Oslo Standard

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Please note: This page describes how internal classes of cycleways in Oslo (Bymiljøetaten) are being translated to OSM tags. The key "Oslostandarden" is not supposed to be used in OSM.

The Norwegian local authority Bymiljøetaten (Agency for Urban Environment) in Oslo is interesting on mapping all bike infrastructure within its municipality to improve route planning for its citizens. This is an organized editing effort by BYM. You can read more about this effort on the BYM's organized editing page. BYM uses a wide range of tags to document the type of cycle ways in its bicycle network in Oslo. The different types of cycle ways are defined by the official document, the Oslo Standard (written in Norwegian). This page explains the correct tags to be used for each Oslo Standard category.

C1 — Cycle Lane Detailed Description

Category (according to Oslostandarden)	Value	Meaning	Image	Sign
C1 — Cycle lane
C1	Broad Cycle Lane	Bicycle infrastructure that is an inherent part of the road, but set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles, whilst being separated only by paint or other markings, and without a physical separation from vehicles. Can be red- or asphalt-colored. All new cycle lanes in Oslo are required to have a minimum width of 2.2 meters*. Broad > 2.0 meters width Cycle lanes in Oslo shall be marked with a dashed lane between the cycle lane and motorway. A solid line is often used around intersections. *Cycle lanes with a width between 1.3 – 1.8 meters can be used in narrow one way streets to ensure safer passage for cyclists.	Picture of a red asphalt cycle lane in Oslo, Norway.	Sign/ Skilt 521.2 — "Midtstilt sykkelfelt" Sign/ Skilt 521.1— "Sykkelfelt sideplassert"
C1	Narrow Cycle Lane	Follows Broad Cycle Lane tagging Narrow < 2.0 meters width
C1	Very Narrow Cycle Lane	Follows Broad Cycle Lane tagging Very Narrow < 1.5 meters width	Picture of very narrow cycle lanes in Kirkegata, a one-way street in Oslo.
C1	Raised Cycle Lane	Cycle lane which is separated from both vehicles and pedestrians with curbs and height difference. Signposted as cycle lane.	Picture of raised cycle lanes with red asphalt on both side of the road taken at Slemdalsveien in Oslo. There is an extra curb between vehicles and cyclists.	Sign/ Skilt 521.1— "Sykkelfelt sideplassert"
C1	Protective elements	Physical barriers between cyclists and motor vehicles like traffic calming islands, vegetation, parking or public furniture (like benches).	Picture of a protective traffic calming island between cycle lane and street.

Tagging for C1 — Broad/ Narrow/ Very Narrow Cycle lane

Diagram		OSM	Tagging
			Broad cycle lane on both sides of the road Way A: highway=* + cycleway=lane or Way A: highway=* + cycleway:both=lane or more detailed Way A: highway=* + cycleway:left=lane + cycleway:right=lane Width: (not necessary to write 'm' as it is default) E.g Broad: cycleway:width=2.0 m or cycleway:<side>:width E.g Narrow: cycleway:width=1.8 m E.g Very Narrow: cycleway:width=1.4 m
Examples			Additions for compliance with Oslo Standard
solid_line – often indicates an exclusive lane and/or obligatory/mandatory use in some countries. double_solid_line – usually indicates an exclusive lane and increased attention. dashed_line – often indicates that vehicles can cross the lane. barred_area – road marking indicating a buffer or restricted area. Consider also using cycleway:buffer=* in this case. pictogram – a symbolic marking for specific traffic modes. surface – neighboring traffic areas are made of different road surfaces, paving, etc. This symbolic form of demarcation is often used on combined cycle- and footways and it can happen at any time that pedestrians swerve onto the cycleway part.			Asphalt Color: Red: cycleway:surface:colour=red or cycleway:<side>:surface:colour=<colour> (E.g grey) even though it is possible to use hexadecimal colours, it makes querying more difficult. Marking: Based on proposed feature Symbolic_separation: marking cycleway:both:marking=solid_line / double_solid_line / dashed_line / barred_area / pictogram / surface or cycleway:left:marking=* or cycleway:right:marking=* For even more granular control: Right side cycle lane marking side of traffic cycleway:right:marking:left=* or marking curbside cycleway:right:marking:right=*
Complex example A three lane road with two cycle lanes.			highway=secondary + oneway=yes + lanes=3 + vehicle:lanes=yes|yes|no|yes|no + turn:lanes=through|through|through|right|right + cycleway=lane + cycleway:lanes=none|none|lane|none|lane + bicycle:lanes=no|no|designated|no|designated + cycleway:surface:colour=red + cycleway:separation:left:lanes=||dots||no + cycleway:separation:right:lanes=||no||kerb + cycleway:marking:left:lanes=||solid_line||solid_line + cycleway:marking:right:lanes=||solid_line||

