[OSM-talk] Relations not always brilliant

[Richard Fairhurst]

Relations are a super-powerful tool and permit all kinds of  
whizziness (cycle routes, bus routes, areas with holes, dual  
carriageways, etc.). This much we know.

On looking through the latest UK planet excerpt, though, I note a  
handful of cases where they're being used for simple road refs. So  
there are route relations which have simply been set up to convey  
ref=A813, etc.

Could I 'umbly suggest not doing this unless there's very good reason?

In the UK, road numbers are unique (apart from about three cases  
where local councils have cocked up, e.g. the B4027) and no road can  
have more than one ref. The relation doesn't give any info over and  
above that in the standard 'ref' tags - it just increases complexity  
for both editing and processing.

cheers
Richard