[OSM-talk] path or byway ?

[matthew-osm at newtoncomputing.co.uk]

Hi,

On Sat, Jul 19, 2008 at 06:13:39PM +0100, David Earl wrote:
> They are universally rural. They are tracks, yes, but formally public 
> whereas a track will typically be associated with a farm ore similar. 

Mostly rural, but not all. There are two in Loughborough that I
am aware of - one "Cross Hill Lane":

http://informationfreeway.org/?lat=52.756383670302455&lon=-1.2154373874651676&zoom=17&layers=B000F000F

The other unnamed, but just labelled as "byway open to all
traffic" - on the edge of town, and rather useless as after a
while it turns into a private road, no turning room.

http://informationfreeway.org/?lat=52.75253955766346&lon=-1.2367663089318803&zoom=17&layers=B000F000F

Both are surfaced, and once would have been in the country, of
course (like most old roads!). There are many in Suffolk, some
tracks, others surfaced, such as

http://informationfreeway.org/?lat=52.23996492630855&lon=1.0154108416754053&zoom=17&layers=B000F000F

where Swilltub Lane (going North) is a restricted byway, but you
can only walk down it as it's all overgrown (in the last 30-40
years or so). Hundred Lane (going East from Swilltub Lane) is a
BOAT but indestinguishable from any unclassified road (which it
is to the West) apart from a sign saying byway.

Byways should be signed in theory, just like a footpath, but
might not be of course. Anything labelled "RUPP"[1] is now a
byway, since about 2006 (sadly, in my opinion - it's nice to have
some strange historic stuff around sometimes). There's an
(ex-)RUPP in grey here:

http://informationfreeway.org/?lat=52.23587828332072&lon=0.988159603986547&zoom=17&layers=B000F000F

I usually label with something like "uk:row=B.O.A.T.", or
similar, at least before highway=byway (oxymoron=true? ;-) )
started to be used.

Cheers,

-- 
Matthew

[1] Road used as a public path