Key:highway

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highway
Description
Used for roads and road-related facilities. Show/edit corresponding data item.
Group: highways
Used on these elements
may be used on nodesmay be used on waysmay be used on areas (and multipolygon relations)should not be used on relations (except multipolygon relations)
Documented values: 71
Status: approvedPage for proposal
Main article: Highways

Usage

Main article: Highways

The key highway=* is the main key used for identifying any kind of road, street or path. The value of the key helps indicate the importance of the highway within the road network as a whole. See the table below for an ordered list from most important (motorway) to least important (service).

See the international highway classification equivalence for how different countries apply these tags to their own road networks.

Note that highway=* distinguishes roads by function and importance rather by their physical characteristic and legal classification. Usually these things are highly correlated, but OSM is not obligated to copy official road classifications.

This key is also used for features like bus stops, service areas, pedestrian crossings and other highway related things (see below).

Note that while it can be confusing this key is also used for tagging paths, lamp posts, bus stops, not only major roads.

Examples

We have about a dozen-and-a-half examples for urban road tagging, with photos.

Values

See below for details of commonly used values:


Highway

Key Value Element Comment Rendering carto Examples

Roads

This group lists the 7 main tags for the road network, from most to least functionally important for motor vehicle traffic.

highway motorway way A restricted access major divided highway, normally with 2 or more running lanes plus emergency hard shoulder. Equivalent to the Freeway, Autobahn, etc..
highway trunk way The most important roads in a country's system that aren't motorways. (Need not necessarily be a divided highway.)
  • Cat and Fiddle Road, England
    Cat and Fiddle Road, England
highway primary way The next most important roads in a country's system. (Often link larger towns.)
  • Hunsrückhöhenstraße, Kappel, Germany
    Hunsrückhöhenstraße, Kappel, Germany
  • Tanami Road, Australia
    Tanami Road, Australia
highway secondary way The next most important roads in a country's system. (Often link towns.)
  • L134, Meyenburg, Schwanewede, Germany
    L134, Meyenburg, Schwanewede, Germany
  • Vatnsnesvegur, Iceland
    Vatnsnesvegur, Iceland
highway tertiary way The next most important roads in a country's system. (Often link smaller towns and villages)
  • Bergedorfer Straße, Worpswede, Germany
    Bergedorfer Straße, Worpswede, Germany
  • Canol Road, Yukon, Canada
    Canol Road, Yukon, Canada
highway unclassified way The least important through roads in a country's system – i.e. minor roads of a lower classification than tertiary, but which serve a purpose other than access to properties. (Often link villages and hamlets.)

The word 'unclassified' is a historical artefact of the UK road system and does not mean that the classification is unknown; you can use highway=road for that.

  • Sentiero 00, Cantagallo, Tuscany, Italy
    Sentiero 00, Cantagallo, Tuscany, Italy
  • Kuskealleen, Vordingborg, Denmark
    Kuskealleen, Vordingborg, Denmark
highway residential way Roads which serve as an access to housing, without function of connecting settlements. Often lined with housing.
  • Main Street, Elko, Nevada, USA
    Main Street, Elko, Nevada, USA

Link roads

highway motorway_link way The link roads (sliproads/ramps) leading to/from a motorway from/to a motorway or lower class highway. Normally with the same motorway restrictions.
A5 exit link to A672, Darmstadt, Germany
A5 exit link to A672, Darmstadt, Germany
highway trunk_link way The link roads (sliproads/ramps) leading to/from a trunk road from/to a trunk road or lower class highway.
A7 / OAL23 interchange, Nesselwang, Germany
A7 / OAL23 interchange, Nesselwang, Germany
highway primary_link way The link roads (sliproads/ramps) leading to/from a primary road from/to a primary road or lower class highway.
B20 exit and entrance to Brunn, Fridolfing, Germany
B20 exit and entrance to Brunn, Fridolfing, Germany
highway secondary_link way The link roads (sliproads/ramps) leading to/from a secondary road from/to a secondary road or lower class highway.
highway tertiary_link way The link roads (sliproads/ramps) leading to/from a tertiary road from/to a tertiary road or lower class highway.

