[OSM-talk] A warning about gates and other barriers

[Jacek Konieczny]

On Mon, Sep 20, 2010 at 01:21:49PM +0200, Claudius wrote:
> Am 20.09.2010 12:33, Elizabeth Dodd:
> > The point is that tags should only accommodate one piece of information.
> > A gate is a gate, access is something else.
> 
> Completely true. If a way has restricted access (and that may be 
> physically enforced by the used of a closed gate) I tag the access 
> restriction on the way behind the gate and not the gate. I don't see any 
> added benefit by adding the access to a way behind a gate to the gate 
> (!) itself.

This will be right for most cases, but not always. Sometimes access
through the gate may be restricted, but free on both sides of the gate.

An example: a service area at a highway. For regular traffic it is
available only from the highway, but there are gates (normally closed)
to local/service ways outside. Only authorized may open and pass the gates,
though the roads on neither side is officially closed for traffic.

Greets,
    Jacek