Australian Tagging Guidelines/Cycling and Foot Paths

Overview

The mapping of Australian roads is broadly consistent with the global guidelines in OpenStreetMap. This page provides supplementary guidance specific to Australia and its unique infrastructure.

Paths

There are multiple competing tagging practices (and some controversy) across OpenStreetMap with regard to appropriate path tagging.

There is significant overlap between path types and it is not possible for these guidelines to be rigidly enforced in every scenario. This ambiguity is compounded by the highly variable quality of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure: signage can be poorly maintained (or inconsistently applied), designated cycleways or pedestrian ways may become impassible following surface works, signposted cycling routes may direct cyclists to use a seemingly dedicated footway, and so on. When determining the correct tag for a particular way, multiple factors should be applied holistically: signage and path markings, "intended use" and actual use, local laws, published routes, road surface and traversibiliy, surrounding infrastructure, etc. In same cases, multiple tags could be valid: use discretion, and seek further input from the community if unsure.

Path Types

Australian Paths Tagging

Tag	Rendering	Implied Access	Description	Example
highway=bridleway		horse=designated motor_vehicle=no	Bridleways: Paths that are intended for use mainly, or exclusively, for horse riders.	Mitchell's Bridle Trail, Mount Buller Mitchell's Bridle Trail, Mount Buller
highway=cycleway		bicycle=designated motor_vehicle=no	Cycleways: Paths that are intended for use mainly, or exclusively, for bicyclists.	Bay Trail, Melbourne Bay Trail, Melbourne
highway=footway		foot=designated motor_vehicle=no	Footways: Paths that are intended for use mainly, or exclusively, for pedestrians.	Cahill Walk, Sydney Cahill Walk, Sydney
highway=path		foot=yes bicycle=yes horse=yes motor_vehicle=no	Generic paths: Can be used to denote a path with non-specific usage, or a multiple-use path. Most frequently used in bushland or remote areas where other tags would be insufficient.	Kosciuszko Walk, Kosciuszko Kosciuszko Walk, Kosciuszko
highway=pedestrian		foot=designated motor_vehicle=no	Pedestrian streets: roads, pedestrian malls, or areas mainly or exclusively for pedestrians in which some vehicle traffic may be authorized (for emergency, maintenance, etc).	Rundle Mall, Adelaide Rundle Mall, Adelaide
highway=steps		foot=yes motor_vehicle=no	Steps: A flight of stairs.	Jacobs Ladder, Brisbane Jacobs Ladder, Brisbane
leisure=track		N/A	Exercise tracks: dedicated track for running, cycling and other non-motorised racing that is outside the normal network of ways and paths.	Running Track at AIS, Canberra Running Track at AIS, Canberra

For paths that are wide enough to support motorised vehicles (such as fire breaks or park management trails) highway=track should be used; see Roads Tagging Guidelines for more information.

Footpaths (Sidewalks)

A common source of confusion for Australian mappers is the word footpath. The use of footpath in OpenStreetMap is (along with other Australian English terms) counter-intuitive to the Australian English use of the term. The relevant tag is footway=sidewalk, which uses the relatively unambiguous American term sidewalk. For clarity, these guidelines will use sidewalk from here onwards.

Australian-English term	Tag(s)	Comments
Footpath	highway=footway		A predominately pedestrian walkway.
	highway=footway footway=sidewalk		A predominately pedestrian walkway adjacent to a road.

Sidewalk Cycling

A sign restricting access from bicyclists.

A sign permitting both bicyclists and pedestrians.

The legality of riding a bike on a sidewalk is not consistent. While most states and territories allow bicyclists to use a sidewalk, local government authorities can have bylaws which restrict cycling on certain sidewalks. In states where bicyclists are not generally allowed to use a sidewalk, there are multiple different reasons of exemption. In all states and territories, signage is also used in areas to restrict (no bicycles) or allow (shared paths) bicycles on specific sidewalks.

