Australian Tagging Guidelines/Roads

Overview

The mapping of Australian roads is broadly consistent with the global guidelines in OpenStreetMap. This page provides supplementary guidance specific to Australia and its unique infrastructure.

Road Hierarchy

The implementation of highway=* classifications varies significantly from country to country. The standard practice in Australia is generally consistent with the global definition, and the examples below can help contextualise the application of this hierarchy for local mappers.

There is no direct correlation between the road classification and route numbers. The classifications provided below are a guide, but mappers should classify highways based on the actual nature of the road, rather than any formal route designation.

Australian Road Hierarchy

Tag	Rendering	Classification	Description			Example
highway=motorway		M roads PD (WA)	Motorways, freeways, and freeway-standard roads.	Urban	The metropolitan motorway/freeway network.	M4 Western Motorway, Greater Sydney M4 Western Motorway, Greater Sydney
				Rural	Generally will be divided roads with at least 2 lanes in each direction, 100km/h+ speed limit, limited access via interchanges, and no traffic lights.	Federal Highway (M23), New South Wales Federal Highway (M23), New South Wales
highway=trunk		A roads M (Non-Fwy) PD/RD (WA) NH	The next-most important roads. Major highways, trunk routes spanning connecting population centres.	Urban	Major highways and cross-city roads that don't qualify as a motorway.	Canning Highway, Greater Perth Canning Highway, Greater Perth
				Rural	Important highways connecting major population centres.	Landsborough Highway, Western Queensland Landsborough Highway, Western Queensland
highway=primary		B roads Other State Roads PD/RD/DA (WA) SR	The next-most important roads. Major connecting roads and highways.	Urban	Other cross-city routes and arterial roads. State roads that are not Class A roads in some metropolitan areas (except transit ways).	Tiger Brennan Drive, Darwin Tiger Brennan Drive, Darwin
				Rural	State maintained roads connecting major population centres and the trunk network.	The Outback Highway, South Australia The Outback Highway, South Australia
highway=secondary		C roads Regional Roads (NSW) PD/RD/DA/DB (WA)	The next-most important roads.	Urban	Major roads within a local area, often connecting neighbouring suburbs.	Invermay Road, Invermay Invermay Road, Invermay
				Rural	Roads providing links to smaller population centres and the primary network.	Wallabadah Road, Quirindi Wallabadah Road, Quirindi
highway=tertiary		D roads Collector Roads Distributor B/Local Distributor (WA)	The next-most important roads.	Urban	Minor through roads and routes within a local area. Often act as feeders to residential streets and are managed by local councils.	Skye Road, Frankston Skye Road, Frankston
				Rural	Roads providing links towns, villages, points of interest.	Springs Road, Kangaroo Island Springs Road, Kangaroo Island
highway=unclassified		Industrial Roads (WA)	Minor roads that are neither tertiary or residential roads. Not generally through routes.	Urban	Other streets.	Lawrence Hargrave Way, Parafield Lawrence Hargrave Way, Parafield
				Rural	Other named minor roads.	Ruwolts Road, Boomanoomana Ruwolts Road, Boomanoomana
highway=residential		Access Roads (WA)	Residential and other local streets.	Urban	Residential Streets.	Wayfarer Avenue, Mermaid Waters Wayfarer Avenue, Mermaid Waters
				Rural	Local streets in and around towns and rural areas.	Gurney Way, Eucla Gurney Way, Eucla
highway=service			Service and access roads	Urban	Service and access roads. Also used for small rear-access lanes.	Lennox Crossing, Acton Lennox Crossing, Acton
				Rural	Same as urban.	Toms Ridge Road, Christmas Island Toms Ridge Road, Christmas Island
highway=track			Service and access roads that aren't part of the general road network. Generally not paved, often not public access for vehicles.	Urban	Unpaved access tracks and paths in urban parklands, fire tracks, etc.	Blackbutt West Firetrail, Blackbutt Blackbutt West Firetrail, Blackbutt
				Rural	Fire trails, forest drives, 4WD tracks, and similar roads.	Telephone Swamp Road, Tibooburra Telephone Swamp Road, Tibooburra

