[OSM-talk] Searching a word for tagging a special feature of a track

[Frank Sautter]

Richard Mann wrote:
> There are an awful lot of track/grade1 in Germany, and I would like 
> to know what the typical surface is
here in germany we (mostly) we tag farmers or forestry roads
("Wirtschaftswege") that are not designed for very heavy vehicles and
only few and slow traffic as highway=track. normally they are access
restricted for this use.
if they have a watertight surface (asphalt or concrete) over the whole
width they are tagged as tracktype=grade1.
if they have a gravel surface over the whole width they are tagged as
tracktype=grade2.
if they have two surfaced grooves with grass inbetween they are tagged
as tracktype=grade3.
if they are unfortified they are tagged as tracktype=grade4.
if they are just a roadway (flat, unfortified and without obstacles) 
that is seldomly used they are tagged as tracktype=grade5.

> (whether it's any different to an English country lane - that is a
> <4m paved road open to everything - which would be tagged as
> "unclassified")
the difference between an unclassified road and track/grade1 is that the 
body of an unclassified road is able to carry heavy vehicles (hgv) and 
the curves are designed for higher speeds (up to 100km/h)

> Anything with two parallel lines like this is a "track" in English. 
> Generally a grade1/grade2 will be surfaced all the way across, 
> because you may as well while you're at it (and the machines for 
> doing it tend to be made that way). But if someone doesn't pave the 
> bit in the middle, I'd still reckon it was a track/grade1.
this would be tracktype=grade3

frank