There’s been a lot of discussion around issues with highway=path recently. As there is no consensus on solutions, I thought that having a list of concrete problems might help. Currently the issues are scattered and forgotten or never seen by those participating in the discussions.
I would like this thread to contain stories, statements, photos and links to other threads containing more details.
I will add a few links below but please do post any other references you are aware of. I only have a phone this week so it is a bit inconvenient to browse many topics and copy/paste links.
This thread could then be used in further discussions for anyone who asks “what is the problem with path?” again.
Thank you!
For examples of paths used under the path tag, see
Via ferrata and ladder have made it into the highway= values, and for a good reason. The same for many other types of highways.
The question is whether the Path cases listed above are distinct enough to have their own separate tag values.
Well that didn’t take long. @ZeLonewolf, what sweet or salty delectable have I won for my bet that footway=residential would come into question eventually?
The idea is to collect a convincing amount of problems with the highway=path that can be used as a reference in the discussions. I still see people asking what the problem is so they are clearly not aware of them. And that’s OK. The list is here to provide an overview and the reason(s) we’re discussing paths so much.
The list posts are wikis so please feel free to contribute further samples. I’m sure these discussions have been going on for a while and there may be many posts and threads that state actual problems.
There is no question at all. highway=footway + footway=residential is the tag for residential footpaths. While I was the one to finally document this tag on the wiki, it was already being used. Clearly I’m not the only one that thinks so:
If there is any doubt about this tag’s legitimacy, I need only point out the fact that the wiki page has been translated into German, which is an even more significant endorsement than an approved proposal!
So fear not, the tagging for residential footpaths has been quite nicely resolved.
Oh, its legitimacy is not in question as long as it’s describable in the German language. But did you or the others before you intend for it to include any footway in a residential area?
When I have the rare tagging problem (I want to tag X but there is no obvious tag for this), I look in the database to see if anyone has come up with a tag for that. Often, people invent tags to solve real problems but don’t document them. If that happens and I start using the tag, I’ll document it because it’s the right thing to do. In most cases, they remain low-usage, but documented, tags.
If I document a tag under the ATYL principle and other mappers start using it, that’s a good sign that it’s actually a good idea. Isn’t that how egalitarian, grassroots tagging is supposed to work?
I’d like some day to discuss this. Probably not here, because this thread is about documenting the problems with highway=path, not about design methods for solving them. But I have been exposed to academic research on design methods that lead me to wonder about possible improvements.
The appearance of snowmobile in path discussions is mirrored in this forum here, just do a search for the term. Obviously, snowmobiles not considered motorized vehicles. IIRC @Minh_Nguyen mentioned, one of the proponents of the tag under scrutiny was quite into those, forum search though not of much help in finding the post.
The surprising part is not that it’s a path for snowmobiles but that it goes across a lake. So when the lake is not frozen (most of the year), not only is there no visible path but there is also no solid ground one could even walk on!