Other Roads

Other Australian Roads

Tag	Rendering	Description	Example	Image
highway=living_street		A "shared zone" thoroughfare with low speed limits (often 10-20km/h) where pedestrian traffic is given higher priority over vehicles. Often used on major pedestrian shopping roads or where pedestrians may cross the road unexpectedly. Does not include "shared zone" parking aisles/driveways: use designation=shared_zone.	Wells Street, Redfern Wells Street, Redfern
highway=* designation=shared_zone		"Shared Zone" (signage) roads that do not qualify as a living street, such as "shared zone" parking aisles and driveways..	Redcliffe Parade, Redcliffe Redcliffe Parade, Redcliffe
Pipestems

Re pipestem discussions see talk-au Sept 21, Mar 22, https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Talk:Tag:service%3Ddriveway#Pipestems
Possible indicators of shared driveways vs streets include:
named streets,
house numbers,
rubbish collection location,
road markings,
sign posts,
footpaths,
nature strips
streetlights
letter box locations
breaks the kerb with a ramp or level
has a kerb
private or public land
maintained by government or owners
part of the public road network
access control: gates and signage

Road Details

Surface and Road Seal

Portions of the primary Diamantina Developmental Road () in Queensland are unpaved.

Australia is the sixth largest country by area in the world and is one of the most sparsely populated. Australia's population is heavily concentrated on the coast, and the interior of the country is dominated by harsh, unforgiving terrain. Construction and maintenance of paved roads in profoundly remote areas is both impractical and uneconomical, and some outback highways are challenging roads only navigable by certain vehicles. Due to the highly variable standard of maintenance of roads in Australia the classification of a road cannot be used to infer the type of road surface. The surface=* tag should be added to roads wherever possible, particularly in regional and rural areas, for this reason.

highway=primary
surface=unpaved

Example of an important, unpaved road in OpenStreetMap: Diamantina Developmental Road Diamantina Developmental Road.

Road Quality and 4WD-only roads

4WD recommended sign on the Canning Stock Route Canning Stock Route

The Australian usage of the term " four-wheel drive" (4WD) has caused confusion for international mappers in the past, who may be more familiar with terms such as " off road vehicle".

The tracktype=* tag can be used to denote the navigability of an unsealed road. In addition to the documented, globally accepted values grade1—grade5, the tag has been used to denote difficult tracks. In addition, the tag 4wd_only=* can be used to indicate signage recommending vehicle suitability. These tags are not currently rendered in the standard OSM style (see Rendering of road surface in standard OSM style) but are still useful for data consumers.

Track Types 6—8 usage in Australia

Track type code	Description	Aus. Usage	Example	Image
tracktype=grade6	Roads that are best navigated by off road vehicles. Conventional road vehicles may be able to use these roads, but may challenge inexperienced drivers or risk vehicle damage.	tracktype=grade6 $1% More details at taginfo	Nyangumarta Highway Nyangumarta Highway	image needed
tracktype=grade7	Roads that can only be navigated by off road vehicles. Conventional road vehicles would not be able to use these roads at all.	tracktype=grade7 $1% More details at taginfo	Rudall River Road Rudall River Road	image needed
tracktype=grade8	Roads so treacherous they can only be navigated by experienced off road drivers in specially equipped or modified vehicles.	tracktype=grade8 $1% More details at taginfo	Kangaroo Hill Track Kangaroo Hill Track	image needed

4WD road suitability

4wd_only code	Description	Aus. Usage	Example	Image
4wd_only=recommended	Roads that are best navigated by off road vehicles. Conventional road vehicles may be able to use these roads, but may challenge inexperienced drivers or risk vehicle damage.	4wd_only=recommended $1% More details at taginfo	Mount Korong Firebreak Track Mount Korong Firebreak Track	Road sign at Wielangta Road Wielangta Road indicating road sections suitable for 4WD vehicles only
4wd_only=yes	Roads that can only be navigated by off road vehicles. Conventional road vehicles would not be able to use these roads at all.	4wd_only=yes $1% More details at taginfo	Kidson Track Kidson Track	image needed
4wd_only=extreme	Roads so treacherous they can only be navigated by experienced off road drivers in specially equipped or modified vehicles.	4wd_only=extreme $1% More details at taginfo	Ruby Gap Park Ruby Gap Park	image needed

Dry Weather Only / Seasonal Roads

Roads that are only suitable in certain kinds of weather can be mapped using conditional restrictions, or seasonal=*.

