[Talk-GB] Komoot Cycle Routing in UK

[Robert Skedgell]

On 20/09/2021 20:22, SK53 wrote:
> I just noticed someone posting on twitter
> <https://twitter.com/carlmyhill/status/1440015626421116932> that Komoot
> was routing cyclists along trails where cycling is forbidden in Richmond
> Park (fine apparently £60). Apparently Komoot treats all highway=track &
> highway=path as bicycle=yes by default. Clearly this is inaccurate in
> most of the UK.
> 
> The issue has been known for some time, but increased usage of Komoot
> may bring OSM in the UK into disrepute as they typically say something
> along the lines <https://twitter.com/komoot/status/1439948701095583751>
> of "we only take data as it comes from OpenStreetMap". It is getting
> quite common for landowners to either complain or remove private paths &
> tracks from OSM. This can be due to inaccurate mapping (a recent case
> was on the Thoresby Estate), but most often is because people are using
> routers which do not account for how things are mapped here.
> 
> I wonder if we can do anything to get Komoot to correct this behaviour?
> 
> Jerry
> 

It's possibly worth noting that the OSM note which may have started this
in Richmond Park refers to a Komoot "tour" with the sport (transport
mode) set to mountain biking. Changing it to bike touring, road cycling,
or even gravel riding gives what appears to be a legal route.

I have seen Komoot pick inappropriate cycle routes along highway=path
ways in the past, but in this case I suspect the user has failed to
understand the difference between "I own a 'mountain' bike" and "I want
an off-road mountain biking route".

https://www.openstreetmap.org/note/2831988
https://www.komoot.com/plan/tour/d06AxDNpP_7fW8=FxiABK8_02Ig/@51.4375642,-0.2769786,16.637z

-- 
Robert Skedgell (rskedgell)