[OSM-talk] Left and Right - a proposal

[robin paulson]

Frederik Ramm wrote:
> My major problem with attaching significance to the direction of ways is 
> the ease with which that direction can and will be changed. We will 
> never have API support for juggling around all sorts of left/right tags 
> (plus oneway, incline and what-have-you), so this is the burden of the 
> editing software. I think it is realistic to assume that there will 
> always be some editors which do not properly implement any rules that 
> you might define regarding left/right tagging - be that due to 
> misunderstandings, incompleteness, or just bugs.

i agree with your points frederik - left and right are somewhat 
subjective and not obvious.

someone suggested a while back on talk, that once a way is drawn, we 
don't allow it's direction to be changed and for one way streets, we use 
oneway=-1 if it is pointing in the wrong direction. this could be 
enforced for any tags (including incline) that rely on the direction of 
the way.
this would completely negate any issues of changing the direction of ways

this could be done at a suitable bump in API, and the command removed 
from the available list, so non-compliant editors can't reverse a way

> The less important the direction of a way is, the less fragile the 
> system becomes vis-a-vis non-complying editors, people writing robots, 
> and the like. I don't think we have the manpower to set up an "editor QA 
> task force", nor would it be in the spirit of the project to grant edit 
> access only to approved software (who would set the rules, who would 
> approve, etc.etc.).