Sidewalk Cycling by Jurisdiction

S/T	Legality	Ideal default restrictions for bicycle=* on highway=footway.
ACT NT QLD SA TAS WA	Permitted	bicycle=yes
NSW VIC	Restricted	bicycle=no

There is no established consensus on how sidewalk cycling restrictions should be mapped. While good practice dictates that local legislation should not be mapped, there is no routing solution that accurately applies default restrictions on sidewalk cycling when providing bike routes to consumers. Default restrictions are also dependant on age or whether accompanying a young person in some states.

Note that cycling on a footpath or sidewalk is legal for all ages in NSW & Victoria on shared paths. See Tag:designation=shared path for further detail on when a shared path continues even when there is no explicit shared path sign or painted blue line due to section 242(2) of the Road Safety Road Rules 2017 (Vic) and NSW Road Rules 2014 Reg 242.

The most common method of tagging sidewalks with no specific signage is no leave the way with no specific bicycle=* tag value, instead relying on implicit restrictions.

Legal Access

Sanctioned Paths

A signpost for Bellbird Trail Bellbird Trail, a sanctioned path in Mt Coot-tha Reserve

Sanctioned paths are tracks, paths and trails that the landholder has officially designated as being open to the public. These paths are usually indicated by an official track head sign or guidepost, are often maintained to ensure track quality. The landholder may have installed toilets, lighting, and other basic amenities, and the path itself may have constructed with erosion preventative infrastructure, bridges, and so forth.

highway=type
bicycle=designated
foot=designated
operator='Park Authority
note=*

The signposted and sanctioned Bellbird Trail Bellbird Trail in Mt Coot-tha Reserve. The designated access value indicates official sanctioning and specific accommodations.

Informal Paths

An informal path informal path formed by walkers taking a shortcut on the Diamond Creek Trail

An informal path is an unsanctioned, unofficial path that is in general use. These paths do not have official signage or endorsement from the landholder, but they are not closed and access to them is not restricted. Informal paths are often desire paths formed organically by individual visitors and local residents, though they are also formed by bush-bashing, urban exploration, and other recreational activities.

highway=type
informal=yes

A desire path desire path on the Diamond Creek Trail in the Challenger Street Reserve.

Closed/Illegal Paths

Signage on an Unnamed Closed Path Unnamed Closed Path in Morton National Park}}

Most park management authorities restrict access to certain areas to allow rehabilitation of vegetation and to help conserve the environment. Unfortunately not all park visitors obey these restrictions, causing damage and forming unsanctioned paths and trails. Park management authorities are continually closing unsanctioned paths, and park rangers enforce these closures through monitoring and fines. These closures may be marked on the ground with signage, barriers, or through park wide notices that you must stay on designated tracks only (implying all other tracks are closed). In popular parks, these illegal tracks can become widely trafficked and become visible on external fitness tracking software.

Mapping these tracks within OpenStreetMap is controversial and frequently discussed. There are portions of the community that feel these tracks should not exist in OSM at all, and others that feel these tracks should exist in the database, appropriately tagged to indicate the on the ground situation. It's common to see park management staff directly editing these tracks within OSM.

Why should closed tracks exist within OSM?

• From a research perspective, having data on where such tracks have existed and subsequently closed, may be useful.
• In emergency situations, knowing where there may physically be a path, albeit unmaintained and closed for use, may be useful.
• For navigation, where the closed track meets an authorised track, routers can give better instructions such as "continue straight at the intersection", or "avoid the track to the right as it is closed by authorities".
• For walkers navigating on the ground, sometimes track closure signage is vandalised and destroyed, by storing this data within OSM consumers can see the track is closed and avoid it, rather than assuming it's an unmapped official walking track.
• A deleted track in OSM is not visible to future mappers, once deleted someone is bound re-add the missing feature. Having something mapped and tagged appropriately prevents this or at least allows contributors them to see the history behind the object.

Why shouldn't closed tracks exist within OSM?

