RFC: Motorway junction names | Ονόματα κόμβων αυτοκινητοδρόμων

Communities Ελλάδα (Greece)
1

Hello, I think we need to resolve the motorway junction name format problem and document the naming convention on the relevant OSM wiki pages here and maybe here. I think this is not too difficult to resolve: the RFC is not about whether the names alone are correct or not.

Background

This proposal was created in response to inconsistent use of the “Κόμβος” and “Α.Κ.” prefix on some parts of the motorway network, such as:

  • A5 Gavrolimni Junction (OSM), currently named as “Γαβρολίμνη”
  • A6 Doukissis Plakentias Avenue Junction (OSM), currently named as “Α.Κ. Λ.Δ. ΠΛΑΚΕΝΤΙΑΣ”
  • A8 Pachis Junction (OSM), currently named as “Κόμβος Πάχης”

There was a discussion about the name format here back in 2018, but only I suggested the removal of “Κόμβος” prefix, which is not enough for a consensus. I think that at the time, there were not a lot of Mapillary tracks in Greece to provide solid evidence for my suggested naming format.

Proposal

On a motorway or major road junction in Greece that uses highway=motorway_junction, set name=* to a simple nominative mixed-case name, unabbreviated and without a prefix such as “Κόμβος” or “Λεωφόρος” (the latter of which is due to how we name streets).

Acceptable examples Unacceptable examples
Καρδίτσα Κόμβος Καρδίτσας
Α.Κ. ΚΑΡΔΙΤΣΑΣ
Δουκίσσης Πλακεντίας Λεωφόρος Δουκίσσης Πλακεντίας
Λ.Δ. Πλακεντίας

Signage is not the only source for junction names: some junctions were either named by the nearest town or village or the highway’s constructors or operators, and may be used in common parlance without signage.

However, take care not to confuse off-slip destination(s) with the name of a junction, because said destination(s) can be far away from the junction (example, where Evzoni is about 62.5 km away from that sign). If the junction does not have a name, use noname=yes instead of name=*. If there is no junction number, use noref=yes.

Rationale

The reason for the junction naming format is that nearly all new motorway signs in Greece use simple nominative mixed-case names. Here are some examples from Mapillary:

The case for simple nominative mixed-case names is also supported by Volume 6 of the Road Project Design Guidelines (OMOE), page 118.

Possible additions to the proposal

I can offer to support “Κόμβος”-prefix genitive mixed-case names in the official_name=* tag: for example, official_name=Κόμβος Καρδίτσας.

1 Like
2

I think there is something confusing above, between name=* and no mention of destination=*. A junction may have a unique name or possibly not, and may also have a code, which concern all its branches and roads. But it has many directions that must be defined with destination=* on each motorway_junction. The name may not appear at all on the signs, but only the directions. In many cases the direction signs - which must be entered in the destination - have no relation to the name of the junction, as for example above in the Kleidi junction. As I mentioned before, the name is the same regardless the destination. The name of the junction does not need to be present in the motorway_junction especially if there is no relevant sign, the destination must certainly be present.

2 Likes
3

I thought that all the above were obvious.
For tagging we follow the motorway_junction documentation.
For junctions names (when they exist) we follow the same convention as highway names, meaning NO prefixes (like A.K., Αυτοκινητόδρομος, Λεωφόρος etc).
And of course we don’t confuse junction names with destinations, as @geraki said.

1 Like
4

This is an interesting observation that I should consider, because for some time we have been confusing destinations as motorway junction names, as suggested by this post. I think we need to make more use of noname=yes and noref=yes to reduce confusion as to whether a name for the junction really exists.

However, the documentation for highway=motorway_junction doesn’t specify whether the use of prefixes or suffixes are acceptable globally, making me think that the matter is decided at a country by country basis (e.g. the UK uses suffixes like here and here here, as well as Hong Kong according to this Overpass query). This is what caused me to ask about how we should be tagging junctions in Greece.

5

Yeah, that’s what i meant. I meant each county’s naming convention. And for us i think is the same as the highway names.

6

Just as an aside, signage need not be the only source for the naming. Some have conventional names, or were named by the construction/highway company, and these names may be used in common parlance without being signed.

1 Like
7

One caveat - while “Gravelly Hill Interchange” is indeed the (unsigned) name there, the other one was added by someone in the UK that likes making up names for motorway junctions. That junction there will likely have a ref displayed but no name, as is normal on UK motorways. It does have an (unsigned) name that local people and traffic reports refer to it as - that is “Leeming Bar”.

8

If you mean “unsigned” junctions named after the nearest town or village, I noted in the revised OP that there is a risk of confusing them with destination(s), which belong to destination=* on the way branching off the motorway junction node. It depends how far the named town or village is.

There is Hong Kong as well according to this Overpass query (the query used was type:node and highway=motorway_junction and name~"^.*(Interchange|Junction)$" in "Hong Kong"). I’ll update that post ASAP.

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I agree to your proposal.

10

Hello, as of 8 May 2025, it appears that only I and @nikospag approve of the proposal so far. Are their any more approvals for consensus? I think we need a majority of at least five for the proposal to be enacted.

11

Actually I feel that Κόμβος Καρδίτσας and Κόμβος Γαβρολίμνης are perfectly acceptable as those are the most common ways to refer to motorway junctions both officially and unofficially.

1 Like
12

Right, but should we omit Ανισόπεδος Κόμβος in the name? Similarly to name=* on streets, where we omit, οδός, λεωφόρος etc.

Or include it, like in squares and their adjoining streets?

Personally whatever we end up doing it shouldn’t have caps or abbreviations (Α.Κ or Α/Κ).

Also, to me the most indicative aren’t really the simple names that offer a destination anyways (like Λεπτοκαρυά or Καρδίτσα) but the ones that are alternates to the same destination (Αίγιο Ανατολικά, Πάτρα Α/Β/Γ/Δ). How do you render these? Ανατολικός Ανισόπεδος Κόμβος Αιγίου; A bit unwieldy, probably better suited for some alternate name tag.

13

There are obviously a lot of ways that the junction name is styled, so I decided that the current standard for road signs, which prescribes simple nominative, would be the tiebreaker. The proposal should not block the use of “Κόμβος”-prefix genitive mixed-case names in alternative tags, such as alt_name=*, but in my opinion I would leave it to the renderers to convert simple nominative to prefixed genitive.

14

​To address PeachyOne’s question I believe omitting such terms could simplify the naming process, but we should also consider the clarity and recognizability of the junction names for users. Therefore we should include it, exactly like in squares and parks.