Tagging for C1 — Raised Cycle Lane

Diagram		OSM	Tagging
Picture of raised cycle lanes with red asphalt on both side of the road taken at Slemdalsveien in Oslo. There is an extra curb between vehicles and cyclists.			Way A — For only one line drawn where there is a kerb separating raised cycle lane from both the main road and the sidewalks. Way A: highway=* + cycleway=track + cycleway:both:separation:both=kerb + cycleway:both:surface:colour=red
			Way C A B — where a separate line has been drawn for both raised cycle lanes and the main road. Way C: highway=cycleway + is_sidepath=yes + is_sidepath:of=* "highway value of A" + is_sidepath:of:name="Way A - name" + (cycleway=track)* There is a disagreement whether to use cycleway=track when using highway=cycleway. Alternatively use is_sidepath=yes. + separation:both=kerb + oneway:bicycle=yes + foot=no Way A: highway=* + cycleway:both=separate + bicycle=use_sidepath + sidewalk=both cycleway=sidepath is far less used, but conveys the same meaning as cycleway=separate, that cycleway geometry has been drawn separately. Way B: highway=cycleway + (cycleway=track) + is_sidepath=yes + is_sidepath:of=* "highway value of A" + is_sidepath:of:name="Way A - name" + separation:both=kerb + oneway:bicycle=yes + foot=no
		Additions
			Tagging the width of the kerb (separation) can be done using the cycleway:buffer=* tag or cycleway:<side>:separation:<side>:<type>:width=*. E.g. 15 cm kerb buffer between the main road and the cycle lane, and a 30 cm kerb width between the raised cycle lane and the sidewalk. Only Way A Way A: cycleway:both:buffer:left=0.15 + cycleway:both:buffer:right=0.3 or cycleway:both:separation:left:kerb:width=0.15 + cycleway:both:separation:right:kerb:width=0.3 Way C and B Way C and B: buffer:left=0.15 + buffer:right=0.3 or separation:left:kerb:width=0.15 + separation:right:kerb:width=0.3

Tagging for C1 — Protective Elements

Diagram	Elements	Tagging
Picture of a protective traffic calming island between cycle lane and street.		traffic_calming=island + surface=* + landuse=* Read more: Traffic Calming Island

