[Talk-GB] highway_authority_ref vs official_ref

[Dave F]

On 09/04/2022 13:04, Nathan Case wrote:
> Great - just what I was missing. Thank you.
>
> So - to check I've got this right - there is a desire to have a non-rendered reference tag because C (and U) references are rarely signed in the UK and may be re-used across different highway authorities? Makes sense.

Yes.

> As far as I can tell, the current situation is:
>
> official_ref=* -- "not generally intended for public display or use". ~17k uses, global use (but limited). Currently the recommended tag for roads with no signed reference on the UK roads tagging wiki page (https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Roads_in_the_United_Kingdom#Tagging_road_numbers)

official_ref is used for objects other than highways.
It's is very vague, which is the main reason highway_authority_ref was 
chosen.
In certain circumstances there maybe reasons for multiple 'official' 
refs. It's much better to provide detailed, specific tags.

> unsigned_ref=* -- "...indicate the route number when the route number is not prominently signposted". ~183k uses, mostly Europe and North America.
>

Again, a bit vague.

> Should we consider retiring highway_authority_ref and replacing with one of the more globally accepted tags?

I see nothing wrong with country specific tags, when appropriate. I 
think the argument to keep it still stands.
highway_authority_ref was chosen because it clarifies who created it. 
They're mostly used for internal accounting.

DaveF

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