highway=footway : give option for AR measurement

[JLZIMMERMANN]

Since StreetComplete v41 we are able to measure the road using AR.

It would be usefull for disabled people using wheelchair to use OpenStreetMap for routing thanks to good datas. For this purpose, we need the width of sidewalks. The option of measurement in AR would be welcome the same way.

[arrival-spring]

n.b. comment in https://github.com/streetcomplete/StreetComplete/pull/3735#pullrequestreview-891355704

Let's add this quest but let's not add any further detailing quests for street-sides for now.

[andrewharvey]

I'm not sure I understand the reasoning for not asking on highway=footway. This is useful to know for accessibility, people with wheelchairs, prams.

We should also ask for shared cycle/foot paths, particularly when segregated=no where the wider the path generally the faster and less blockages the cyclist will face.

The logic at https://github.com/streetcomplete/StreetComplete/pull/3709/files#diff-59dd56c83671be36b258fa47770c2ec40a06b6de655ba7642b2ad1a1ce33ebdeR16-R32 seems to exclude highway=cycleway/footway/path + foot=designated + bicycle=designated + segregated=no.

[arrival-spring]

I think I interpreted the question as being about sidewalks mapped as part of the road, looking back, that wasn't explicit.

So yes, the width of paths mapped as their own ways could be useful information

[mnalis]

Yes, it would be nice if issues closed as wontfix would have a short comment by person closing it why they closed it; otherwise it might be unclear (or even based on mistake) like it seems here?

[matkoniecz]

In this case explanation is in comment preceding my closure. See https://github.com/streetcomplete/StreetComplete/issues/3825#issuecomment-1057464299

[mnalis]

@matkoniecz but that comment seems to be based on misunderstanding that this issue was about tagging extra-detail (e.g. sidewalk:left:width=* tags) on highway=residential|primary|etc (which was deemed as not wanted in that linked PR), and not about tagging width=* on separate highway=footway which this issue is about instead. (which everybody seems to agree afterwards; but it was already closed by that point).

So, I also think this issue should be reopened (with subject changed to say highway=footway instead of sidewalk to eliminate confusion between different English dialects vs. OSM tagging). Do you agree?

[westnordost]

SCEE has this.

For StreetComplete, I really don't think this is a good idea, for a couple reasons:

In cities, there are double as many sidewalks as there are roads (left + right side). For quests that spawn that much, there should be a good effort to value ratio and they should not be spammy. Measuring with AR is effortful and/or spammy

Sidewalk widths can vary in width a lot, e.g. when they snake around obstacles or even when the abutting buildings/properties do not align (one is further back than the other, some buildings may have protruding parts). If one wanted to be precise here, that's really going to be a pain in the ass.

Then, for many situations, it is not clear if something should still be counted as part of the sidewalk or not. E.g. bicycle parkings, bollards, patches of greenery or even just planters placed on the sidewalk. What about outdoor seating located on the sidewalk? Oftentimes it is not clear whether that area is otherwise private property or officially still considered part of the sidewalk. Oh, and don't let me get started about parking lay-bys that "cut" into the sidewalk - split the sidewalk at the length of the parking so that it is broader at curb extensions and in-between the lay-bys? Uff!

No, this has really far too much potential in getting lost in that. This is not for StreetComplete.

Oh, and add to that that for non-sidewalks, if they are unpaved (e.g. trails through a forest), it is really quite difficult to say where it ends, i.e. what is the width.