current practice.

  tom