Correction: Source used was Bing Streetside

Hey OSM-SAMOA,
Thanks for your continued contributions in Samoa. I noticed you reclassified some residential ways to secondary in the following changesets: (changeset/169424331, changeset/168116396). According to OSM guidelines, secondary highways are typically paved and support higher volumes of traffic (highway=secondary). I also noticed you added a connecting highway (way/1413374851), but there doesn’t appear to be any visible dirt or paved road in the imagery. The way crosses through tree cover, and the intersecting roads don’t show viable connections in imagery.
I also noticed you added a layer=-1 tag to some highways (changeset/168672202, changeset/168116431) which are typically used to distinguish overlapping features (layer=*). Based on aerial imagery, the highway in question appears to pass near, but not under, the building at way/1104358932.
Would you be able to share the justification behind these modifications?

I look forward to hearing from you.
-ChromeLotus

Hello alancn,
I hope you are doing well. I wanted to reach out regarding the Route 5 Highway in Sumatra. I am noticing gaps between highway features that are part of the route number. For instance, there is one that goes to the edge of Lampung (way/53550629, way/49606420). The same goes from Bukittinggi to Panti (way/326402774, way/197955965) and the ref stops at the edge of Aceh Province (way/678517173). There is reason to believe the ref tagging can be extended between the northern and southern side of Sumatra, filling gaps in the trunk network. I am less certain however about how the ref tagging can be applied in the city of Bukittinggi (node/2930523147, node/7624955058). I am curious whether there are resources available to support completing the Route 5 Highway in OSM, and whether this would be worth investigating. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

-ChromeLotus

Hey OSM-SAMOA,
Thanks for your great work and collaborative replies. I am looking forward to seeing the OSM data in Samoa improve. After performing a JOSM validation of Upolu, I identified some validation flags that I later fixed; there were a few more instances of highway duplicate nodes (changeset/167401168), overlapping highways (changeset/167402591), and crossing highways (changeset/167404644). Please let me know if you need any additional help with your project.
-ChromeLotus

Hello OSM-SAMOA, thank you for the response back. It is great knowing that these highways are considered for review and my tagging suggestions are also considered for potential updates. It is clear that our interests align in producing a better map in OSM. I also noticed, after reviewing the highway network of Samoa, that there are other data issues (crossing highways [way/1377341784]; overlapping highways [way/141032181]; and highway node duplication [node/12753789899]) in the region. Do you have an estimated time of completion for updating highway classifications throughout the island? And would you like additional support in addressing the other mentioned data issues as you’re updating the classification network? Let me know what works for you and I greatly thank you for your cordialness and cooperation.
-ChromeLotus

Hello Արման,

I’ve noticed that some road features in Armenia have recently been reclassified as highway=living_street. Living streets in OSM are typically characterized by lower speed limits, as well as specific traffic and parking regulations that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists over motor vehicles (highway=living_street).

In several of the modified areas, there dosen’t appear to be designated spaces or infrastructure for pedestrian or cyclist use (way/119213009, way/1022267476). Additionally, (way/1105585466) seems to be restricted and intended for military use, which does not align with the definition of a living street. I was hoping to understand the purpose behind these modifications and if they could be reverted to their original classification.

Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.
-ChromeLotus

Hello OSM-SAMOA,

I’ve observed that in several areas across Samoa where there are highway=path features intersecting roads that appear to be trafficked by vehicles. For instance, there are non-path highway features in Nu'u that vehicles have trouble or cannot route because of the application of highway=path (way/141690132). According to OSM policy, the highway=path tag generally does not account for four-wheeled vehicle access (highway=path). In cases where the infrastructure supports motor vehicles, it may be more appropriate to use tags such as highway=track or highway=service.
Could you share the reasoning behind this tagging approach? Understanding the intent would help clarify how best to support local mapping efforts. Would you also be open to re-evaluating these features in areas where vehicle access is possible, to ensure accurate classification?

I look forward to hearing from you and appreciate your time on this matter!

-ChromeLotus

Thank you so much for your time. All of the questions I raised were addressed. Have a great day!

--Automatic Translation-- (in Indonesian)

Terima kasih banyak atas waktu Anda. Semua pertanyaan yang saya ajukan telah dijawab. Semoga hari Anda menyenangkan!

Hello alancn,

I noticed you've made a number of classification and ref updates to the highway network in Lampung, Sumatra. I was wondering if you would be open to sharing the source used for these modifications? This would be useful for other OSM users working in the area to reference the same data for consistency. I was also curious if you have an estimate for how long these modifications might take to complete?

