The cyclenode networks we are talking about are specific, published networks with route signage and node signs and/or information panels. They are not a loose connection of nodes which mappers have decided to gather together in OSM for convenience. You will find them in Belgium (where they were invented), the Netherlands and some parts of Germany. (And possible elsewhere if people have decided to use the same system.) They are observable (route signs, node signage, information panels and maps) and exist verifiably in the real world.
There are separate route relations for all the roads and paths signed between two nodes and these are included in network relations which contain those route relations as well as the nodes. It would not be convenient (or probably possible) to include all the roads and nodes which make up a complete network in a single relation, so that is why we have route relations. And it is convenient for all of us who try to maintain them in OSM to have all the separate route relations collected in network relations. The same is true for other node networks mentioned (walking/hiking routes, equestrian, etc.) To answer Pieren’s original question: No, you cannot begin removing these from the database. The wiki needs to follow practice, not the other way round. From: Paul Johnson Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 4:59 PM To: Tag discussion, strategy and related tools Subject: Re: [Tagging] "Relations are not categories" excepted for "type=network" ? I'm going to have to side with Pieren against the network relation. Just spitballing, but that would roughly mean one network per county, and an additional 1-8 networks per state, occasionally one network per city, and at least 3 for national in the US alone, bringing nothing to the table that can't be accomplished in a far more manageable way in what would be each member relation. And I'm only talking road networks, and not the tens of thousands of potentially mappable transit, bicycle, hiking networks. It's like hydroponic tomatoes: a great way to seriously complicate growing without much payoff except in very few edge scenarios.
_______________________________________________ Tagging mailing list Tagging@openstreetmap.org https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging
