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Well, I'm quite happy with Openstreetmap's directions for biking (I mostly use OSMand, but there are other apps/routers). They have elevation, private/public r

Well, I'm quite happy with Openstreetmap's directions for biking (I mostly use OSMand, but there are other apps/routers). They have elevation, private/public roads, road surface, bike lanes, etc, and routers can take it into account. Of course, that doesn't really take into account varying laws, but that might be reflected in the maps themselves (private/public places, bikes allowed/disallowed, etc). See also https://www.opencyclemap.org https://www.opencyclemap.org

Lio 7y ago
Openstreermap drives me crazy. They use the designations “town” and “city” as a way of ranking places in terms of importance. Here in the UK that designation is almost arbitrary. There are several large towns with greater population and navigational importance than surrounding smaller cities. All the commercial map providers, including Apple Maps, grok that. Only opensteetmap seems still rigidly to the town < city thing. Would be much better if they could use population instead.
- Doctor_Fegg 7y ago
  OSM does record population, and many sites that use OSM data parse that information. I think you're overstating the importance of the demo stylesheet on openstreetmap.org, which really isn't significant: OSM is all about recording factual map data and making it freely available.
  - Lio 7y ago
    Not sure if stylwsheet has a different meaning in the context of OSM but it is what is shown when you zoom out that I’m objecting to. If the OSM project is just about data then it’s doing a great job. If it’s about a usable navigation experience too then it’s failing because in the UK it doesn’t take local politics into account when deciding what to display.
    - Doctor_Fegg 7y ago
      It’s 95% about data. FWIW OSM was founded and is still heavily influenced by the UK. As a UK user I like it that ceremonial cities are tagged and displayed as such. YMMV.
      - Lio 7y ago
        I have no problem with ceremonial cities being marked as such. What I have a big problem with is that major towns, by both population and local importance, are left off the map until you zoom to a low level. I find this annoying enough that I actively avoid OSM based sites because it. It makes using OSM difficult to see major towns in relation other major cities. Meanwhile there’ll be a tiny ceremonial city with a huge label over it.
- briandear 7y ago
  In the UK, the City designation is political and not based on size. So I agree, a worthless proxy for size.

Lio 7y ago

Openstreermap drives me crazy. They use the designations “town” and “city” as a way of ranking places in terms of importance. Here in the UK that designation is almost arbitrary. There are several large towns with greater population and navigational importance than surrounding smaller cities. All the commercial map providers, including Apple Maps, grok that. Only opensteetmap seems still rigidly to the town < city thing. Would be much better if they could use population instead.

Doctor_Fegg 7y ago
OSM does record population, and many sites that use OSM data parse that information. I think you're overstating the importance of the demo stylesheet on openstreetmap.org, which really isn't significant: OSM is all about recording factual map data and making it freely available.
- Lio 7y ago
  Not sure if stylwsheet has a different meaning in the context of OSM but it is what is shown when you zoom out that I’m objecting to. If the OSM project is just about data then it’s doing a great job. If it’s about a usable navigation experience too then it’s failing because in the UK it doesn’t take local politics into account when deciding what to display.
  - Doctor_Fegg 7y ago
    It’s 95% about data. FWIW OSM was founded and is still heavily influenced by the UK. As a UK user I like it that ceremonial cities are tagged and displayed as such. YMMV.
    - Lio 7y ago
      I have no problem with ceremonial cities being marked as such. What I have a big problem with is that major towns, by both population and local importance, are left off the map until you zoom to a low level. I find this annoying enough that I actively avoid OSM based sites because it. It makes using OSM difficult to see major towns in relation other major cities. Meanwhile there’ll be a tiny ceremonial city with a huge label over it.
briandear 7y ago
In the UK, the City designation is political and not based on size. So I agree, a worthless proxy for size.