[Talk-us] Usage of highway=track in the United States

[Jmapb]

On 2/23/2021 2:04 AM, Joseph Eisenberg wrote:
> 2) Re: usage "For any unmaintained, minimally maintained, or overgrown
> road, regardless of usage or purpose"
> Can we actually cite examples of ways roads that meet that standard but
> which are not primarily tracks from a usage standpoint?
>
> 3) Re: "For abandoned roads"
> - If by "abandoned" do you mean "disused" or "unusable"? This is
> somewhat confusing. I think it is generally considered incorrect to map
> unusable roads (even for off-road vehicles like ATVs or mountain bikes)
> as highway=track if they no longer exist, say if they are completely
> overgrown with scrub or completely washed out by erosion or landslides.


I can give you examples that I've mapped of 2) and 3), both part of the
Long Path (https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/919642).

2) https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/850158523 is a narrow, eroded
mountain road that terminates in the building
https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/854508877 which looks like an isolated
dwelling or hunting cabin (not part of a farm or forestry operation.)
It's partially blocked in many places by large rocks and treefall. I
can't say for sure what sort of vehicle can travel this road, but I
imagine many 4x4s would not be up to the task -- maybe only ATVs.

Given the extremely primitive nature of the road I didn't feel right
calling it a driveway, and highway=track seemed the best fit.


3) https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/849614298 (just down the hill) is a
abandoned/disused section of formerly residential road, physically
blocked at both ends but passable by foot. It was once two lanes, but is
so overgrown that the usable width is less than a full lane in some
spots. A fair amount of the old asphalt is still visible, and physically
it would (if the barriers were removed) be driveable by most
not-overly-large vehicles with decent clearance.

Neither highway=residential nor highway=service seemed appropriate, so I
settled on highway=track here as well.

Jason