[Talk-ca] Wind farm access roads that really shouldn't be in OSM

[James Ewen]

On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 6:07 PM, Stewart C. Russell <scruss at gmail.com> wrote:

> But it's not a highway, which implies access. There is no access.

The generic use of the word highway implies public access, but in OSM
parlance, the term highway is used as a key, and the value assigned
indicates the type of way. http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Highway
Further to that, the access key can be used designate access
restrictions. http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Access

I can draw the outline of my house, and tag it as building:yes, but
that does not automatically make my house a publicly accessible
structure. It is however still a building.

Mapping the road with a gate on it (if there is a gate restricting
access), and marking the access restriction would allow others to know
that the road exists, and is not accessible to the public.

There are many roads in the foothills of Alberta that are privately
owned, that have access restrictions on them. By mapping these roads,
and the associated restrictions, a person looking to go camping out in
the bush can decide which roads to use to get to the desired area.
Some roads owned by Sustainable Resource Development (Forestry) have
gates that are padlocked to keep the public from driving up to the
Forestry Lookout Towers, which tend to be popular destinations for
people due to the great views afforded. Google Earth shows the roads
in the satellite photos, but it is impossible to see the gates in the
photos. Having OSM maps with gates and access restrictions can make it
less of an annoyance when you drive for hours just to find your
progress to your desired destination blocked.

Here's the Mayberne Tower Road:

http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/way/25162913

It's a rough track up to the top of a hill where the Mayberne Forestry
Lookout Tower is located, along with a number of communications
towers. It is very handy to have on the map because I can show my
co-workers the route to our communications tower, and where the locked
gate is located. The road is not necessarily accessible to the public,
but it still is navigable and used by those authorized.

-- 
James
VE6SRV