An example of these are roads, tracks & walking trails in the Victorian High Country, that are usually closed from June - October. In addition to normal highway=* tagging, they could also be tagged as access:conditional=no @ (Jun-Oct) + seasonal=yes

Road Rules

School Zones

School zones can be mapped using the maxspeed:conditional=* tag in conjunction with the "SH" opening hours syntax. Each state and territory has its own speed zone laws and the table below can be a helpful guide to tagging these restrictions accurately. Most states introduce a 40km/h or 60km/h speed limit during times where children are likely to be present.

Example Speed Zones by State/Territory

S/T	Description	Tag Suggestion	Example	Photo	Road Sign
ACT	40km/h between 8am and 4pm Monday-Friday. The school zone signs are folded up and hidden during school holidays.	maxspeed:conditional=40 @ (Mo-Fr 08:00-16:00; SH off)	Davenport Street, Dickson Davenport Street, Dickson outside Emmaus Christian School.
NSW	Standard Times are 8am to 9:30am, and 2:30pm to 4pm. Individual zones can vary.	maxspeed:conditional=40 @ (Mo-Fr 08:00-09:30,14:30-16:00; PH off; SH off)	Yass Street, Queanbeyan Yass Street, Queanbeyan outside Queanbeyan East Primary School		traffic_sign=AU:R4-230
NT	Standard Times are 7am to 5pm on School Days. Individual zones can vary	maxspeed:conditional=40 @ (Mo-Fr 07:00-17:00; PH off; SH off)	Belyuen Road, Rosebery Belyuen Road, Rosebery outside Palmerston College	image needed
QLD	Standard times are 7am to 9am, and 2pm - 4pm on School Days. Individual zones can vary.	maxspeed:conditional=40 @ (Mo-Fr 07:00-09:00,14:00-16:00; PH off; SH off)	Yundah Street, Shorncliffe Yundah Street, Shorncliffe outside Shorncliffe State School and St Patrick's College		traffic_sign=AU:R4-Q01
SA	School Zones operate at all times, "when children present". This includes pedestrians and cyclists.	maxspeed:conditional=25 @ ("children present")	Long Street, Whyalla Long Street, Whyalla outside Long Street Primary School
TAS	The times for each school vary, but are generally consistent with the times used in other states	Varies - see other states above.	George Street, Currie George Street, Currie outside King Island District High School
VIC	Standard Times are 8am to 9:30am, and 2:30pm to 4pm. Individual zones can vary	maxspeed:conditional=40 @ (Mo-Fr 08:00-09:30,14:30-16:00; PH off; SH off)	Great Alpine Road, Bruthen Great Alpine Road, Bruthen outside Bruthen Primary School		traffic_sign=AU:R4-V105
WA	There are three different standards for school zone times. Northern WA is 7:30am-9am, 2pm-3:30pm Carnarvon is 7:30am-9am, 2pm-4pm Rest of WA is 7:30am-9am and 2:30pm-4pm.	maxspeed:conditional=40 @ (Mo-Fr 7:30-09:00,14:00-15:30; PH off; SH off) maxspeed:conditional=40 @ (Mo-Fr 7:30-09:00,14:00-16:00; PH off; SH off) maxspeed:conditional=40 @ (Mo-Fr 7:30-09:00,14:30-16:00; PH off; SH off)	Kent Street, Kensington Kent Street, Kensington outside Kent Street Senior High School

Speed Limits

It's good practice to include the maxspeed=* tag on each road, the source:maxspeed=* (indicating where the speed limit is sourced), and the maxspeed:type=* (indicating the nature of the speed limit) where possible.

