[OSM-talk] definition of the main highway-tag

[Emilie Laffray]

Martin Koppenhoefer wrote:
> seems as if you got me completely wrong. The administrative
> classification _IS_ about who maintains the road (at least in Germany
> and Italy). While BAB (Bundesautobahn / motorway) and Bundestraße
> (federal road) are maintained by the federal administration,
> Landstraßen (~"Land"-roads) are maintained by the Bundesland (~region)
> and Kreisstraßen (comunal road) by the municipality. But as I tried to
> explain this does not mean that every Bundesstraße is a bigger and
> more important road. There are Kreisstraßen (comunal roads) that are
> more important (and physically bigger) than other Bundesstraßen or
> Landstraßen. That's why we cancelled the idea of tagging highway
> according to administrative class already years ago. Of course I don't
> want to reimplement it.
>
>   
I agree. We have something similar in France. We had N(ational) roads
which became some lower administrative roads because the French
government "gave" them to the regions. The roads are still the same and
as important as ever. It shows that we can't rely on administrative
classification if only for the ref tag.
In addition, I suspect that routing will be better off without the
administrative classification. I don't think companies like Tomtom are
caring much about those roads. Their mechanisms like TOM TOM IQ routes
is working based on statistical data of the roads. In addition, map
makers like Tele Atlas are using their own classification. I think that
TA has 8 levels of streets.
Anyway more than the average tuppence.

Emilie Laffray

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