Bike Boulevard Tagging

Hi jczaplew, I'm from the Netherlands and we have a lot cyclestreet=yes here. Here is a link to the Wiki : https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Cyclestreet to be complete for other users. Here is a blog post of a Dutch bicycle expert about this subject (he has more) : https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2016/10/11/utrecht-reclaims-ever-more-space-for-people/ hth Gys

After reading the links you provide, I'd encourage you to use the cycleway=shared_lane tag, along with highway=residential (or whatever appropriate highway tag), and any bicycle routes added as a relation. Adding maxspeed=* tags would also be useful, as routers using OSM data will favour streets with higher speed limits when routing cars in the area.

The cyclestreet=yes tag, according to the wiki, prohibits cars from passing cyclists at all, and is a defined category within Belgian law. The boulevards you're talking about, according to the link you provided, prohibit passing when unsafe. This is a significant difference.

Really, while this type of cycling infrastructure is nice, it's not all that different from a regular street. Cars are always prohibited from passing cyclists when unsafe (of course not always followed) and cyclists may use an entire lane on any street, if it is more safe for them to do so. I don't see any need to use obscure tags to reflect this situation, cycleway=shared_lane will suffice.

I agree with the previous answer that USA "bike boulevards" should usally be marked as cycleway=shared_lane. See https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:cycleway

Since Bike Boulevards / Neighborhood Greenways often zig-zag between different small streets, it is helpful to map them with a relation of type=route, especially if there is official signages or local bike maps that show these streets. See https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Cycle_routes; there are various ways to make these relations, depending on which editor you are using.

If you look at the OpenCycleMap tiles for Portland Oregon, you can see several "named" bike boulevard routes which have been mapped this way: https://www.opencyclemap.org/?zoom=14&lat=45.51023&lon=-122.62872&layers=B0000

I think it is important for the bicycle boulevard/neighborhood greenway portion of a named bikeway to render differently than general shared lanes. A bicycle boulevard/neighborhood greenway is an "all ages and abilities" facility type that is meant to offer the same level of comfort and safety as an off-street trail or separated bike lane. Bicycle boulevards/neighborhood greenways have limited stop signs, with speed controlled by traffic calming and motor vehicle access limited using diverters. My working definition is that a bicycle boulevard/neighborhood greenway is a street designed to be a thoroughfare for bicycles and local access only for cars. A shared lane, meanwhile, may be designated on any street, often as an interim treatment for a gap in a bikeway. Many shared lane facilities are only comfortable for more experienced riders.

I hesitate to rely on maxspeed=* to differentiate bicycle boulevards/neighborhood greenways. Bicycle boulevards/neighborhood greenways are intended for travel at the speed of a bicycle (10 to 20 mph), but state law in Minnesota prohibits the designation of any speed limit below 25 mph (40 km/h). Speed limit signs here are generally only used on streets intended for speeds of 35 mph (55 km/h) or greater. Effectively the maximum safe speed on a bicycle boulevard/neighborhood greenway is around 20 mph (30 km/h), but I assume OSM tagging conventions would require us to instead show the legal/statutory speed limit of 30 mph (50 km/h).

What do you all think of the idea of differentiating bicycle boulevards/neighborhood greenways by adding the tag motor_vehicle=destination paired with bicycle=designated? This would be in keeping with my working definition of a bicycle boulevard/neighborhood greenway, but I am not sure if it is OK to use the motor_vehicle=destination tag on a publicly owned street in the US.