[Talk-us] Minimum standards for motorways?

[Anthony]

>> Question: what do people think about minimum standards for tagging
>> something highway=motorway? In other words, would it be reasonable to
>> tag a highway as trunk rather than motorway because it has no
>> shoulders or a low speed limit (40 mph)?
>
> There are plenty of motorways in Portland OR that have no, or minimal, shoulders.  I think the
> defining trait of a motorway is there are no traffic lights.  I can think of a road that looks like an
> interstate highway even to the 55 mph speed limit but it has traffic lights.  That says "trunk" to
> me.

I would expect that a motorway have grade separated junctions,
generally be dual-carriageway except for limited exceptions, and be
reserved for specific categories of motor vehicles.  I don't think
speed limit should be a determining factor.