[Talk-GB] Stations and platforms=*

[Tim Saunders]

I wouldn't stop somebody from recording multiple tracks as individual ways 
as it does reflect what you see on the ground.  In stations and other areas 
where there are complicated track layouts it is the right thing to do (and 
tracing from Bing is a great resource for this).  However, elsewhere I would 
argue it adds little value to rendering.  At small scales you cannot see the 
individual lines.  At large scales any failure to get the lines truly 
parallel is cruelly exposed.  Also bridges and tunnel bores will render 
separately for each track which is often not accurate (is there a way to 
control this?).  So for me, a single way with a tracks=* tag is much better 
and the renderer can draw it as a double line (if tracks=2) etc.  And for 
other applications, I would have thought a single way with tracks=* tag is 
easier to handle than working out whether 2 ways are adjacent and within the 
same curtilage.  Of course, you are left with an untidy join between the 
single way representing multiple tracks and multiple ways representing 
individual tracks.

-----Original Message----- 
    From: John Sturdy
    Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 5:05 PM
    To: Talk-GB
    Subject: Re: [Talk-GB] Stations and platforms=*

    Given the level of detail that much mapping is at these days, using a
    single way and "tracks=*" seems to me to be somewhat behind the rest
    of the mapping --- are there reasons in favour of it, other than it
    being quicker to do in initial mapping of an area?  I've sometimes
    been tempted to convert them to separate ways when they run through
    areas I've been mapping, but I've hesitated to do so in case there are
    reasons that I haven't thought of, to leave them as they are.

    __John