[Talk-GB] Komoot Cycle Routing in UK

[Chris Hodges]

A mountain-bike route that routes along ways (i.e. any MTB route coming 
out of a route-planner) should still only route along ways that are 
legit to ride according to the underlying data.  Of course users should 
watch out for inaccuracies just as they should watch out for changes and 
temporary restrictions, but the router should at least try to be 
accurate, and it's not like you could rely on the presence of "no 
cycling" signs.

Note that Komoot does sometimes warn about routing along stretches that 
aren't OK to ride, especially in "touring" mode. This includes 
cyclepaths with steps, but also where it's not permitted either by 
"bicycle=dismount" or because there's a very short stretch of footpath 
or similar where the alternative is either dual carriageway or a long 
detour.  They have the ability, they just need to stop making 
assumptions about an absence of tags, at least in England/Wales.


I use the Open Cycle layer in Komoot when planning, and that gives a 
visual indication - the example route through Richmond Park is rendered 
the same as a footpath.


BTW "tour" is Komoot-speak for "journey" or "route", for those who 
haven't come across this usage


Chris


On 20/09/2021 23:55, Robert Skedgell wrote:
> 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
>