Looking forward to hearing from you!
-ChromeLotus

--Automatic Translation-- (in Indonesian)

Halo alancn,

Saya perhatikan Anda telah membuat sejumlah pembaruan klasifikasi dan referensi pada jaringan jalan raya di Lampung, Sumatra. Saya ingin tahu apakah Anda bersedia membagikan sumber yang digunakan untuk modifikasi ini? Ini akan berguna bagi pengguna OSM lain yang bekerja di area tersebut untuk merujuk data yang sama demi konsistensi. Saya juga ingin tahu apakah Anda memiliki perkiraan berapa lama modifikasi ini akan selesai?

Kami tunggu kabar dari Anda!
-ChromeLotus

Hello CSRedu1, I wanted to follow up on this message regarding a country-wide reclassification of the Benin road network. Based on the Highway Tag Africa wiki page (osm.wiki/Highway_Tag_Africa), some of these highways do not meet the requirements for primary. How do you feel about changing some of the highway features back to their previous classification in order to maintain consistent classification hierarchy? I look forward to hearing from you!

--Automatic Translation-- (in German)

Hallo CSRedu1, ich möchte auf Ihre Nachricht bezüglich einer landesweiten Neuklassifizierung des beninischen Straßennetzes eingehen. Laut der Wiki-Seite „Highway Tag Africa“ (osm.wiki/Highway_Tag_Africa) erfüllen einige dieser Autobahnen nicht die Anforderungen für die Primärklassifizierung. Was halten Sie davon, einige Autobahnmerkmale wieder auf ihre vorherige Klassifizierung zurückzusetzen, um eine einheitliche Klassifizierungshierarchie zu gewährleisten? Ich freue mich auf Ihre Rückmeldung!

--Automatic Translation-- (in French)

Bonjour CSRedu1, je souhaitais faire suite à ce message concernant une reclassification du réseau routier béninois à l'échelle nationale. D'après la page wiki Highway Tag Africa (osm.wiki/Highway_Tag_Africa), certaines de ces autoroutes ne répondent pas aux critères de classification primaire. Que pensez-vous de la possibilité de rétablir la classification précédente de certaines caractéristiques des autoroutes afin de maintenir une hiérarchie cohérente ? J'attends votre réponse avec impatience !

Correction: Source used was Esri World Imagery; Bing Streetside

Hello NFZANMNIM,
I think it is most appropriate per OSM policy for the entire drivable way to be tagged as tertiary for now, with additional tags to indicate that it will be open as a primary eventually. What do you think of this proposal?

-ChromeLotus

Thank you again for all the helpful information. That’s great to learn there is updates to the signage underway. These seem like great updates to the road system organization. I’d be interested in hearing about official documentation you may receive about the M routes. If you could share information you receive, that would be appreciated. Happy mapping!
-ChromeLotus

Hi DigitalSeb01,

Thank you for the reply and for these detailed resources. I noticed that an M20 ref was added in Kampala from here (osm.org/#map=18/0.350603/32.652987) to here (osm.org/#map=18/0.350603/32.652987). I didn’t see any associated wiki pages, like the A route pages you linked, for this route. Would you be able to share any documentation for this route as well?

-ChromeLotus

Hello DigitalSeb01,

I noticed changes were made to the ref network in Uganda. I have been unable to find many resources for the ref network. I am wondering if you have any resources you were using when making the ref changes you would be able to share. I am also curious if these ref changes have already gone in to affect, or if they are future, planned changes.

-ChromeLotus

Hello NFZANMNIM, thank you for the response back. Focusing on NH87, it is unclear whether available resources can verify vehicular activity that is consistent with primary classification. OSM follows verifiable, on-the-ground mapping principle so other people seeing the map can reach the same conclusion; this excludes mapping things for how they will be in the future. These roads currently appear to function as tertiary road as opposed to primary road. If roads in subject are still passable, I would be curious whether assigning a specific set of construction tags instead, like construction=minor or construction=primary, would work (construction=*#Highways). In addition, opening_date=* and check_date=* would respectively inform users of an expected date for project completion and the last time a user checked on a project’s development.

If you have any recent information on these highways, and in particular, the NH87 route that you could share, that would be great. I would be interested in learning about the projects’ development.

-ChromeLotus

Hello NFZANMNIM, I wanted to reach out regarding some modifications made in Afghanistan. I noticed modifications made to parts of the region’s road network, leading to breaks in classification along the NH67 route (changeset/164190477, changeset/164190477), NH39 route (changeset/164190324), NH13 route (changeset/164140166), NH93 (changeset/164107875), and NH87 (changeset/164133773) route. I also noticed that NH13 and NH87 routes contain construction features which cross over non-construction features (way/1371872461; way/1287813506).

