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

[Martin Koppenhoefer]

2009/7/31 John Smith <delta_foxtrot at yahoo.com>:
> --- On Fri, 31/7/09, Martin Koppenhoefer <dieterdreist at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Well, I just see it as a hierarchical line:
>> residential
>> unclassified
>> tert
>> sec
>> prim
>> trunk
>> motorway
>>
>> it's simple as that, and I don't see any problem.
>
> Maybe to you, but I don't see it that way based on reading the english language wiki page and mapping out rural roads lesser than residential as unclassified.

I don't know where you are mapping and which streets you are mapping
as residential. Maybe you could post an example so I can try to
understand you better.
The English page for residential states:
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Residential

"This tag is used for roads accessing or around residential areas but
which are not a classified or unclassified highway.
This is a useful guideline if you are not sure whether to use
"residential" or "unclassified" for streets in towns:
    * unclassified - a wider road used by through traffic
    * residential - a narrower road generally used only by people that
live on that road or roads that branch off it. "

so maybe you should think about your tagging habits.

> Neither does the JOSM author(s) for that matter as they didn't treat unnamed unclassified roads as a warning/error until I submitted a patch for it and he/they are in Germany.

Well, I'm in Italy but occasionally also mapping in Germany. No road
at all (maybe residential) does have to have a name. There are
warnings in cases they are not valid and there are cases where no
warnings are displayed. Those warnings are hints, and it is a question
of personal preferences which warnings should be displayed. I don't
see your point in this regard.

cheers,
Martin