Tag:service=alley

An alley or alleyway is a narrow highway=service road usually located between properties to provide access to back gardens, rear entrances, fire exits, and storage areas. Alleys are normally found in urban areas and often run between the rear sides of buildings such as houses and commercial premises.

In some regions, chiefly in Europe, narrow streets in historic cities that provide access to the main entrances of buildings may also be mapped as alleys, distinguishing them from wider modern streets mapped, for example, as highway=residential. In some areas, this case is much more common than the rear access case. In other regions this is considered a form of tagging for the renderer and is discouraged. In these regions, local mappers are advised to use instead highway=residential along with the relevant width=* and lanes=* tags.

If a narrow street is prohibited for motor vehicles, consider using highway=pedestrian. If a narrow passage is prohibited for motor vehicles, consider using highway=footway.

Narrow historic streets

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The suitability of this tag for narrow streets that lead to the main entrance of buildings is being debated.

Very narrow old public streets which run between buildings in some historic settlements, such as medieval European cities, may be mapped using service=alley. These streets do not attract through traffic, although it is often legal. Detailing narrow streets by adding maxwidth=* (if signed) and width=* is highly recommended.

Feasibility for most 4-wheel motor vehicles

Tagging	Example
Wide and legal highway=residential
Wide but illegal highway=pedestrian
Narrow, legal and possible for most vehicles highway=service + service=alley
Narrow and legal but possible only for small vehicles highway=* under discussion
Forbidden for vehicles highway=footway
Impossible (steps) highway=steps

Alley streets as a road classification in the USA

Alley streets are a road classification found in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and potentially other places. Alley streets are alleys by definition, i.e., they serve the rear of buildings, but are named. Most named alley streets have addresses assigned to them, often small homes or carriage-houses that have been converted into homes, due to Next Generation 911 (NG911) standards that require local governments to sign any public street with addresses. Alley streets may have sidewalks but they are small and designed to house trash cans or steps down from homes. Alley streets do not typically have on-street parking, which distinguishes them from residential streets.

Alley street tagging examples

Tagging	Example
Ploy Street, alley street with a narrow sidewalk highway=service + service=alley + sidewalk=both + surface=asphalt
Teakle Alley, an alley street that looks like a standard alley with no sidewalk highway=service + service=alley + sidewalk=no + surface=concrete

Examples

• United States
• 

  Bardes Alley, Cincinnati

• 

  Ira Alley, Cincinnati

• 

  Unnamed alley, Chicago

• 

  Unnamed alley, Minneapolis

Usage

• Use with highway=service

See also

• footway=alley – narrow footways for access to back gardens, rear entrances, fire exits, and storage areas where people can barely pass by
• Proposal:Alleyway - a proposal for alleys that are not covered by highway=service