Common source:maxspeed=* and maxspeed:type=* values

Value	Description	Aust. Usage
source:maxspeed=local_knowledge	If you know the speed limit from local knowledge.	source:maxspeed=local_knowledge $1% More details at taginfo
source:maxspeed=survey	If the speed limit was sourced from a survey.	source:maxspeed=survey $1% More details at taginfo
Value	Description	Aust. Usage
maxspeed:type=sign	For a signposted limit.	maxspeed:type=sign $1% More details at taginfo
maxspeed:type=AU:urban	For tagging an implicit speed limit in urban areas (60km/h in NT; 50km/h elsewhere).	maxspeed:type=AU:urban $1% More details at taginfo
maxspeed:type=AU:rural	For tagging an implicit speed limit in rural areas (110km/h in NT, WA and some parts of QLD; 100km/h elsewhere).	maxspeed:type=AU:rural $1% More details at taginfo

Traffic Enforcement

There are plenty of different forms of fixed traffic enforcement devices throughout Australia which should be mapped and tagged in OSM. The enforcement relation should be used to map the permanently installed device which makes the particular measurement, related to the way that enforcement applies to.

The enforcement=* key uses some language which is not the standard Australian English language. For example, where an Australian might refer to an enforcement device as a "red light camera", it should be tagged with enforcement=traffic_signals.

Yellow mobile phone detection trailers are movable and temporary, and therefore should not be mapped on OSM. However, many Variable Messaging Signs will have cameras which appear as black boxes attached to them, which are permanent mobile phone detection cameras and should be mapped. Mobile phone detection cameras detect at distances of approximately 20–30 m, and the relationship should extend as such.

As of 01 July 2024, mobile phone detection cameras in NSW also detect seatbelt offences. Where a single device enforces multiple rules, the values of the enforcement key should be placed in alphabetical order.

Enforcement Device	Tags	Required roles	Comment
Speed camera	type=enforcement + enforcement=maxspeed + maxspeed=number in km/h	device from to *
Average speed camera	type=enforcement + enforcement=average_speed + maxspeed=number in km/h*	device † from to	The from and to nodes are to be placed where the initial and final measurements are taken, respectively.
Red light camera	type=enforcement + enforcement=traffic_signals	device from to *	See enforcement for examples and more information.
Mobile phone (and seatbelt, in NSW) cameras	type=enforcement + enforcement=mobile_phone or enforcement=mobile_phone;seatbelt	device from to *	The from node should be approximately 20–30m from the device.
Access (e.g., T-way, bus-lane, etc.)	type=enforcement + enforcement=access +, e.g., psv:*=yes motor_vehicle:*=no	device from to *	View the access=* key for more information on how to appropriately tag access limitations.
Combined speed and red light camera	type=enforcement + enforcement=maxspeed;traffic_signals + maxspeed=number in km/h	device from to *
* optional/not always applicable. † more than one is required.

Heavy Vehicle Enforcement

There are multiple different types of cameras that monitor heavy goods vehicles and their compliance with regulations. These cameras are operated by the New South Wales and South Australian government in their respective states, and the federal National Heavy Vehicle Regulator elsewhere. These cameras can be mapped using highway:hgv=fatigue_management_camera and/or enforcement:hgv=fatigue_management_camera.

Local Traffic Only

A NSW local traffic only sign

"Local Traffic Only" signs are common in residential areas in Australia and are intended to discourage roads from being used by through traffic. As these signs are not legally enforceable, the tag-value combination motor_vehicle:advisory=destination is the preferred tagging.

motor_vehicle:advisory=destination

Example of a 'Local Traffic Only' road. The Boulevard, Port Melbourne The Boulevard, Port Melbourne.

