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If a city takes a normal bike lane and puts flimsy bollards on the line or no man's land separating it from general traffic, does that make it a cycleway=track? For example, look at the area around https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/33314421 in DigitalGlobe Premium Imagery. To the west is a normal-looking bike lane, tagged as cycleway:right=track because of the bollards. https://www.bikewaysforeveryone.org/26th_28th_streets shows what it looks like at ground level. To the east there is a separate two-way pathway, next to the sidewalk. It is tagged the same way: cycleway:right=track.

TL;DR: is https://www.bikewaysforeveryone.org/26th_28th_streets a cycleway=lane or track, and if the latter, how do we distinguish it from a more normal sidewalk-style path?

asked 24 Oct '18, 13:59

njtbusfan's gravatar image

njtbusfan
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accept rate: 0%


Bollard seperated lanes are a little tricky. I would generally call this as a track, attached to the existing way in this case, as the intention of the bollards is to allow cyclists to filter through them.

This differs from how I would map, say, a Texas-style HOV lane, where the HOV lane is seperated by bollards from the other lanes, intended to separate the HOV lane into it's own roadway.

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answered 24 Oct '18, 18:41

Baloo%20Uriza's gravatar image

Baloo Uriza
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accept rate: 9%

Disagree with "the intention of the bollards is to allow cyclists to filter through them." The bollards are there to keep cars out of the bike lane on the cheap. There's really no reason bikes would need to weave in and out of the bollards.

(25 Oct '18, 15:17) neuhausr

Well, unless a cyclist is trying to get around an obstacle or get to other lanes in order to turn left, or coming from other lanes after turning left.

(26 Oct '18, 00:10) Baloo Uriza

I'm guessing someone made all of 28th a track because of the bollards and then it got split up later? You can see the part just west of Hiawatha is also tagged this way, but doesn't even have a lane. (and technically the section from Cedar to the Greenway should probably be split up because there is a section with bollards and the section with green striping which indicated shared use).

As to whether a bike lane separated by bollards should be lane or track, there seem to be different interpretations. It was discussed on the cycleway talk page, without clear resolution. Another topic there referred to the value cycleway=buffered_lane, which might more specifically handle this, but some people didn't like it. It's used almost 800 times, but mostly in about a dozen particular areas.

This could be a point for renewed discussion on the talk page or tagging list if you want to give it a try!

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answered 24 Oct '18, 15:24

neuhausr's gravatar image

neuhausr
7.5k870121
accept rate: 21%

If you look at the history, it was done at different times, and sources are given.

Just west of Hiawatha is the part with a "real" cycle track, which is also mapped as a separate way south of the sidewalk.

(24 Oct '18, 15:47) njtbusfan

West of Hiawatha, I meant there is no bike infrastructure as part of the road.

(25 Oct '18, 15:15) neuhausr
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question asked: 24 Oct '18, 13:59

question was seen: 2,052 times

last updated: 26 Oct '18, 00:10

NOTICE: help.openstreetmap.org is no longer in use from 1st March 2024. Please use the OpenStreetMap Community Forum