[OSM-talk] The Return of the Highway tags and other junk

[Ben Robbins]

>>They are phisical objects that have widths and lengths taht can varie.
>>Therfore I would never tag them as a node, just as a building would be an
>>area.

>That's not going to work. Let's a gate is 2.65m wide, that's important
>enough to be noted in the database, but the accuracy on each node
>(from GPS, maps, imagery or wherever) is much less, There's no way you
>can give the exact latitude and longitude of the right hand gatepost
>and the left hand gatepost separately. So we mark the gate as a node,
>and we can give the width as an atttribute. Moreover, if I come along,
>realise you've got it in the wrong place, there's no way to tell that
>you had the two nodes exactly 2.65m apart for a reason. Ditto cattle
>grids, and buildings that are less than 50-100m in length.

I don't think thats correct, as I have added many gates along hedgerows.  If 
a road has a gate across it and you have maped the road, then you can draw 
the gate across it with similar acuracy.  If you walk threw the gate 10 
times, and its clear where it is, then you would avarage it.  If not then 
you would need to guess, just as you would need to if you got bad data when 
traveelling along a road many times.    I'm not proposing the exact 
placement of each end post, just as Im not proposing the exact placement of 
each corner of a building or where a post box is.  It should be done as well 
as posible yes, but there is always a margin of error.    When 
walking/cycling I note the gates.  Most fall adjacent, but if not Its easy 
to note how they are.

In short, It does work as I've given it months of testing.

The only reaosn I see this being a problem is that a route finder would not 
pick up the gate along the way.  This can be solved by tagging the node 
where the gate and way cross also, and I do.

>Please, if you have a track that is private, define it as highway =
>track access=private

>You're unlikely to get any further
>response when you keep complaining that highway = track has vague
>access implications.

So when are tracks not private?  I've never heard of a track, wich has the 
access rights of a track.  It will always be something like a byway or 
bridleway, wich need to be stated.  I don't think it has vague access 
implications, I think it has no accsess implications and always requires 
additonal information, wether its private, a footway, or another public 
right of way.

Ben

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