On Mon, 21 Sep 2009, swanilli wrote: > I posted the following to OSM-newbies a week back but have had no > feedback. Any thoughts here? > > > I would like some consensus on the tagging of Australian bushwalking > tracks. Specifically, I am interested in unformed ways that are > unsuitable for all but the most courageous/insane cyclists. They are > typically just a worn path through bush. In some places (e.g. Royal > National Park (RNP)) they are designated as cycling prohibited (see > http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/parkCycling.aspx?id=N0030) > a way on which cycling is permitted is referred to as a trail and one > for walkers only, as a track. The RNP naming is inconsistent and these > designations do not match OSM nomenclature. > > The OSM Australian Tagging Guidelines > (http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Australian_Tagging_Guidelines) > deals with cycling comprehensively (indeed, it seems biased that way) > but is silent on this point except for suggesting that an "Australian > footpath" be tagged as highway=footway with "bicycle=no if unsuitable > for bikes". While this might seem to address the issue, it is > inconsistent with the general OSM guidance > (http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Map_Features#Highway) which > clearly illustrates an urban, paved footpath. This is consistent with > the Australian usage of the term footpath as the Macquarie dictionary > defines a foot path as "a path for pedestrians only, especially one at > the side of a road or street." > > Given this inconsistency, I have been tagging fire trails and the like > (I ask myself if they are suitable for 4WD) as highway=track and > bushwalking tracks as highway=path. >
Quite simply, don't worry about the schemes dreamed up by the Eurocentric majority. Consider exactly how we use the language and what we mean by a "track" and a "path". We are more adventurous with where we take our cars and MTBs compared to the people who wrote the wiki pages http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Image:Jena_Track_roots.jpg which is marked as "impassable" and even an aged female cyclist myself would tackle that track up or downhill unless it was wet. So consider any further advice on how Australians would tag for the conditions that comes from here, ask yourself how an Australian bushwalking group would grade tracks and mark them accordingly. Edit 'our' section of the wiki to suit the consensus opinion. _______________________________________________ Talk-au mailing list Talk-au@openstreetmap.org http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-au
