Key:maxspeed
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Specifies the maximum legal speed limit on a road, railway or waterway
Restrictions
Used combinations in
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Contents |
Description
The key maxspeed is used to define the maximum legal speed limit for general traffic on a particular road, railway or waterway. By default, values will be interpreted as kilometres per hour. If the speed limit should be specified in a different unit the unit can be added to the end of the value, separated by a space (see Examples).
The source of the speed limit can be specified by source:maxspeed=*.
Values
The speed limit should be specified in that unit in which the limit is legally defined and specified, i.e. in the UK and the USA in mph, in most other places in km/h. It can and should be specified also where the speed limit is not explicitly defined (e.g. by a sign post), but implicitly by general traffic regulations.
The speed limit can be specified as follows:
| Type | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| <number> | maxspeed=60 maxspeed=50 mph maxspeed=10 knots |
Definition of the speed limit in its respective unit. |
signals
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maxspeed=signals | The (variable) speed limit is announced on speed limit signs. |
none
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maxspeed=none | No fixed speed limit exists. Do not confuse this with the case of an unknown speed limit! |
Almost entirely in Romania speed limits are specified as maxspeed=<countrycode>:<zone type>. This method hasn't prevailed outside of Romania and it is recommend to use the combination of maxspeed=<number> and source:maxspeed=<countrycode>:<zone type> instead. See therefore also the Examples.
Extended Tagging
Driving direction
Where different speed limits are specified for each driving direction those can be specified using maxspeed:forward=* resp. maxspeed:backward=*, whereas forward applies to the speed limit for the same direction as the OSM way and backward to the speed limit for the opposite direction.
Vehicles
Where different speed limits are specified for different classes of vehicles those can be specified using maxspeed:<vehicle>=*. The possible values for <vehicle> correspond to the values for transport modes of the key access=* (see also Examples).
Lanes
Where different speed limits are specified for each lane of a road those can be specified using maxspeed:lanes=*. Further if they should be specified for each driving direction separately the key maxspeed:lanes:forward=* resp. maxspeed:lanes:backward=* can be used, whereas lanes:forward applies to the speed limit of the lanes for the same direction as the OSM way and lanes:backward to the speed limit of the lanes of the opposite direction. See therefore also the Examples as well as the article about mapping individual lanes.
Examples
| Identification | Tagging | Remark |
|---|---|---|
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maxspeed=60 + source:maxspeed=sign | Alternatively maxspeed=60 km/h can be used. |
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maxspeed=50 mph + source:maxspeed=sign | The speed limit is specified in the unit is is legally defined and will not be converted to km/h. |
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maxspeed=50 + source:maxspeed=DE:urban maxspeed=100 + source:maxspeed=DE:rural |
On all roads in Germany, where no explicit speed limit is defined, the corresponding implicit values can be specified. |
| 10 knots | maxspeed=10 knots | The speed limit is specified in the unit is is legally defined and will not be converted to km/h. |
| Speed limit signs
Fitting photo missing |
maxspeed=signals | The (variable) speed limit is announced on speed limit signs. |
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maxspeed=60 mph + source:maxspeed=GB:nsl_single | A speed limit of 60 miles per hour on a road in the UK based on a "national speed limit" sign. |
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maxspeed:lanes=100|100|80 | A speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour on the rightmost lane on a road with an assumed general speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour. |
| 80 km/h für HGVs
Fitting photo missing |
maxspeed:hgv=80 | A speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour valid only for heavy good vehicles. |
Common mistakes
Specifications for living streets in Austria and Germany
In Austria and Germany there exists no explicit speed limit within a living street (german: Wohnstraße bzw. Verkehrsberuhigter Bereich). In general the speed should be walking speed, but the exact meaning of this is not given. Therefore no speed limit should be specified
It exists a proposal, which suggest the value walk for this case. Though the proposal seems to be inactive and the suggested value is used only about 300 times according to taginfo (April 2012).
Conversion to km/h
The speed limit should be specified in the unit it is legally defined. A conversion to the default unit km/h is misleading and therefore not wanted.
Missing space in front of the unit
Often the space is missing before the unit, e.g. maxspeed=30mph is specified instead of the correct maxspeed=30 mph.
Services
- ITO Map offers global speed limits updated daily
- Speed limits for all roads
- Speed limits only for roads of the kind
primary,trunkandmotorway - Road speed limits debug layer showing if the speed limit is in km/h, mph or other units
- Other services
- Maxspeed overlay for the Netherlands
- Maxspeed Overlay for Oceania and South-east Asia
lon=3.1670114657556687
Developers
Parser
Regular expression for numeric values only:
^([0-9][\.0-9]+?)(?:[ ]?(?:kmh|km/h|mph|kph))?$
Regular expression which catches numeric values and implicit values, e.g. like none oder signals:
^([^ ]+?)(?:[ ]?(?:kmh|km/h|mph|kph))?$
Conversion table
One mile corresponds to 1,609.344 kilometres.
| mph | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 | 40 | 45 | 50 | 55 | 60 | 65 | 70 | 75 | 80 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km/h | 8.047 | 16.093 | 24.140 | 32.187 | 40.234 | 48.280 | 56.327 | 64.374 | 72.420 | 80.467 | 88.514 | 96.561 | 104.607 | 112.654 | 120.701 | 128.748 |
One knot corresponds to one nautical mile per hour and therefore to 1.852 kilometres per hour.
| knots | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 | 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km/h | 1.852 | 3.704 | 5.556 | 7.408 | 9.260 | 11.112 | 12.964 | 14.816 | 16.668 | 18.520 | 27.780 | 37.040 | 46.300 | 55.560 | 64.820 | 74.080 |
Related keys
- minspeed=* for the minimum speed
- access=* for other restrictions
- source:maxspeed=* for the source of the speed limit
- traffic_sign=* for single traffic signs of the restriction
