Key:cycle_network

cycle_network
Description
A system of bicycle routes typically maintained or designated by a single agency or organization. Often corresponds to a well-defined route numbering protocol.
Group: properties
Used on these elements
Documented values: 15
Useful combination
type=route route=bicycle network=*
See also
network=*
Status: in use
cycle_network=* More details at taginfo
Tools for this tag
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This key indicates the specific route network to which a route=bicycle relation belongs. Values of this key resemble network=* values for road routes.

Rationale

The cycle_network=* key was introduced to avoid the ambiguity of generic network=* values. Cycle routes already use network=* to indicate a route's relative level in a hierarchy of cycleway networks: network=icn = international, network=ncn = national, network=rcn = regional/state/provincial, network=lcn = local. So cycle_network=* is used to help more precisely identify entities, organization (often government and hierarchical) responsible for assignment of route numbers (or names) and administration of a route numbering protocol of routes in that cycleway network. Ideally, all route relations in a single cycleway network should be tagged with the same cycle_network=* value.

How to map

While syntax for values of this key (colon-separated hierarchical Namespace elements, often two- or three-letter acronyms or abbreviations) is used in other key-value tags, each nation/region of the world creates slightly different values as this key is more widely adopted. Values in a semicolon-separated list should be parsed separately. This wiki documents current tagging strategies for cycle_network=*. Please document here (and improve existing) cycle_network=* tags as more tagging conventions emerge around the world.

While public (often government-published) bicycle routes are generally compatible with OSM's ODbL, use good judgement entering into OSM quasi-private (neither government-sanctioned nor approved, but public, for example, when signed) route data; only enter route data compatible with OSM's license and/or with explicit permission. Public route data can always be entered into OSM, quasi-private route data can also always be entered, but private route data should not be entered. If they are "personally sourced," for example, if you ride a route published under copyright while your GPS captures a GPX file, those GPX data belong to you and as an OSM Contributor you may say you have legal nexus to contribute them. However, you may or may not have a legal right to put a particular route name=* on those data. Be cautious, especially with copyrighted data and names.

Networks by region

Australia

See Australian Tagging Guidelines/Cycling and Foot Paths

Austria, Germany, Switzerland

• cycle_network=AT:Vienna:Basisrouten — Bicycle routes in Vienna's Basisrouten system.

Many existing values can be the same values preceded with DE: or other similar harmonizations. For example, radrevier.ruhr. Try clicking a taginfo link, then values in the leftmost column or an Overpass turbo link to display subsets.

Belgium

• cycle_network=BE-VLG:cycle_highway — Flemish network of cycle highways (fietssnelweg or fietsostrade).
• cycle_network=BE-VLG:icoonroutes — Network of thematic long-distance cycle routes in Flanders. Replacement of the LF-routes.

Canada

• cycle_network=CA:CA — Trans Canada Trail, Canada's premier national bicycle route.
• cycle_network=CA:XY:Z — Provincial bicycle routes, where XY is the two-letter provincial postal abbreviation and Z is the name or abbreviation of the network. For example, in FR:Route verte (Québec's "Green Way" bicycle network), each of seven routes is tagged cycle_network=CA:QC:RV. (RV happens to be tagged rcn=yes in addition to network=ncn). If a province only numbers routes with a ref=* value, not naming its regional cycleway network (network=rcn), simply leave Z empty.
• cycle_network=CA:XY:Locality – Local bicycle routes, where XY is the two-letter provincial postal abbreviation and Locality is the name of the local jurisdiction. Part of a local cycleway network (network=lcn).

France

• cycle_network=FR — The V40 is tagged like this on individual ways; it may be better expressed as a single relation with this tag.
• cycle_network=FR:## — Departmental routes, where ## is the ISO 3166-2 department code. For example, cycle_network=FR:67 is used for cycle routes in the Bas-Rhin department.

Hungary

Many existing values can be the same values preceded with HU: or other similar harmonizations. For example, Pilisbike. Try clicking the taginfo link, then values in the leftmost column and finally the Overpass turbo link to display the subsets.

Iceland

• cycle_network=IS:Lykilleiðir á Höfuðborgarsvæðinu – Key cycle routes of the Capital Area, signed for the most part.

Italy

Many existing values can be the same values preceded with IT: or other similar harmonizations. For example, Bicitalia and Biciplan - Comune di Cremona. Try clicking the taginfo link, then values in the leftmost column and finally the Overpass turbo link to display the subsets.

Japan

• cycle_network=JP:prefectural — Japan's prefectural-level bicycle routes.

New Zealand

Existing values can be the same values preceded with NZ: or other similar harmonizations. For example, Nga_Haerenga_The_New_Zealand_Cycling_Trail. Try clicking the taginfo link, then values in the leftmost column and finally the Overpass turbo link to display the subsets.

Phillipines

Existing values can be the same values preceded with PH: or other similar harmonizations (e.g. QC Bike)

Portugal

Existing values can be the same values preceded with PT: or other similar harmonizations.