U-turn at traffic signals

Generally, u-turn's are not permitted at traffic signals however in some cases, you are permitted to if there is a "U-turn permitted" sign. If a sign is typically present at the traffic signals but has been removed, it is illegal to conduct a u-turn. Due to this, it is recommended that a relation uses the restriction:conditional=* tag instead of having no turn restriction at the intersection.

type=restriction
restriction:conditional=no_u_turn @ ("If the u-turn permitted sign has been removed")
note=U-turn permitted by sign

A U-turn permitted relation U-turn permitted relation example in OpenStreetMap where a U-turn permitted sign is present at the traffic signals.

Road Access and Roadside Features

Private Roads

Private roads can be mapped using the appropriate access=* restriction. This includes access roads on public land (sometimes sign as "Management Vehicles Only", or similar).

Roadside Rest Areas

There are many different tags that mappers can use to accurately describe a roadside rest area. Most common is the global tag: highway=rest_area.

Some rest areas are located within a town park and should be tagged as leisure=park. Larger rest areas may have separate amenity=parking areas mapped, and dedicated heavy vehicle parking can be mapped using access=no with hgv=designated (and capacity:hgv=* if known).

When camping is permitted, the rest area can also be tagged as a tourism=camp_site, with the maximum camping time indicated with maxstay=*.

Driver Revivers

Driver Reviver stations are often located at rest areas, but good practice is to leave these temporary services unmapped.

"Milestones"

Milestones are the plates on a post at the side of a highway that indicate e.g. "MH 10" , which in this case indicates that Mandurah is 10km away. They should be mapped by adding a node at that location beside the road, tagged as: highway=milestone + destination=* + distance=*

Road Mapping Techniques

Roundabouts

As a general rule, all roundabouts in Australia are drawn out as a way with the junction=roundabout tag, in a clockwise direction. Single node highway=mini_roundabouts aren't used at all.

Names

Always use official sources, such as those from the state or territory government listed on the Australian Data Sources page.

Dual Road Naming

A common feature of many roads in Australia is dual naming. This often occurs a major highway passes through a small town, when a local name is used in preference to the "highway name". The local name is normally the most suitable choice for the name=* tag, and other names can be included in the alt_name=* tag. As always, using a note=* can help future mappers understand the issue.

name=Jacaranda Street
alt_name=Calder Highway

Example of a dual named road: Calder Highway Calder Highway is named Jacaranda Street Jacaranda Street as it passes through Red Cliffs.

Unnamed Roads

Where a road does not have an official name, use the noname=yes tag.

Gazetted 'Paper' Roads

There are many rural roads that are not trafficable despite having been gazetted. Some may be overgrown, sold to adjacent property owners, or may have never even been built. When mapping these roads, always ensure to use the most up-to-date imagery (or, even better, survey), and take care not to confuse features such as fences, dry creek beds, etc for a road.

These roads can be mapped with the appropriate tags indicating their condition, access, and trafficability.

• For private roads, use the appropriate access=* tag.
• Use the current state of the road to determine the appropriate highway=* tag
• For former and proposed roads, use the appropriate lifecycle prefix.

Routes

Each state and territory has its own system for allocating route numbers. Many states have moved to the newer, "alphanumeric" numbering system for route allocation. Other states are still in the process of transitioning to the new system, or haven't started transitioning at all, and continue to use the "old style" numeric routes. Both route types of route numbers should be documented with the ref=* and network=* tags

Network tags

The network=* tag should be used to identify the state or territory in which a road is located, while the ref=* tag should contain the route number. For alphanumeric route numbers, the ref=* should include the route letter prefix.

Route Tagging

Alpha-numeric routes
M M1	A A1	B B10	C C123	D D1	R R1	ALT A
ref=route number network=AU:S/T						ref=route number network=AU:S/T:ALT
ref=C123 network=AU:VIC Example of an alphanumeric route: C123 (C123 C123) in Victoria

Numeric routes
National Route	Alt National Route	National Highway	State Route	Alt State Route	Metroad	Tourist Route
ref=route number network=AU:S/T:NR	ref=route number network=AU:S/T:ALT_NR	ref=route number network=AU:S/T:NH	ref=route number network=AU:S/T:S	ref=route number network=AU:S/T:ALT_S	ref=route number network=AU:S/T:MR	ref=route number network=AU:S/T:T
ref=116 network=AU:WA:S Example of a numeric route: (State Route 116 State Route 116) in Western Australia

