Proposal:Alleyway
| Alleyway | |
|---|---|
| Proposal status: | Draft (under way) |
| Proposed by: | dieterdreist |
| Tagging: | highway=alleyway |
| Applies to: | 
|
| Definition: | a very narrow street in built-up environment, too narrow for some automobiles |
| Statistics: |
|
| Draft started: | 2024-08-22 |
| Vote end: | "when voting is finished" |
Definition
An alley, alleyway or narrow street is a street in built-up environment, which is very narrow so that at least some motorcars (considering width and length / curves) may physically not be able to pass. Typically it is delimited by buildings and walls, retaining walls or fences. Legally, the default access restrictions (access=yes) for streets apply by default but can be limited e.g. to residents with common access tags.
In an alleyway, pedestrians typically have to share the space with bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles and maybe tiny cars or other vehicles.
In Europe, most of these exist for historical reasons (medieval settlement structure).
In Asia, they often serve as pathways through dense urban environments with limited space, where motorcycle ownership and usage is very common.
Rationale
As you can see from [1], the tagging of alleys was frequently subject of discussion. While the combination of highway=service with service=alley has often been used for all kinds of "alleys" (e.g. narrow roads to the back of buildings, which were still wide enough for all or most vehicles to use, ways allowing access to the backs of houses which were not wide enough for most vehicles, and alleys in historic context, in Europe mostly medieval, that often lead to the front of buildings and can be used for "through traffic"), some mappers made the observation that classifying narrow residential streets leading to the front of houses could not be seen as "service" ways. After years of discussion it seems we can finally come to a consensus for a new main highway=* class.
Looking at the current data, I have found 4196 ways tagged with highway=residential and a width inferior to 2 meters. Almost no data consumer is handling these cases specifically, they just seem normal residential roads. A new class would make people easier aware of potential problems. While these roads serve the same purpose as residential roads, they are very different in nature and for their users.
Delimitation
If motor vehicles are not legally permitted, a different tag like highway=footway is more appropriate.
For alleys that are leading to the back of buildings, the tag highway=service with service=alley should be used.
For ways in built up areas that are too narrow to fit any kind of vehicle, highway=footway should be used.
For narrow ways outside of settlements, highway=path could be used with additional tagging like motor_vehicle=yes or motorcycle=yes (although it is controversial, maybe another tag will evolve for these).
There is also a property tag narrow=* which serves a different purpose (roads or waterways that become narrower for short lengths)
Examples
- Alleys which allow motorized traffic (covered by this proposal)
Civitella, RI, Italy
Contigliano, RI, Italy
Sarnano, MC, Italy
- Too narrow for vehicles (not an alleyway)
Bevagna, PG, Italy
Discussion
use Talk:Proposed_features/Alleyway
Further reading
- https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/should-narrow-roads-that-are-too-small-for-cars-still-be-tagged-as-minor-roads/117397
- https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/usage-of-highway-living-street-service-alley-in-residential-areas/94114
- https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/what-is-the-recommended-tagging-approach-for-routing-narrow-residential-roads/109443
- https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/re-classifying-service-alley-and-other-narrow-roads-chiang-mai/97397
- Talk:Tag:service=alley
Voting
{{vote|yes}} or {{vote|no}}