[Talk-GB] Cycleway on a Bridge

[Craig Wallace]

On 18/02/2010 17:06, Molescott wrote:

> When you come up either of the curved cycle access paths to the bridge,
> the cycle lane/track/path/way is the first thing you come across on the
> bridge. This part is actually a fairly wide pavement with a standard
> kerb, from which you can step down into the road proper. The road itself
> then has one lane going out over the bridge and then another lane coming
> back. On the far side is the bridge parapet, no pavement. Some of the
> distance along the bridge is joint bike/walker use, with nothing painted
> on the pavement. Other bits have a centre white line on the pavement
> with bike/walker symbols on.
> I am confused as to how to tag this way since the bike part isn't in the
> road marked out as a lane, but up on the pavement.
> If I add a bridge to a separate bike tag I'll get two bridges over the
> water, which there isn't.
> I think maybe I'm looking at this too deeply and there's a simple answer.
> Any suggestions please?

 From what you describe, the cycleway is separate from the road, so 
should be mapped as a separate way, tagged as highway=cycleway, plus 
bridge=yes for the part that is on a bridge.

Though as you say, the problem with this is the standard map renderings 
will show it as a separate bridge. This is a fairly common problem, and 
also happens with dual-carriageways etc going across bridges.
Unfortunately I don't think there is a proper fix for this currently.

There is a proposed bridge relation, which would let you group several 
ways together as part of a single bridge: 
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Relations/Proposed/Bridges_and_Tunnels
Though AFAIK that's not used by any renderers. Hopefully this will be 
fixed sometime, and bridges drawn correctly.

Craig