I am curious if you could help me understand your rationale for these classification breaks in the road network along the identified parts mentioned above. If there is construction in routes NH13 and NH87, I am not sure how those construction areas could overlap non-construction features as the construction would interfere with vehicle traffic, right? I would like to collaborate on a consistent approach to modeling of these highways and your input would be valuable for that (& is much appreciated!). Look forward to hearing from you.

-ChromeLotus

Hello CSRedu1,
I noticed many highways were reclassified from other classifications to primary, such as way/40825631. Based on the Highway Tag Africa wiki page (osm.wiki/Highway_Tag_Africa) these highways do not meet the requirements for primary because they are not major routes between major cities. I also noticed some oneway tags were removed from roads such as way/183840012. What do you think about changing some of these highways back to their previous classification in order to maintain a classification hierarchy that highlights the relative importance of roads?
-ChromeLotus

--Automatic Translation-- (in German)

Hallo CSRedu1,
Mir ist aufgefallen, dass viele Autobahnen von anderen Klassifikationen in primäre Autobahnen umklassifiziert wurden, wie z. B. way/40825631. Laut der Wiki-Seite „Highway Tag Africa“ (osm.wiki/Highway_Tag_Africa) erfüllen diese Autobahnen nicht die Anforderungen für primäre Autobahnen, da sie keine Hauptverkehrsstraßen zwischen Großstädten sind. Mir ist auch aufgefallen, dass einige Einbahnstraßen-Tags von Straßen entfernt wurden, wie z. B. way/183840012. Was halten Sie davon, einige dieser Autobahnen wieder in ihre vorherige Klassifizierung zurückzusetzen, um eine Klassifizierungshierarchie beizubehalten, die die relative Bedeutung der Straßen hervorhebt?
– ChromeLotus

--Automatic Translation-- (in French)

Bonjour CSRedu1,
J'ai remarqué que de nombreuses autoroutes ont été reclassées d'autres classifications vers la catégorie principale, comme way/40825631. D'après la page wiki Highway Tag Africa (osm.wiki/Highway_Tag_Africa), ces autoroutes ne répondent pas aux critères de la catégorie principale, car elles ne constituent pas des axes majeurs entre les grandes villes. J'ai également remarqué que certaines balises à sens unique ont été supprimées de routes, comme way/183840012. Que pensez-vous de rétablir la classification précédente de certaines de ces autoroutes afin de maintenir une hiérarchie de classification mettant en évidence l'importance relative des routes ?
-ChromeLotus

Hello Zarraf Tajwar Adib, I am reaching out to you about the changes to the road network in Bagerhat and Satkhira.

There are classification changes made to major highways in these cities that are leading to classification inconsistencies across stretches of highway (way/623183192, way/165282419,).

There are also link roads with link classifications that do not match those of the connecting roads, and do not fit the OSM definition of a link (way/612847888, way/1267872646).

I’ve noticed a frequent use of both secondary and tertiary classifications for highways that access residential areas (way/1268097939, way/612844725). Classifications such as residential or unclassified are better suited for the roads used to access these areas. Other community members have voiced their concern of over classifying roads in these scenarios (changeset/149391127).

I am curious about the sources you are using to support these modifications. What are your thoughts on these classification suggestions?

-ChromeLotus

Hello Nazmul Patwary Nayeem, I noticed there were many modifications made to the road network in Cumilla Adarsha Sadar Upazila that I wanted to ask you about.

The oneway tag was applied to major roads, such as Comilla–Brahmanbaria Highway (changeset/161806447, changeset/162582176), while imagery shows vehicles traveling in the both directions. I also noticed not only some bridge and tunnels were missing layer tags, but I cannot verify that the bridge is operational from aerial imagery (way/1354369790, way/1357699854). If the bridge is under construction, then it would be appropriate to change the highway tag to construction (highway=construction#How_to_map).

There are areas where link classification is applied to highways that do not match the OSM definition of a link (way/1355909431).

Looking at the highway network holistically the network seems to be overly classified. Such as this secondary that is used to access a rural area (way/1354154921), tertiary feature accessing what appears to be a residential area (way/547589398), and primary roads that would be better classified as secondary (way/548822066).

I am curious about the sources you are using to support these modifications. Do you have any thoughts on reclassifying roads in cases where the current classification does not best fit the OSM definition?

-ChromeLotus