South Africa

Many existing values can be the same values preceded with ZA: or other similar harmonizations. For example, Bottelary MTB. Try clicking the taginfo link, then values in the leftmost column and finally the Overpass Turbo link to display the subsets.

Spain

See ES:España/Bicicleta

Existing values can be the same values preceded with ES: or other similar harmonizations. For example, Zona Zero. Try clicking the taginfo link, then values in the leftmost column and finally the Overpass turbo link to display the subsets.

United Kingdom

• cycle_network=UK:National Cycle Network – Explicitly-numbered (in key ref=*) national cycleway network routes in the UK National Cycle Network (network=ncn), approved by Sustrans. These are often signed; improved signage is ongoing. The prefix UK: is in use even though the United Kingdom's ISO country code is GB.
• cycle_network=GB:London Cycleways (formerly 'UK:London Cycle Superhighways') - Under construction; please add detail here if you know it.
• cycle_network=GB:London Quietways – Under construction; please add detail here if you know it. This network is expected to become part of London's rebranded 'Cycleways' network in 2019.
• cycle_network=GB:London Cycle Network – Under construction; please add detail here if you know it.

The seven routes with value Liverpool might become GB:Liverpool, or those tagged with value Warrington might become GB:Warrington. There may be additional similar harmonisations possible in the UK.

United States

• cycle_network=US:US – Explicitly-numbered (in key ref=*) national cycleway network routes in the United States Bicycle Route System (network=ncn), approved by AASHTO. USBRs are sometimes signed; improved signage is ongoing.
• cycle_network=US – Four of the USA's seven quasi-national (and quasi-private) bicycle routes: East Coast Greenway (ECG), Mississippi River Trail (MRT), Western New England Greenway (WNEG) and International Selkirk Loop (ISL). While each are independent routes "national in scope" in the United States, neither ECG, MRT, WNEG, nor ISL are members of any particular well-established national cycle network (network=ncn), as there is only one, the (numbered) USBRS, and these are not member routes. ISL is now entered as two relations, the complete (international) route, tagged network=icn + cycle_network=ISL and the USA-only "quasi-national" route, tagged network=ncn + cycle_network=US.
• cycle_network=US:USA – Routes designated by the US Congress as law. There is one example, the fifth of the USA's seven quasi-national (and quasi-private) bicycle routes: the 9-11 National Memorial Trail in six mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia. The route entered the national network uniquely by unanimous vote, signed into law by the President.
• cycle_network=US:NPS – Routes designated by the US Department of Interior's National Park Service. There is one example, the sixth of the USA's seven quasi-national (and quasi-private) bicycle routes: the Natchez Trace Parkway in three southern states.
• cycle_network=US:Z – Public (government-published/sanctioned) or quasi-private (neither government-sanctioned nor approved by AASHTO, but public data) wide-area regional cycleway network (network=rcn) routes, where Z is a brief name, standardized acronym or abbreviation of the regional network. There are also private routes characterized as wide-area regional cycleway networks which should not be in OSM as this violates our ODbL, but in limited cases, are. For example, <3 routes in Adventure Cycling Association's private (commercial, proprietary, copyrighted) network are tagged cycle_network=US:ACA, which, over time, tend to be replaced by USBRs. (These entered OSM as GPX tracks, not copyrighted data).
• cycle_network=US:XY:Z – State bicycle routes, where XY is the two-letter state postal abbreviation and Z is the network name (if there is a name, otherwise Z is empty). For example, in the state of Georgia's regional cycleway network (network=rcn), each route is tagged cycle_network=US:GA and key ref=* with the value of its state-issued route number.
• cycle_network=US:XY:Locality – Local bicycle routes (often countywide or citywide): XY is the two-letter state postal abbreviation and Locality is the local jurisdiction name (county/city/town/local routes). May be in a local (network=lcn) or national (network=ncn) cycleway network: Minneapolis' Grand Rounds is locally administered, yet nationally-designated.
• cycle_network=US:XY:Locality:Local_Network – Local bicycle routes where XY is the two-letter state postal abbreviation, Locality is the local jurisdiction name (county/city/town/local routes) and Local_Network is the name of the local network (like around a university campus). Part of a local cycleway network (network=lcn).

History

This key was first introduced in July 2010 for a few state bicycle route networks in the U.S., including cycle_network=US:NY and cycle_network=US:PA, and shortly thereafter adopted for cycle_network=US:GA, demonstrating a need for differentiation that is not possible with the conventional network=* values. cycle_network=US:US appeared in October of that year, along with more state networks such as cycle_network=US:AL and the first local networks including cycle_network=US:CA:SF, cycle_network=US:FL:Miami, and cycle_network=US:WA:King. [1]

See also

• Dynamic Sophox tree map of U.S. cycling routes by network
• lcn=* : A minority is used for the name directly, not in a hierarchical format https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/keys/lcn#values
• lwn=*