With the Department of Public Works and Highways introducing route numbers and reworking the road classifications since 2014, it seems the road classifications also need to be revamped.
The 2014 DPWH classifications are: *Expressway *National road ** National primary road (1-2 digit routes) ** National secondary road (3-digit routes) ** National tertiary road *Provincial road *City/municipal road *Barangay road while the older classifications are: *Expressway *National roads **North-South Backbone **East-West Laterals **Other Roads of Strategic Importance *Provincial roads *City/municipal road *Barangay road The introduction of route numbers and more specific national road classes also meant reconsidering how we should use classifications. I agree trunk would include the major national roads that form critical links between cities and provinces, but I disagree with the present usage of primary. There are many usages of the primary tag on roads classified as provincial and below, which is not reflective of actual traffic patterns. It was previously proposed in 2009 that primary should be restricted to the national roads (see https://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/talk-ph/2010-January/001693.html), but the plan seems to have stalled. The proposal I have considered, which largely adapted from the conventions in Canada and Australia, is: *Trunk - major national roads that connect major cities (population 100k+), and forms the national transportation backbone. Usually 1 to 2-digit routes, or the primary national roads. *Primary - all other national roads that connect other cities and municipalities not served by the national road network, In urban areas, they form the other major cross-town routes. Usually 3-digit routes, or secondary national roads. *Secondary - In rural areas, roads that link municipalities to the primary network. In urban areas, they are minor arteries, which are not numbered national roads nor barangay roads, and, connects barangays/districts to the primary network. *Tertiary - In rural areas, roads that connect barangays into the secondary roads and higher. In urban areas, collector roads that are generally at the heart of a barangay or district. * Unclassified - All other roads that do not fit tertiary or residential. The system is largely based on usage over official designation, as matching OSM's road classes with the Philippine government road designations is far illogical, as they do not clearly convey their main traffic usage. Our previous two guidelines basically follow the same principle, but are quite flawed. I am also considering eliminating the "living street" classification from the existing guidelines, but I have my second thoughts, especially for narrow ones that a typical motorcycle can enter. Some open questions: 1. How should we classify roads like Daang Hari, C-6/Laguna Lakeshore Highway, and C-5 Extension, which are major intercity routes but not national roads? 2. How should bypasses and diversion routes of national roads be classified?
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