Add traffic island area preset

[RudyTheDev]

This would add rendering for traffic_calming=island (i.e. these separate areas) mapped as areas. It's used de facto quite a bit, but not as much due to mistagging and imprecise tagging mentioned below.

to

It's a typical example around my area of grassy lane-dividing traffic island with a paved pedestrian section and some railings for safety. The surface tag is what specifies the actual surface. (Notice also the poor grit box without an icon 😭)

There are also:

• traffic_calming=choker taginfo
• traffic_calming=chicane taginfo

The islands are commonly mapped with less precision as just landuse=grass/natural=grass (which is probably where the majority of improvable uses are hiding). These are also mapped with multiple features as traffic_calming=island and landuse=grass. These are also occasionally "forced" to render with area=yes. All these sounds as mapping for renderer.

A different tagging also exists: area:highway=traffic_island. iD treats area:highway as "Road Surface". Wiki also says area:highway is for roads: lanes, but not extras, like shoulders, parking, sidewalks. In practice, it's used for separated islands too. I'm not sure if iD should have a preset for these too? This scheme doesn't have choker or chicane supported. I'm not even sure if it doesn't just mean the flush painted/marked areas.

• area:highway=traffic_island taginfo

[bhousel]

This would add rendering for traffic_calming=island (i.e. these separate areas) mapped as areas. It's used de facto quite a bit, but not as much due to mistagging and imprecise tagging mentioned below.

I like it!

The islands are commonly mapped with less precision as just landuse=grass/natural=grass (which is probably where the majority of improvable uses are hiding). These are also mapped with multiple features as traffic_calming=island and landuse=grass.

This seems ok too.

These are also occasionally "forced" to render with area=yes. All these sounds as mapping for renderer.

Aside: I wish people would stop reflexively dismissing "mapping for the renderer". Users want to be able to make maps out of this stuff, and I have tremendous sympathy for the developers who maintain the rendering software. We should try to pick tags that make their job easier. Thinking about it more, maybe landuse=grass/natural=grass is better for this.

A different tagging also exists: area:highway=traffic_island. iD treats area:highway as "Road Surface".

Oh yeah, area:highway is really for road surfaces, and for users who want to micromap the area of the pavement. It's not for obstacles like islands. If you find area:highway=traffic_island tags, please replace them with one of the other options above (and whoever feels like updating the wiki should do that too, so we can stop giving people bad advice).

[bhousel]

Thinking about it more, maybe landuse=grass/natural=grass is better for this.

Yeah I thought about this even more, and I think mappers should just use other more widely used tags.

I think plain old landuse=grass is better than traffic_calming=island+surface=grass

[RudyTheDev]

What does one use when the surface isn't grass?

[bhousel]

What does one use when the surface isn't grass?

I'd do this:

p.s. Added a generic "box" icon for the grit bin in 05c24c9

[RudyTheDev]

What about:

Here, it's a raised island in the middle of the road splitting lanes. It's marked off and no pedestrians are allowed. The surface is asphalt. There are reflective poles along the edges.

[bhousel]

Here, it's a raised island in the middle of the road splitting lanes. It's marked off and no pedestrians are allowed. The surface is asphalt. There are reflective poles along the edges.

Ohh ok! Yeah that is a better example of a traffic_calming=island. I think the first example you gave is not really one - it's just the space between a dual carriageway, not designed to slow the cars.

So an interesting thing - the OSM wiki has a contradiction..

• This page says they can be mapped as areas:
  https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:traffic_calming%3Disland
• But this page says nodes and ways only:
  https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:traffic_calming

That's probably the reason that we don't already have a preset for a traffic calming with area=yes. But I agree now that I know what this is, we should support this.

[RudyTheDev]

I think the first example you gave is not really one

Yeah, my bad. That example inadvertently muddles the waters with whether the pedestrian bit is a traffic calming or not.

Here's a better real example for posterity:

The left island is grass, the right one is asphalt. Both have a "pedestrian area".