[Talk-GB] UK Rights of Way - WikiProject

[Andy Street]

On Thu, 2012-05-03 at 20:08 +0100, Andrew Chadwick wrote:
> On 03/05/12 19:11, Andy Street wrote:
> > This hypothetical track follows the route of an ancient pathway and is
> > used more by the plethora of dog walkers from the nearby village than by
> > Farmer Giles. Surely by your logic this should be a foottrack?
> 
> No, unless it's defined somewhere and in widespread use.
> 
> If it's wide enough to drive a 4-wheeled vehicle along, and people do,
> it quacks like a highway=track, and should be tagged as such.

So you are saying that we should tag paths by who uses them but not do
the same for tracks. IMHO that is rather inconsistent.

> > Sure, unless there is a TRO, or similar anomaly, then it is sensible not
> > to add access tags as all you're doing is duplicating what is already
> > implied by the designation tag.
> 
> No. Designation tags imply nothing in OSM right now, as currently
> documented, and by design IIRC. Also, I refer you to the recent mailing
> list post regarding other countries and what they might mean by
> "designation=public_footpath".

So if I told you there was a way in Hampshire tagged highway=path,
designation=public_footpath you'd have no idea if you could walk it?

> >> h=path is somewhat useless unless it's used as
> >> a genuine "dunno" value like h=road, and we shouldn't be recommending it.
> > 
> > Why is path useless? What exactly does highway=footway,
> > designation=public_footpath tell you that highway=path,
> > designation=public_footpath doesn't?
> 
> That it is _used enough_ on foot to leave a mark, or is _made to be
> suitable_ for use by foot. Also that it isn't more something else...
> 
> highway=path is sort of useless on the ground because it is normally
> possible to figure out what a path primarily is by looking at it.

Yup, it's a path!

> If
> it's not a made cycleway or something used by horse riders, then that
> leaves footway by exclusion in this country, or no mappable path at all.

Which would have us tagging things as highway=footway,
designation=public_bridleway or highway=bridleway,
designation=public_footpath!

Perhaps you'd like to tell me how I should map this (and why):

http://andystreet.me.uk/osm/canyouguesswhatitisyet.jpg

Cheers,

Andy