[Talk-us] Name tag on unnamed, but numbered routes

[Mike Thompson]

On Tue, Nov 16, 2021 at 7:49 AM Brian M. Sperlongano <zelonewolf at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> There was a discussion on Slack this morning that could use a wider
> perspective.  The question is what, if anything, should go in the "name"
> tag for numbered routes in the US that don't have any other name.
>
> One convention is to make a "constructed" name from the route number, for
> example, "VT Route 17" or "Highway 12" or something along those lines to
> put in the name tag.  Arguments for this usage include signage that
> contains these constructed names, for example at intersections with other
> roads.
>
> Another convention is to have the name tag be omitted, perhaps also with
> noname=yes for unnamed numbered routes.  The argument for this usage is
> that name is only used for names, and ref is only used for route numbers,
> and that constructed names are "mistagging for the renderer".  For
> transparency, this approach (no name tag) is my preference, however, in my
> area, unnamed numbered routes are rare with the exception of Interstate
> highways.
>
My understanding of OSM is that route numbers are not names and they do not
belong in the name tag, that is what the ref tag is for.  Placing them in
the name field is just tagging for the renderer.   Just because some words
appear on a sign along a highway does not mean that those words belong in
the name tag, for example, a section of highway that has signs stating
"Accident Reduction Zone" does not get tagged name="Accident Reduction
Zone."

Also, this issue isn't specific to the US, and we should strive to be
consistent across all of OSM (unless there is a reason to not be - and I
don't think there is a reason here), therefore this should be addressed to
a wider mailing list, such as tagging.

Mike


>
> How do folks feel about the use of the name tag in these situations?
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