Special road types

highway living_street way For living streets, which are residential streets where pedestrians have legal priority over cars, speeds are kept very low.
beginning of a living street with a paving stones surface and some trees and cars parking at the sides
beginning of a living street with a paving stones surface and some trees and cars parking at the sides
highway service way area For access roads to, or within an industrial estate, camp site, business park, car park, alleys, etc. Can be used in conjunction with service=* to indicate the type of usage and with access=* to indicate who can use it and in what circumstances.
highway pedestrian way area For roads used mainly/exclusively for pedestrians in shopping and some residential areas which may allow access by motorised vehicles only for very limited periods of the day. To create a 'square' or 'plaza' create a closed way and tag as pedestrian and also with area=yes.
highway track way Roads for mostly agricultural or forestry uses. To describe the quality of a track, see tracktype=*. Note: Although tracks are often rough with unpaved surfaces, this tag is not describing the quality of a road but its use. Consequently, if you want to tag a general use road, use one of the general highway values instead of track.
highway bus_guideway way A busway where the vehicle guided by the way (though not a railway) and is not suitable for other traffic. Please note: this is not a normal bus lane, use access=no, psv=yes instead!
highway escape way For runaway truck ramps, runaway truck lanes, emergency escape ramps, or truck arrester beds. It enables vehicles with braking failure to safely stop.
highway raceway way A course or track for (motor) racing
highway road way A road/way/street/motorway/etc. of unknown type. It can stand for anything ranging from a footpath to a motorway. This tag should only be used temporarily until the road/way/etc. has been properly surveyed. If you do know the road type, do not use this value, instead use one of the more specific highway=* values.
highway busway way A dedicated roadway for bus rapid transit systems
grade-seperated section of busway outside of station
grade-seperated section of busway outside of station

Paths

highway footway way area For designated footpaths; i.e., mainly/exclusively for pedestrians. This includes walking tracks and gravel paths. If bicycles are allowed as well, you can indicate this by adding a bicycle=yes tag. Should not be used for paths where the primary or intended usage is unknown. Use highway=pedestrian for pedestrianised roads in shopping or residential areas and highway=track if it is usable by agricultural or similar vehicles. For ramps (sloped paths without steps), combine this tag with incline=*.
highway bridleway way For horse riders. Pedestrians are usually also permitted, cyclists may be permitted depending on local rules/laws. Motor vehicles are forbidden.
highway steps way For flights of steps (stairs) on footways. Use with step_count=* to indicate the number of steps
highway corridor way For a hallway inside of a building.
highway path way A non-specific path. Use highway=footway for paths mainly for walkers, highway=cycleway for one also usable by cyclists, highway=bridleway for ones available to horse riders as well as walkers and highway=track for ones which is passable by agriculture or similar vehicles.
highway via_ferrata way A via ferrata is a route equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges in order to increase ease and security for climbers. These via ferrata require equipment : climbing harness, shock absorber and two short lengths of rope, but do not require a long rope as for climbing.

When sidewalk/crosswalk is tagged as a separate way

footway sidewalk way Sidewalk that runs typically along residential road. Use in combination with highway=footway or highway=path
footway crossing way Crosswalk that connects two sidewalks on the opposite side of the road. Often recognized by painted markings on the road, road sign or traffic lights. Use in combination with highway=footway or highway=path. Useful information is presence of tactile_paving=*, wheelchair=* suitability and kerb=* represented as a node on the crosswalk way.
footway traffic_island way The way between two crossings, safespot for pedestrians, has micromapping characteristics as a detailed alternative to =*. Use in combination with highway=footway or highway=path.

When sidewalk (or pavement) is tagged on the main roadway (see Sidewalks)

sidewalk both | left | right | no way Specifies that the highways has sidewalks on both sides, on one side or no sidewalk at all

When cycleway is drawn as its own way (see Bicycle)

highway cycleway way For designated cycleways. Add foot=*, though it may be avoided if default-access-restrictions do apply.
Separated cycleway with traffic sign
Separated cycleway with traffic sign