• Lack of control over rendering in downstream viewers, with various consequences for when a trail is thought to be usable or even exist.
• Mapped trails encourage traffic, trafficked trails are more likely to be mapped, there is a feedback loop, this can be very damaging to fragile environments.
• Being mapped, may bring attention to it and increase the likelihood that it will be used by someone.
• They may be used for planning hikes, meaning that trails may be added to a planned route, either through misunderstanding the closure or ignoring it.
• Once closed, trails may quickly become indistinguishable from the native vegetation, meaning directions at "intersections" are at best superfluous, and at worst confusing.
• Following on from the above, they may hinder conservation and restoration efforts.
• OSM's goal of portraying what is on the ground is admirable but OSM should also strive to be a "good citizen", to do no harm.

Current guidance

Current guidance is to use the following tagging:

abandoned:highway=type or disused:highway=type
access=no
source:access=sign
operator=Park Authority

A signed, closed path. The path is correctly tagged as being access=no, despite evidence that the sign is ignored by some visitors. Unnamed Closed Path, Morton National Park Unnamed Closed Path, Morton National Park.

When mapping these paths, consider adding additional note=* to help future mappers understand the closure and reason for tagging.

Please also see Why can't I delete this trail?, which can be shared with people outside of OSM.

Vehicle Access

Walkers are allowed to use Buxton Plateau Trail W11 Buxton Plateau Trail W11, however bicycles and horses are not permitted.

Maintenance tracks and internal service roads may be physically accessible by vehicles, usually restricted to authorised vehicles only (motor_vehicle=private), but signposted for use by walkers. These tracks should be mapped using highway=track. Access for bicycle=* and horse=* should be explicitly tagged in all cases, to avoid ambiguity caused by the legal definition of a "vehicle".

highway=track
motor_vehicle=private
foot=designated
bicycle=no
horse=no

Buxton Plateau Trail W11 Buxton Plateau Trail W11, Nattai National Park.

Trail Visibility

Without the small trail marker, this section of the Larapinta Trail Larapinta Trail near Tangentyerre Junction Tangentyerre Junction might be completely indistinguishable.

The visibility of a trail can vary greatly, even for sanctioned, official paths. Some signposted walking routes are infrequently used and are quickly consumed by the local vegetation, others are easily affected by seasonal conditions. Not all trails with no visibility are a result of external influences; many coastal walking routes will include a section of along a beach, but only signpost the official route at either end.

highway=path
trail_visibility=no

Larapinta Trail Larapinta Trail near Tangentyerre Junction Tangentyerre Junction

Informal, Invisible Trails

If a trail is not sanctioned, signposted, nor visible, it is not possible to map in OSM with any verifiability. Such routes should not be mapped in OSM at all. If they have been mapped, edited consider using not:highway=* with a note=* indicating why it should not be mapped.

These are sometimes known as off-track walks.

Temporary Closures

Duration Unknown

Where a track/trail/path has been temporarily closed (there in an intention to re-open it in the future, as opposed to a permanent closure) but without a known re-opening date, we usually would not change the tagging unless the closure is likely to be ongoing for a significant period of time. This is based on the don't map temporary events good practice guideline.

However if the closure is likely to be for a significant time period, access=no may be set.

Common reasons for closures include track damage or safety reasons and there are plans to reinstate and restore the track.

Duration Known

Where a re-opening date is known it may be tagged with foot:conditional=* for example foot:conditional=no @ (2020 Nov 29-2022 May 31).

Tagging for outdoor recreation

Because of the highly variable state of bush tracks and abilities of users, tag on the basis of their physical condition (width, surface etc) and legal (usually signposted) restrictions, rather than assigning permissions based on subjective assessments.

Hiking/Bush Walking Difficulty

AWTGS grading visible at the trailhead signage for the Uloola Falls Trail Uloola Falls Trail.

The difficulty and quality of bush tracks and trails should be mapped using the Australian Walking Track Grading System (AWTGS). The AWTGS is a nationally consistent system to grade the level of difficulty of the track walking experience and then to clearly communicate that information to walkers. It includes a five graded levels of difficulty indicating the suitability for different fitness levels. The AWTGS grade for each track should be captured using hiking_scale:awtgs=AWTGS Grade

hiking_scale:awtgs=4
source:hiking_scale:awtgs=as-signed

A hiking trail tagged with AWTGS level: Valley of the Winds Walk Valley of the Winds Walk, Kata Tjuṯa

Alternate grading schemes (such as sac_scale=*) can be used where applicable, though of grading systems designed for international terrain and weather patterns are often unsuitable for local conditions.

