[OSM-talk] Pedestrian crossings and barriers

Mike Collinson mike at ayeltd.biz
Sun Jul 29 11:06:19 BST 2007


At 09:34 AM 29/07/2007, Peter Miller wrote:
> 
>The new cycle mapping is throwing up questions about crossing points along roads which we are going to need to sort out.
> 
>On the Map Features page there is only a single sort of crossing available: ‘highway=crossing’. On the GravityStorm page there is a proposed tag ‘crossing=toucan’, which makes sense but I don’t believe it has been voted on (forgive me if I am wrong).
><http://www.gravitystorm.co.uk/shine/cycle-info/>http://www.gravitystorm.co.uk/shine/cycle-info/
> 
>There are actually a number of different types of crossing that need to be accommodated and also, we should avoid ‘UK-centric’ language (‘Toucan’ is a UK name for a signalised crossing for pedestrians and cyclists).
> 
>Note: I am only talking about methods of crossing from one side of a busy road to another. If there is a more elaborate set of paths and tunnels required then footways and bridges etc should be encoded. An underpass for a dual carriageway will need to be encoded as two tunnels and a footway etc. For single carriageway roads we need to be able to encode for the following:
> 
>A zebra crossing (white lines on the road to help pedestrians cross)
>A pelican/puffin crossing (an automatic signal controlled crossing for pedestrians)
>A toucan crossing (a signal controlled crossing for pedestrians and cyclists)
>A An underpass for pedestrians 
>An underpass (for pedestrians and/or cyclists)
>A footbridge (for pedestrians and/or cyclists)
>A refuge in the middle of the road
>A ‘lollipop crossing’
>A Pegasus crossing (a signal controlled crossing for pedestrians, cyclists and also horses)
> 
> 
>There is a technical difference between a Pelican crossing and a Puffin crossing (where did all those birds come from!) but I don’t think we need this at the top level. All these sorts of crossing are described here:
><http://www.edu.dudley.gov.uk/roadsafety/puffin.htm>http://www.edu.dudley.gov.uk/roadsafety/puffin.htm
> 
>As well as all these crossing types we need a way of indicating that there is actually some sort of barrier to pedestrians and cyclists crossing the road wherever you feel like it, which might be a physical barrier in the middle of the road, a barrier at the side of the pavement, or shear traffic volumes.
> 
>It may be appropriate to make the assumption that on primary, trunk and motorways that crossing is not possible (unless tagged to the contrary), and the for all other road classes it is (unless there is tagging to the contrary).
> 
>Any thoughts; and any suggestions about how we should tag this lot?

I think I'm echoing Tom Chance's reply here, so I'll keep it short.  I generally map outside the UK and I'd suggest using current tags where possible, I generally use the underlying or connecting way (footway, cycleway) to indicate whether a crossing, bridge, underpass (tunnel) is pedestrian or cycleway.  The only big gap I see is that it is not possible to explicitly distinguish between a signalled and unsignalled crossing - from the pedestrian/cyclist POV for safety and from a motorist's POV for route speed planning and navigation.  So far I ignore highway=crossing at signalled road junctions and just put highway=traffic_signals for crossings away from junctions.  highway=crossing;traffic_signals would be good but would choke current renderers(?).

A zebra crossing (white lines on the road to help pedestrians cross)  - highway[node]=crossing
A pelican/puffin crossing (an automatic signal controlled crossing for pedestrians) - highway[node]=traffic_signals
A toucan crossing (a signal controlled crossing for pedestrians and cyclists)  - highway[node]=traffic_signals
A An underpass for pedestrians - highway=footway, tunnel=yes
An underpass (for pedestrians and/or cyclists)  - highway=cycleway, tunnel=yes
A footbridge (for pedestrians and/or cyclists) - highway=cycleway, bridge=yes
A refuge in the middle of the road  - hmm, no ideas on that one
A ‘lollipop crossing’ - UK-centric?,  you mean a school crossing manned by a person with a sign at certain times?
A Pegasus crossing (a signal controlled crossing for pedestrians, cyclists and also horses)   - highway[node]=traffic_signals

Mike
 

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