A new user has made a series of changes to OSM data based on the reasoning given in the subject; I have commented on Changeset: 189891544 | OpenStreetMap but happy to defer to US community for deciding how to handle this.
HB 664 does not eliminate all separate speed limits; rather, it eliminates one particular distinction. The “Differing limits may be established for…different types of vehicles…” clause of 49-201(4) is still intact.
Idaho law has a US-standard ruling-and-sign law: in order for a speed limit other than the statewide default to take effect, there must be both a ruling by an appropriate authority that the alternate speed limit is appropriate, and posting of signs indicating that speed. If the posted signs don’t match the ruling, then both are invalid and the speed limit is the statewide default. However, signs are presumed valid: if you get a speeding ticket, the burden of proof is on you to show that the sign is incorrect, not on the state to show that it is correct.
I think the question is more about whether to tag maxspeed:hgv if the truck speed limit is the same as the car speed limit.
In other words, the regional default going forward is that maxspeed:hgv=* equals maxspeed=*. So is it OK to tag the regional default explicitly?
The Idaho Transportation Department’s Traffic Manual used to have specific guidance about truck speed limit signs as recently as the April 2020 edition, but the July 2026 edition has removed that section as redundant to the 11th edition of the national MUTCD. Normally when ITD intentionally discontinues a sign, the Traffic Manual includes a quite direct message to eliminate any affected signs in the field. There’s no such message here, but I find it hard to believe that we’ll start seeing “Speed Limit 65 / Truck 65” assemblies in the wild. At the very least it would be a waste of metal.
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I would assume the only appropriate mass edit in response to such a change would be to delete maxspeed:hgv tags that need rechecking, not to add tags with a duplicated value. But in any case that mass edit needs a community review
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Since maxspeed:hgv should not duplicate maxspeed, my question is whether the community supports a remove-only edit for Idaho motorway and motorway-urban ways where the tag reflects the former statewide HGV differential. My understanding of HB 664 and the reported sign removals is that trucks should now follow the regular motorway speed there. The latest snapshot shows that most of the remaining HGV/regular mismatches are on those motorway classes (600+); a handful are on other road types, which could be reviewed separately.
For those other ways, what evidence would the community want before removing the HGV tag? Also, when maxspeed:hgv is absent, when should we treat the HGV-specific speed as unknown, and when do we treat the HGV-maxspeed as known, but identical to maxspeed?
Ideally, we would’ve set each way’s maxspeed:type=* and maxspeed:hgv:type=* to symbolic speed limits that tell us the basis of the numeric speed limits in maxspeed=* and maxspeed:hgv=*. maxspeed:hgv:type=* has never been used in the U.S., but we could start setting it to something that explicitly ties it to the normal speed limit. I’m not sure what to use as the value though.
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Hi everyone — I’d like to ask whether the community would support a remove-only edit of Idaho maxspeed:hgv tags that reflect the former statewide truck/car speed differential, starting with motorway and motorway-urban roads. HB 664 took effect July 1, 2026, and link to the sign-removal evidence supports that the differential signs were removed. Our MapServer data still contains lower HGV limits, which can flag trucks as speeding even when they follow the regular posted speed.
I understand that any distinct HGV limit still supported by current signage should remain mapped. Would this motorway-focused scope be appropriate, and what verification would the community want before considering the remaining road types?
I must’ve missed the link – which sign-removal evidence are you referring to? Do you mean my explanation about the change to the sign manual? That’s just circumstantial evidence, nothing definitive.
That said, I think the need to distinguish between “same as the normal speed limit” and “unknown truck speed limit” is pretty much theoretical at this point. It’s not like other jurisdictions have really needed to make this distinction, or else maxspeed:hgv:type=* would be more widespread by now. So I personally think the proposed change would be benign, but I’d like to hear what the others here think.
Out of curiosity, how does your MapServer relate to OSM? Do you synchronize it with our database?
Apologies for the confusion, yes I was referring to your explanation but now understand its nothing definitive now.
I’ve also done some research and saw TV news talking about the removal of speed limit signs in Idaho (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkXRCvONrrY). I agree it shows sign removals but does not, by itself, establish that every relevant Idaho sign was removed statewide.
Nevertheless, if I am interpreting the bill correctly, seems like the differential speed between commercial vehicles and regular vehicles should be eliminated state-wide; quoting the bill’s amendment directly:
“”"
the maximum lawful speed limits on interstate highways, in nonurban areas, in urban areas, on state highways, or in other locations shall be the same as for vehicles with less than five (5) axles and operating at a gross weight of twenty-six thousand (26,000) pounds or less.
“”"
As for the other question, our MapServer periodically sync the speed limit data from OSM, and we’d like this bill to be reflected on OSM before our next map file update.
My concern is mountain passes: my recollection is that Lookout Pass has a substantially reduced speed limit for descending trucks based on the authority in 49-201(4) rather than the 10 MPH gap from the now-repealed 49-654(3).
I’m fine with a blanket removal from interstate and state highways in areas with no special concerns, but for mountain passes and for roads not managed by the state, I’d want evidence that the signage is actually gone.
In the news clip, ITD does say they took down every single truck speed limit sign statewide on the same day. I guess we’re just unsure if they were glossing over edge cases like Lookout Pass, referring only to the spots that had a speed limit of 80 mph and a truck speed limit of 70 mph in the first place. If you leave any speed limit lower than that alone, then I think your edits should be fine.
Thanks for the responses!
I have checked the current status of Idaho roads, and there are 600+ cases where we have a maxspeed:hgv tag, and 500+ out of them are 80/70 cases (maxspeed/maxspeed:hgv). So removing these 500+ maxspeed:hgv tags would improve the accuracy of the speed limits significantly.
The remaining 100+ cases are also mostly on Motorway or MotorwayUrban, where the speed limits are either 70/60 or 75/65. I’ve also verified for Lookout Pass. There is a segment of I-90 where speed limit for both regular vehicles and HGV are 55, and the other segments of I-90 has the 75/65 speed limit. Given that I-90 is an interstate, it should also be included under HB 664.
Then there are only 3 remaining cases where we have a maxspeed:hgv tag but not MotorWay*. I am in agreement to leave these 3 cases out of the bulk removal. Nevertheless, I am leaning towards removing the differential speed limits for all roadType = MotorWay*. If you’d push back on the 100+ cases where the speed limit is lower than 80/70, I would be fine as well!
Thanks for following up with this prolonged discussion and looking back to here from you before I make the edits!
We don’t know how your MapServer’s maps OSM tags to Motorway and MotorwayUrban. 
Is it highway=motorway in both cases, distinguishing by something else like location?
Do you mean you verified that Lookout Pass does or doesn’t still have a posted truck speed limit?
Yes highway=motorway, and if within proximity of a city/town centre, it would be MotorwarUrban. Sorry I was referring to our schema rather than referencing the OSM standards.
As for Lookout Pass, confirmed on Google Maps street view and current tags on OSM ( Way: I 90 (122725803) | OpenStreetMap , Way: I 90 (174402888) | OpenStreetMap ), there are no separate maxspeed:hgv tag, and hence the bulk removal of maxspeed:hgv tag in Idaho would not affect this corner case.
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Given the prior discussion, I would like to proceed with the bulk removal of maxspeed:hgv tag in the state of Idaho for all roads with the highway:motorway tag. The scope of this change is around 600 ways. There are also a handful of roads with the highway:trunk tag that has a 70/65 speed limit posted. I believe they are outdated as well under HB 664, but this could be pushed back.
Thanks for participating in this discussion, and I’d like to ask for final confirmation from the community before I proceed with this change.
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