AWTGS Sourcing Use source:hiking_scale:awtgs=* to indicate where the AWTG was sourced.

Value	Description
user	Where the AWTGS grade has been determined by a user.
as-signed	Where the AWTGS grade has been determined by an onsite sign, usually at the start of the track
operator	Where the AWTGS grade has been determined by the operator of the track/trail. This may be from other material such as brochures, advice from the operator.

Mountain biking and BMX

In addition to the above tags, additional information can be added to paths and tracks used for mountain biking (MTB).

Value	Description
path=mtb bicycle=designated	Designated Mountain Bike Track - Signposted as an officially designated mountain bike track
bicycle=designated	Designated Pump track (Mountain Bike and BMX)
bicycle=designated path=mtb informal=yes	Informal Mountain Bike Track - an unsanctioned track or trail with no clear signage indicating the area is closed.
bicycle=no not:path=mtb (optional)	Unauthorised MTB trail. Can be signposted as closed by park management, or undergoing land remediation.

Bike Lanes and Street Cycling

A cycleway=lane on Herbert Street Herbert Street in Sydney.

There are many different types of bike lanes in Australia. Mapping of these lanes is consistent with the global guidelines

Unfortunately, it is possible for a legally designated cycle facility to be completely unusable (such as a "bike lane" that, in practice, is a parking lane). Similarly, a large road shoulder or unmarked area may be safe and implicitly useful for cyclists.  When mapping, use common sense and map according to what is on the ground, rather than relying on technical, legal definitions.

Bicycle Access on Motorways

The highway=motorway includes an implicit restriction of bicycle=no. Many motorways and freeways in Australia, particularly rural roads, permit usage by bicycles and should be tagged with bicycle=yes. It is also a good idea to add a bicycle=no tag to roads where there may be ambiguity.

Rail Trails

The old station platform in Leongatha abutting the Great Southern Rail Trail Great Southern Rail Trail

There is an ongoing trend to convert disused or abandoned railway corridors into footways and cycleways, often known as "rail trails".

highway=cycleway
railway=abandoned

Example of a rail trail following the original rail route in OpenStreetMap: East Gippsland Rail Trail East Gippsland Rail Trail.

Where these rail trails follow the path of the old railway infrastructure, the path can be tagged as both highway=highway type and railway=abandoned. Use discretion where the path of the rail trail diverts from the original path of the railway.

Route Networks

Cycle routes, Walking Routes, and Riding Routes in Australia can be mapped according to the global tagging guidelines.

Local Networks

Signage at the start of the Kings Canyon Rim Walk Kings Canyon Rim Walk in NT.

Local routes (lcn, lwn, lhn) are generally short paths and routes that are confined to a local area. This can include short scenic bush trails, suburban cycling routes, and short walks in metropolitan parks.

These routes are often maintained and signposted by local councils and can include fragmented infrastructure and bike lanes. Local routes may be identified only by destination signage rather than having a gazetted name.

Regional Networks

Signage on the Hume and Hovell Walking Track Hume and Hovell Walking Track in Albury.

Regional routes (rcn, rwn, rhn) are longer paths or routes of regional importance, and are likely be connect multiple different local networks. These paths include major cross-city routes and routes that connect regional towns. These routes are often maintained and signposted by state governments or multiple councils, and will often be more prominently defined. Regional routes will nearly always have a formal name.

National Networks

National routes (ncn, nwn, nhn) are paths or routes of national importance. National routes are of considerable length, spanning multiple regions or crossing state/territory borders. Examples include the Australian Alps Walking Trail Australian Alps Walking Trail and the Bicentennial National Trail Bicentennial National Trail

International Networks

There are no international networks (icn, iwn, ihn) in Australia as there are no routes that meet the necessary criteria.