Cycleway tagged on the main roadway or lane (see Bicycle)

cycleway lane way A lane is a route that lies within the roadway
cycleway opposite way Deprecated variant for ways with oneway=yes where it is legally permitted to cycle in both directions. Replaced by oneway:bicycle=no.
cycleway opposite_lane way Deprecated variant for ways with oneway=yes that have a cycling lane going the opposite direction of normal traffic flow (a "contraflow" lane). Replaced by oneway:bicycle=no + cycleway:left=lane/cycleway:right=lane + cycleway:left:oneway=-1/cycleway:right:oneway=-1.
cycleway track way A track provides a route that is separated from traffic. In the United States, this term is often used to refer to bike lanes that are separated from lanes for cars by pavement buffers, bollards, parking lanes, and curbs. Note that a cycle track may alternatively be drawn as a separate way next to the road which is tagged as highway=cycleway.
cycleway opposite_track way Deprecated variant for ways with oneway=yes that have a cycling track going the opposite direction of normal traffic flow. Replaced by oneway:bicycle=no + cycleway:left=track/cycleway:right=track + cycleway:left:oneway=-1/cycleway:right:oneway=-1.
cycleway share_busway way There is a bus lane that cyclists are permitted to use.
cycleway opposite_share_busway way Deprecated variant for ways with oneway=yes that have a bus lane that cyclists are also permitted to use, and which go in the opposite direction to normal traffic flow (a "contraflow" bus lane). Replaced by oneway:bicycle=no + cycleway:left=share_busway/cycleway:right=share_busway + cycleway:left:oneway=-1/cycleway:right:oneway=-1.
cycleway shared_lane way Cyclists share a lane with motor vehicles, there are markings reminding about this. In some places these markings are known as "sharrows" ('sharing arrows') and this is the tag to use for those.

Busways tagged on the main roadway or lane (see Bus lanes)

busway lane way Deprecated variant to tag bus lanes. Replaced by bus/psv lane tagging lanes:bus=* / lanes:psv=*) / bus:lanes=* / psv:lanes=*
busway opposite way Deprecated variant for ways with oneway=yes where buses are legally permitted to travel in both directions. Replaced by oneway:bus=no
busway opposite_lane way Deprecated variant for ways with oneway=yes that have a bus lane which go in the opposite direction to normal traffic flow (a "contraflow" bus lane). Replaced by oneway:bus=no and lanes:bus=* / lanes:psv=*) / bus:lanes=* / psv:lanes=*

Street parking tagged on the main roadway (see Street parking)

parking:left / :right / :both
(hereafter: parking:side)
lane | street_side | on_kerb | half_on_kerb | shoulder | no | separate | yes way Primary key to record parking along the street. Describes the parking position of parked vehicles in the street.
parking:sideorientation=* parallel | diagonal | perpendicular way To specify the orientation of parked vehicles if there is street parking.

Lifecycle (see also lifecycle prefixes)

highway proposed way For planned roads, use with proposed=* and a value of the proposed highway value.
highway construction way For roads under construction. Use construction=* to hold the value for the completed road.
different colours

