[OSM-talk] Fwd: Re: highway=unsurfaced

[Rik van der Helm]

> In English path and track (and also trail) have significant
> overlapping meanings, especially if you look them up in a dictionary.
> In actual usage (in my head at least) a path is for pedestrians, a
> track maybe too although you would tend to imply vehicular access for
> a track, and therefore it's typically wider. Track would generally
> imply unsurfaced (or badly surfaced), but path could be any surface.
> To add confusion both can mean something similar to route... so being
> something more logical than physical.
> Also in my head is a wildness factor, which would basically order them
> as path (urban), track (country, farm), trail (one with nature)...
> this may well be a complete fantasy on my part... especially at the
> path end.

Thanks. Your diffuse explanation is more or less matching the meaning in
my head of the terms landweg (track),pad (path) and spoor (trail). I
notice a tendency in osm to define the three terms in a OSM-GB specific
way. It would be great if these implicit meanings of the three terms get
1. more explicit and 2. more worldwide relevant. Reading the postings on
this thread I think 'width' would be the best primary distinction. I
propose:
track > 2m
path > 1m
trail < 1m
and eventually: road > 4m

Regards, Rik