Changeset: 53091043
change towpath from cycleway to footpath - it isn't safe to cycle on this surface
Closed by TomJeffs
Tags
changesets_count | 455 |
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created_by | iD 2.4.3 |
host | https://www.openstreetmap.org/edit |
imagery_used | Bing aerial imagery |
locale | en-GB |
Discussion
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Comment from ACS1986
Can it be cycled on a mountain bike with knobbly tyres? Changing a cycleway to a footway implies no cycling is allowed. There are lots of towpaths in England where cycling is allowed but the surface is too poor for road or touring tyres. These tend to be tagged highway=footway, bicycle=yes, surface=unpaved (there's also a smoothness tag http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:smoothness which can be used).
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Comment from TomJeffs
Yes it can, but some skill is required. From Radcliffe to around the Steam Crane, the towpath is basically setts, but they're in very poor shape with some holes, tree roots pushing them around, and a lot of subsidence near the coping stones. Some places, particularly under the bridges, can be quite dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. When looking to see if something is a cycle path or footpath I tend to think "if I was on a sit up and beg bike with a basket full of shopping, would I want to come down here?" Unfortunately that section of the canal is a definite no. And road bikes absolutely cannot get down there, even if they get past the setts the remainder all the way down to Ringley Village is thick, gloopy mud.
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Comment from TomJeffs
I should add that eastward from the Water St bridge to Hinds Lane, the towpath surface is excellent and very suitable for cycling.
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Comment from ACS1986
Thanks for your quick reply. Yes, I've ridden the better section as part of NCN Route 6.
I think you're entirely right to tag a towpath which is unsuitable for most cycles as a footway rather than cycleway. But without any further tags footway does imply "no cycling allowed" which tells data users that (for example) someone on a mountain bike is not allowed to use the route. If cycling is allowed, adding the tag bicycle=yes conveys this information; whilst adding appropriate surface etc. tags lets general bicycle routing programs know that it's not suitable for general cycling. -
Comment from TomJeffs
ok thanks, I'll do that. I'm not actually certain if legally, bicycles are allowed down there. I'm a member of the canal society and I know that some sections beyond Mount Sion are privately owned and not rights of way. Not that that's all that important tbh. I'll mark it as "dismount".
Ways (1)
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