Special Tourist Routes
State_Strategic_Touring_Routes_in_Queensland (QLD)  ABC	Tourist Drives (Logos) (QLD) (various shields - see TMR)
	Brisbane Valley Heritage Trail	Great Bunya Tourist Drive	Cobb & Co Tourist Drive
ref=route ref network=AU:QLD:SSTR	network=AU:QLD:TD:Brisbane_Valley	network=AU:QLD:TD:Bunya	network=AU:QLD:TD:Cobb_Co
	Moreton Bay Tourist Drive	Great Barrier Reef Tourist Drive	Cane Cutter Way Tourist Drive
	network=AU:QLD:TD:MB ref=Northern/Southern	network=AU:QLD:TD:GBR	network=AU:QLD:TD:Cane_Cutter
	Cassowary Tourist Drive	Dinosaur Way Tourist Drive	Muttaburrasaurus Tourist Drive
	network=AU:QLD:TD:Cassowary	network=AU:QLD:TD:Dinosaur	network=AU:QLD:TD:Muttaburrasaurus
network=AU:QLD:TD:Cobb_Co Example of a special tourist route: Cobb & Co Tourist Drive Cobb & Co Tourist Drive

Route and Highway Relations

A illustrative example of how a route reference, highway name and street name can vary. This would be correctly mapped with one relation for the route number (C413), and another for the "Blue Highway".

Each route number should have its own route=road relation consisting of each constituent road.

ref=B45
type=route
route=road
network=AU:SA

Example of a route relation: B45 B45 in South Australia, consisting of Ferry Road, Langhorne Creek Road, Wellington Road, Bridge Road, and Wellington-Strathalbyn Road.

Many named routes and highways will be known by different names as they pass through towns and cities; most famously the Princes Highway. These major routes should also be given their own, separate, relation.

name=Pacific Motorway
type=route
route=road
network=AU:QLD

Example of a route relation: Pacific Motorway Pacific Motorway between Gold Coast and Brisbane, It itself is one part of the larger M1 route.

Interstate Routes

When a route crosses a state boundary, the route relation should be split into multiple single state routes and added to a "national" super-relation.

ref=B12
type=superroute
route=road
network=AU

Example of a route relation: B12 B12 between Tailem Bend, South Australia and Tooleybuc. It's members are B12 (SA) B12 (SA) and B12 (VIC) B12 (VIC).

Old Route Scheme

The previous tagging guidelines documented a different scheme for mapping routes and route numbers.

Alphanumeric Highway Shields

M	A	B	C	D	R
Mnn	Ann	Bnn	Cnn	Dnn	Rnn
ref=Mnn	ref=Ann	ref=Bnn	ref=Cnn	ref=Dnn	ref=Rnn

Numeric Highway Shields

National Route	Alt Nat. Route	National Highway	State Route	Tourist Route
nn	nn	nn	nn	nn
network=NR ref=nn	network=alt_NR ref=nn	network=NH ref=nn	network=S ref=nn	network=T ref=nn

where nn is a one- or two-digit number.

Network	Ref	SVG Image	Description/Notes
T	brisbane_valley		Brisbane Valley Heritage Trail (TL-Q01_2). Non-commercial use only.
T	bunya		Great Bunya Tourist Drive (TL-Q01_4). Non-commercial use only.
T	cobbco		Cobb and Co Tourist Drive (TL-Q01_1). Non-commercial use only.
T	dugong		Moreton Bay Tourist Drive (TL-Q01_9). Non-commercial use only.
T	muttaburrasaurus		Muttaburrasaurus Tourist Drive (TL-Q01_3). Non-commercial use only.
T	?		Dinosaur Way Tourist Drive (TL-Q01_5).
T	?		Cassowary Tourist Drive (TL-Q01_6).
T	?		Cane Cutter Way Tourist Drive (TL-Q01_7).
T	?		Great Barrier Reef Tourist Drive (TL-Q01_8).