[OSM-talk-be] wiki highway conventions

[Glenn Plas]

On 12/27/2012 10:28 PM, Ben Laenen wrote:
> On Thursday 27 December 2012 22:05:17 Glenn Plas wrote:
>> There is a simple rule I use, which is being used for certain in plenty
>> of countries like UK and described in the OSM wiki.   A primary road is
>> a road that connects larger cities, so a N road between 2 small town
>> would be secondary.  I think it matters that you look at the whole road
>> with the same reference.  That is the cities you look at.
> UK doesn't use a rule like that, they're even much more strict than us using
> road numbers...

Yeah, it seems you're right, I've must have assumed at the time I was 
looking at the UK sections.  they have conventions based on road types 
(ref.) See 
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/WikiProject_United_Kingdom_A_and_B_Roads#How_to_tag

But the general wiki (which is probably USA based if I'm not mistaking 
here) does say so:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:highway%3Dprimary

There is not much room for interpretation except 'large' definition.

>> How much traffic passes over it, doesn't really matter.   For instance,
>> the N1 Mechelen-Brussel, someone tagged the part through Vilvoorde as
>> secondary.  Since Mechelen, Vilvoorde and Brussel counts as a
>> connection through big cities plus, well ... It's number 1 of the
>> N-class roads.
> I haven't really checked the situation in Vilvoorde, but one of the "rules" is
> that within a city center, primary becomes secondary if there's a ringway that
> will connect to the other primary roads to the city.
Well, I know the place pretty well and there is no real ring road around 
Vilvoorde that reconnects to the N1.   There are ways to get around 
there using Woluwelaan(R22) but that's not a common alternative 
practically.    Your description however fits what I've changed as the 
Woluwelaan was marked as primary and it could indeed be considered a 
quarter ring (tops),  what that one connects aren't really big cities 
(Vilvoorde -> Diegem -> Zaventem) . But it doesn't easily connect back 
to the N1.

But I understand if you drive over R22 you would classify it primary 
(although it has 4 lanes divided by a central barrier, not 2). That 
would be a trunk to me as it connect to the E19 complex in Vilvoorde.

As a subnote, the N211 which belongs to that complex goes primary until 
the city center, that is wrong imho matched against the theory.
> For example:
> http://osm.org/go/0Eg4Fgm
> N8 is secondary in Zwevegem, since the N391 was made to create a ringway
> around Zwevegem.
This one makes perfect sense to be primary to me.

> http://osm.org/go/0EpYdO2L
> N1 crosses centre of Antwerp, but becomes secondary within the Singel.
I totally agree on this one too.  It still fits the 'primary' class to 
me as it connects cities, so once you are there, there isn't anything 
big you can connect any more.  Very nice example.  Haven't even thought 
of checking the other side of the N1.

> I guess someone did something similar in Vilvoorde with the R22. Whether that
> should be done, not really sure here.

That's why I bring it up as I'm not totally sure myself, but when I'm 
not sure, I check the wiki ...

> I also wanted to point at Tienen, but I see it has been recently changed by
> someone:http://osm.org/go/0EqQDB8
> There's the N29 coming in from the north, and the N3/N29 should stay primary
> because there's no ringway on the north. Now someone changed it to secondary
> which is incorrect IMO.

It look to me someone hopes that this information ends up in GPS devices 
so they router prefers the primary road :) .  I don't know the place 
there but it looks kind of strange to me that the N3/N29 isn't  
primary.  But zooming out and taking a peek at Leuven which I know 
better I see the ring there is marked primary.   So looking that those 
without any knowledge on Tienen,  I would conclude that the Tienen 
N3/ring part is a lot different from the Leuven one, so it would support 
the secondary classification.

Thanks for the examples.

Glenn