On Sun, Apr 17, 2016 at 09:31:05AM -0400, Greg Troxel wrote:
>
> > I seldom use a service subtag except parking_aisle because I don't
> > quite know what "driveway" or "alley" means. I am a GB native English
> > speaker.
> > These are not defined on the Key:service page. In GB English, an alley
> > would normally be tagged as a footway.
>
> It may be that these two words are from US English. I am a native en_US
> speaker.
Thanks for that explanation. There is considerable overlap with typical British
English usage, but I was aware that US custom was different but did not
know to what extent. Which is why I think a clear definition is needed.
> "driveway" refers to a place you can drive to go from a real road
> ("public way" or "private way") to someplace, sometimes a house, and
> sometimes a business.
In British English, these would normally be called just "drives". They
would (almost?) always be on private land with the possible exception of
public parks. The term would not be used for a business access road apart
from old country houses and the like that have since been converted to
commercial use, especially for hotels. To complicate matters, some
roads have "Drive" in their name, but would seldom be described as a
"drive".
> In en_US, alley is generally a road where you can drive, but which is so
Here British usage is different. You can seldom drive on a alley. It
may be the historical root is the same: in the days of narrow
horse-drawn vehicles, maybe an alley would allow passage and that was
the historical meaning. Most alleys in the UK will have bollards or such
to prevent anything beyond bicycles. However they are typically wider
than normal paths. You see why we need a clear definition? From your
description, I can't see why highway=service with a width tag would not
cover a US alley.
ael
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