Attributes

abutters commercial | industrial | mixed | residential | retail etc. way See Key:abutters for more details.
bicycle_road yes way A bicycle road is a road designated for bicycles. If residential streets get the status of bicycle roads, normally, by special signs, motor traffic is admitted with limited speed, often only for residents.
bus_bay both | left | right way A bus bay outside the main carriageway for boarding/alighting
change yes | no | not_right | not_left | only_right | only_left way Specify the allowed/forbidden lane changes
destination <place name of destination> way Destination when following a linear feature
embankment yes | dyke way A dyke or a raised bank to carry a road, railway, or canal across a low-lying or wet area.
embedded_rails yes | <type of railway> way A highway on which non-railway traffic is also allowed has railway tracks embedded in it but the rails are mapped as separate ways.
ford yes node way The road crosses through stream or river, vehicles must enter any water.
frontage_road yes way A frontage road.
ice_road yes way A highway is laid upon frozen water basin, definitely doesn't exist in summer.
incline Number % | ° | up | down node way Incline steepness as percents ("5%") or degrees ("20°"). Positive/negative values indicate movement upward/downwards in the direction of the way.
junction roundabout way closed way This automatically implies oneway=yes, the oneway direction is defined by the sequential ordering of nodes within the Way. This applies on a way, tagged with highway=* already.
lanes <number> way The number of traffic lanes for general purpose traffic, also for buses and other specific classes of vehicle.
lane_markings yes | no way Specifies if a highway has painted markings to indicate the position of the lanes.
lit yes | no nodewayarea Street lighting
maxspeed <number> way Specifies the maximum legal speed limit on a road, railway or waterway.
motorroad yes | no way node The motorroad tag is used to describe highways that have motorway-like access restrictions but that are not a motorway.
mountain_pass yes node The highest point of a mountain pass.
mtb:scale 0-6 way Applies to highway=path and highway=track. A classification scheme for mtb trails (few inclination and downhill).
mtb:scale:uphill 0-5 way A classification scheme for mtb trails for going uphill if there is significant inclination.
mtb:scale:imba 0-4 way The IMBA Trail Difficulty Rating System shall be used for bikeparks. It is adapted to mtb trails with artificial obstacles.
mtb:description Text way Applies to highway=path and highway=track. A key to input variable infos related to mtbiking on a way with human words
oneway yes | no | reversible way Oneway streets are streets where you are only allowed to drive in one direction.
oneway:bicycle yes | no | way Used on ways with oneway=yes where it is legally permitted to cycle in both directions.
overtaking yes | no | caution | both | forward | backward way Specifying sections of roads where overtaking is legally forbidden. Use overtaking:forward=yes/no/caution and overtaking:backward=yes/no/caution when it depends on driving direction.
parking:lane parallel | diagonal | perpendicular | marked | no_parking | no_stopping | fire_lane. way Deprecated variant to map parking along streets. See section on street parking above or the street parking page for more details.
parking:condition free | ticket | disc | residents | customers | private way Deprecated variant to map parking conditions along streets. See section on street parking above or the street parking page for more details.
passing_places yes way A way which has frequent passing places (See also: highway=passing_place)
priority forward | backward way Traffic priority for narrow parts of roads, e.g. narrow bridges.
priority_road designated | yes_unposted | end way Specifying roads signposted as priority roads.
sac_scale strolling | hiking | mountain_hiking | demanding_mountain_hiking | alpine_hiking | demanding_alpine_hiking | difficult_alpine_hiking way Applies to highway=path and highway=footway. A classification scheme for hiking trails.
service alley | driveway | parking_aisle etc. way See Key:service for more details.
shoulder no | yes | right | both | left way Presence of shoulder in highway
side_road yes way A side road.
smoothness excellent | good | intermediate | bad | very_bad | horrible | very_horrible | impassable way area Specifies the physical usability of a way for wheeled vehicles due to surface regularity/flatness. See Key:smoothness for more details.
surface paved | unpaved | asphalt | concrete | paving_stones | sett | cobblestone | metal | wood | compacted | fine_gravel | gravel | pebblestone | plastic | grass_paver | grass | dirt | earth | mud | sand | ground way See Key:surface for more details.
tactile_paving yes | no node way area A paving in the ground to be followed with a blindman's stick.
tracktype grade1 | grade2 | grade3 | grade4 | grade5 way To describe the quality of the surface. See Key:tracktype for more information.
traffic_calming bump | hump | table | island | cushion | yes | etc. node way Features used to slow down traffic. See Key:traffic calming for more details.
trail_visibility excellent | good | intermediate | bad | horrible | no way Applies to highway=path, highway=footway, highway=cycleway and highway=bridleway. A classification for hiking trails visibility
trailblazed yes | no | poles | cairns | symbols way Applies to highway=*. Describing trail blazing and marking. See Key:trailblazed for more information.
trailblazed:visibility excellent | good | intermediate | bad | horrible | no way Applies to trailblazed=*. A classification for visibility of trailblazing. See Key:trailblazed:visibility for more information.
turn left | slight_left | through | right | slight_right | merge_to_left | merge_to_right | reverse way The key turn can be used to specify the direction in which a way or a lane will lead.
width <number> way The width of a feature.
winter_road yes way A highway functions during winter, probably can't be driven in summer.

Other highway features

highway bus_stop node A small bus stop. Optionally one may also use public_transport=stop_position for the position where the vehicle stops and public_transport=platform for the place where passengers wait.
highway crossing node A.k.a. crosswalk. Pedestrians can cross a street here; e.g., zebra crossing
highway cyclist_waiting_aid node Street furniture for cyclists that are intended to make waiting at esp. traffic lights more comfortable.
highway elevator node way An elevator or lift, used to travel vertically, providing passenger and freight access between pathways at different floor levels.
highway emergency_bay node way An area beside a highway where you can safely stop your car in case of breakdown or emergency.
highway emergency_access_point node Sign number which can be used to define your current position in case of an emergency. Use with ref=NUMBER_ON_THE_SIGN. See also emergency=access_point
highway give_way node A "give way," or "Yield" sign
emergency phone node A calling device can be used to tell on your current position in case of an emergency. Use with ref=NUMBER_ON_THE_SIGN
highway hitchhiking node Like a bus_stop but for free, uncertain, spontaneous rides with strangers.
highway ladder nodeway A vertical or inclined set of steps or rungs intended for climbing or descending of a person with the help of hands.
highway milestone node Highway location marker
highway mini_roundabout node Similar to roundabouts, but at the center there is either a painted circle or a fully traversable island. In case of an untraversable center island, junction=roundabout should be used.

Rendered as anti-clockwise by default direction=anticlockwise. To render clockwise add the tag direction=clockwise.

highway motorway_junction node Indicates a junction (UK) or exit (US). ref=* should be set to the exit number or junction identifier. (Some roads – e.g., the A14 – also carry junction numbers, so the tag may be encountered elsewhere despite its name)
highway passing_place node The location of a passing space
highway platform node way area A platform at a bus stop or station.
highway rest_area node area Place where drivers can leave the road to rest, but not refuel.
highway services node area A service station to get food and eat something, often found at motorways
highway speed_camera node A fixed road-side or overhead speed camera.
highway speed_display node A dynamic electronic sign that displays the speed of the passer-by motorist.
highway stop node A stop sign
highway street_lamp node A street light, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road, which is turned on or lit at a certain time every night
highway toll_gantry node A toll gantry is a gantry suspended over a way, usually a motorway, as part of a system of electronic toll collection. For a toll booth with any kind of barrier or booth see: barrier=toll_booth
highway traffic_mirror node Mirror that reflects the traffic on one road when direct view is blocked.
highway traffic_signals node Lights that control the traffic
highway trailhead node Designated place to start on a trail or route
highway turning_circle node A turning circle is a rounded, widened area usually, but not necessarily, at the end of a road to facilitate easier turning of a vehicle. Also known as a cul de sac.
highway turning_loop node A widened area of a highway with a non-traversable island for turning around, often circular and at the end of a road.
highway User Defined node way All commonly used values according to Taginfo

This table is a wiki template with a default description in English. Editable here.

Assumptions

Unpaved road of major importance, example of a tertiary road on Highway Tag Africa
Forestry road not used as link between settlements, correctly tagged as highway=track + surface=asphalt + tracktype=grade1

Only motorway and motorway_link indicate quality. Other road types, from trunk to tertiary to residential, service, path, footway, cycleway or track, do not imply anything about road quality, only importance and intended main use.

In a region with poor infrastructure, a road of highest importance, forming the main road network there, should be trunk, regardless of being a high-quality wide asphalt road or a low-quality narrow track worse than service in other regions. Examples include the Kolyma Highway (P-504) and the Vilyuy Highway (A-331) in the Russian Far East, and a long stretch of the Trans-Amazonian Highway (BR-230) and BR-319 in the North Region of Brazil.

A typical primary can also vary drastically between different regions on the planet. Some primary roads in parts of Africa, Asia, South America, Canada, Alaska, Australia and Iceland are unpaved. Examples include the Anadyr Highway (A-384) in the Russian Far East and the Juba–Rumbek Road (route 69) in South Sudan.

It is highly recommended to add tags describing road quality, such as surface=*. In one region, it may be obvious that all tertiary roads are paved and all track ways are not paved, but this kind of assumption does not work worldwide. Tagging at least some common values allows building a set of default values ​​for each area.

In the absence of surface=*, tracktype=* and other tags describing road quality, one may try to extrapolate this information from the value of the highway tag. This should be fine-tuned for each region.

See also

Possible tagging mistakes

If you know places with this tag, verify if it could be tagged with another tag.
Automated edits are strongly discouraged unless you really know what you are doing!