Key:access:both_ways
 access:both_ways
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| Description |
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Used to describe the legal accessibility for lanes or similar features running in both directions of a way. 
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| Group: properties |
| Used on these elements |
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| Useful combination |
| See also |
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Status: in use
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The access:both_ways=* key is used to describe the legal accessibility for lanes or similar features running in both directions of a way.
Usage
The *:both_ways=* suffix is typically used to describe features that apply specifically to a lane in the middle of the road, which is shared by traffic moving in both directions. A common use case is a centre turn lane, also known as a two-way left turn lane (TWLTL). This should not be confused with "forward and backward", as un-suffixed keys by default apply to both directions.
When combined with access restrictions or turning rules, it allows for detailed tagging of specific regulations that apply only to this centre lane.
Tagging Syntax
When used as a suffix, both_ways is placed at the end of the key but still before any suffix following the Conditional restrictions syntax.
Keys used in combination
The following keys are commonly used together with *:both_ways=* to specify detailed lane attributes:
- lanes=* - Total number of traffic lanes available for motorised traffic.
- lanes:both_ways=* - Specifies the number of lanes used for both directions.
- turn=* - Defines turning movements allowed or required for a lane.
- change=* - Specifies which lane changes are legally allowed or forbidden.
- access=* - Describes legal accessibility for different vehicle types.
Tagging Examples
- lanes:both_ways=1 – Specifies that there is one shared lane in the middle of the road.
- turn:lanes:both_ways=left – A centre turn lane, allowing left turns from both directions.
- change:both_ways=no – No lane changing is allowed on this lane.
- access:both_ways=no – Traffic is not allowed on the centre lane.
- hgv:both_ways:forward=no – Restricts heavy goods vehicles from using the centre lane in the forward direction.
- turn:both_ways:backward=merge_to_right – Specifies a merge direction only in the backward direction for the centre lane.
Related Concepts
The lanes key is another good example of a direction-dependent feature. A road with multiple lanes can have a different number of lanes for each direction. For example:
- lanes=3, lanes:forward=1, lanes:backward=2 – A three-lane road with one forward lane and two backward lanes.
The key lanes:both_ways=* is specifically used when describing the number of shared centre lanes used by traffic in both directions.
See also
- access=* - Describes legal accessibility for different vehicle types
- *:both_ways=* - Is used to specify properties for lanes or similar features running in both directions of a way
- lanes:both_ways=* - Specifies the number of lanes used for both directions
- lanes=* - Total number of traffic lanes available for motorised traffic
- turn=* - Used to specify the direction in which a way will lead
- turn:lanes=* - Used to specify the direction in which lanes will lead
- change:lanes=* - Specifies the allowed/forbidden lane changes per lane