User:Trapicki/Variable traffic signs

Proposal

Subkey snow_chains:variable:type=*

Encodes the way how this sign is variable. Useful to tell users and mappers what to look for in case it's active but also in case it's inactive.

Sign may be flippable, foldable, turnable, coverable, removable, remote controlled electrically, flashing when active, rolling banner, etc..

• snow_chains:variable:type=turnable: Sign might be turned sideways, front of the sign probably facing away from the road.
• snow_chains:variable:type=foldable: Sign might be folded up or down at a hinge, front of the sign probably facing towards oncomming traffic, but blank.
• snow_chains:variable:type=coverable: Sign might be covered in cloth or with a plate, front of the sign facing towards uphill traffic.
• snow_chains:variable:type=removable: Sign or parts of it might be removed, leaving only a sign post with mounting brackets or similar.
• snow_chains:variable:type=flashing: Sign has flash lights and text stating that it is active when flash lights are blinking. Still visible if not active. Flashing signs state "when flashing", which is conditional, not variable.
• snow_chains:variable:type=prism: Sign consist of rotating prisms that show three or four different variants. May be blank or showing different information if not active.
• snow_chains:variable:type=display: LED matrix display, may show anything; LED display with possibly multiple predefined signs; both may be blank or show different information if not active. Please only map restrictions that are known to be displayed on a regular basis
• snow_chains:variable:type=rolling_banner: Rolling banner display. May be blank or showing different information if not active.

Related tags:

• Proposed_features/variable_message_sign
• active_traffic_management=*

Examples:

USA Washington specifies hinged/turable signs: https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/publications/manuals/fulltext/M51-02/Chapter2.pdf#page=126

Austria, Lower Austria, Reichenau an der Rax, foldable sign:

Variable Sign

Let's not use *:type=*. I suggest the following:

• snow_chains:variable:type=* physical characteristics on the highway=* road --> traffic_sign=* transferred directly with less clutter
  • Structure --> installation=* (from cycle_barrier:installation=*)
    • snow_chains:variable:type=removable --> installation=removable
    • snow_chains:variable:type=removable --> installation=foldable
    • snow_chains:variable:type=turnable --> installation=turnable
  • Visual
    • snow_chains:variable:type=prism --> sides=* (from advertising=*) + installation=turnable
    • snow_chains:variable:type=display --> display=* (amenity=clock suggested display:analog=* & display:digital=* in lieu of display=analog & display=digital; Not using display_type=* in Proposed_features/advertising)
    • snow_chains:variable:type=rolling_banner --> animated=* (from advertising=*)
• snow_chains:variable:type=flashing --> snow_chains:conditional=* @ (flashing_lights)
• snow_chains:variable:type=coverable TBD

-- Kovposch (talk) 09:45, 17 November 2021 (UTC)

Thanks for your comprehensive suggestions and references.

• It's clear that this information is relevant to the traffic sign, not the road restriction itself (see Key:traffic_sign#How_to_map). Traffic signs is the rabbit hole that I do not want to go down. For the actual sign contents, one can easily encode the local ID or description, no need to define this here in the proposal. Still I find it important to note that information how a variable sign is shown consistently, whatever it may be in your area. Mayby a note would do for the time being.
• While recherching for snow chains, I found surprisingly many variable signs for snow chains, and becomming vigilant to that aspect, found not many other variable traffic signs except Dynamic Traffic Control. This means there is probably not much to draw analogies to, so let's be carefull with reusing other tags that have similar, but subtle different meanings, and let's be brave and define something that fits the topic here.
• snow_chains:variable:type=flashing --> snow_chains:conditional=* @ (flashing_lights): perfectly right, will point that out and add example.
• installation=removable has a different semantic for barriers compared to this thing here. installation=foldable would more like bollard=foldable rather something like the foldable sign at chain-up area "Kettenanlegeplatz Eiberg", see [8]
• For prism, sides=* would be the wrong tag, as explained in advertising=*, rather faces, but actually it's very hard to distinguish and irrelevant. Looking at animated=* suggests trivision_blades (brand? trademark?), but I'd prefer a more descriptive prismatic_display.
• display:analog=* & display:digital=* is sensible with a clock, because very specific. Here it would be too general. Any of the identified values could be tagged either analog or digital, so no gain here, only information lost.
• Researching/asking for traffic_sign=variable_message, more to come. --Trapicki (talk) 22:54, 21 November 2021 (UTC)

I'll wait but first: Mainly this info is irrelevant to the restriction's functioning, except for flashing=* affecting the validity of a visible sign. Doesn't make sense to avoid traffic_sign=*, only to squeeze these info dangling in a convoluted tag. ---- Kovposch (talk) 11:30, 22 November 2021 (UTC)