C2 — Pedestrian and Bicycle Prioritised in Calm Traffic Detailed Description

Category (according to Oslostandarden)	Value	Meaning	Image	Sign
C2 — Pedestrian and bicycle prioritised in calm traffic
C2	Cycling in calm traffic	Streets with low traffic volume (<2000 average daily traffic) and low speeds (<30 Km/h). These streets are usually narrowed and other traffic calming elements are used to encourage low speeds. These streets are effective as connections between different parts of the larger bicycle network.	Picture of how a calming street is narrowing to encourage low traffic volume and speeds, making the space safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
C2	Cycle Street	Street which favors cyclists and pedestrians. Motorised traffic are considered guests. These streets should accommodate moderate cycling speed (15-25 Km/h). Motorised daily average traffic should be below 500 and measured real average speed below 20 Km/h. For motorised traffic these streets are usually one-way. Maximum speed 30 Km/h and traffic volume below 2000 DAT.	Picture of a cycle street.
C2	Cycling against oneway street	In Norway cycling both directions in a one-way street is usually always allowed. Some one way streets are safer than others depending on what accommodations are in place. Cycle lanes on both sides are recommended where daily average traffic is above 4000 up to 15 000 and speeds below 35 Km/h. Cycle lane in opposite direction is recommended where daily average traffic is below 4000 and speeds are below 30 Km/h. Streets with no bike accommodation besides signs have a daily average traffic below 2000 and the speed limit must be 30 Km/h or lower. There should only be parking on the right side	Examples of different types of accommodation for cyclists in one-way streets.
C2	Cycling in bus lane	Cycling along high frequency buss routes should be discourage unless there is dedicated cycling infrastructure. Cyclists should be directed to alternative (parallell) routes.
C2	Cycling along tram lines	Cycling along trams lines are legal in Norway, but highly discouraged and dangerous, as cycle tires can get stuck in the tram rail. Cyclists should be directed to alternative (parallell) routes.

Tagging for C2 — Cycling Against Oneway Street

Diagram	OSM	Tagging

C3 — Separate Pedestrian and Bicycle Infrastructure Detailed Description

Category (according to Oslostandarden)	Value	Meaning	Image	Sign
C3 — Separate pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure
C3	Cycleway with sidewalk	To be classified as a dedicated cycleway there should be at least 1.2 meter distance between the motorised way and the cycleway. Cycleway with inherent sidewalk which is separated from vehicles with curb or ditch. Sidewalk is separated from cycleway with sloping curbs. Opposite directions on cycle track are separated with paint as standard. Dimensions: Cycleway: 2,5-5m. Sidewalk: 2,5-5m.	Picture of a cycle way with sidewalk separated by a sloped curb. Picture from a cycleway with two lanes and a pedestrian sidewalk separated with a sloped curb.
C3	Cycle Expressway	Cycleway dimensioned for cycling above 30 km/h for longer distances. Easily recognisable Dimensioned for continuous cycling with few obstacles. Separated physically from sidewalk. Illuminated.
C3	Pedestrian and cycleway	Combined pedestrian- and cycleway. Pedestrians and cyclists share the same track, physically separated from vehicles. Only used exception-wise when cycling takes place on pedestrian terms. May cause conflict between cyclists and pedestrians due to speed differences. A lot of these tracks were built until the 2010s, and still remain in use, especially in Oslo's suburbs.	Combined pedestrian and cycle way. Note the special blue signage in the upper right of the picture.

D, E – Other Cycle Related Infrastructure Detailed Description

Category (according to Oslostandarden)	Value	Meaning	Tags	Image
D — Intersections
D1	Raised Intersection	A raised intersection does not have to be connected to cycle lanes, but is a traffic calming element encouraging all traffic to slow down. Often the road is narrowed in right before the intersection. Other traffic calming elements like trees and vegetation can be combined.	Tags: traffic calming = table (on the node intersecting both ways) + surface=* on the intersecting ways where the surface changes. Example: Surface tagging: (does not have to be this detailed) surface=sett + sett:shape=rectangle + sett:pattern=interleaved	Diagram of a raised intersection from a bird's-eye view showing connected cycle lanes and a narrowing of the street crossing the cycle lanes direction. Raised intersections is a traffic calming element where slight elevation and different surfaces encourage traffic to slow down.
D1	Intersection with Advanced Stop Line (Bike Box)	A cycleway  advanced stop line (ASL), also known as a bike box or an advanced stop box, is a marked area for cyclists in front of the stop line for motor traffic. They are most commonly found at traffic-light controlled junctions and allow cyclists a head start when the traffic signal changes from red to green. (Tag:cycleway=asl)	new node bike box before the junction node, ideally level with the stop line at the front of the painted box. If the street is not oneway, a direction tag is needed. Use key direction=* for this. Values are forward or backward. Example: direction=forward Red asphalt: Use cycleway:surface:colour=red	Man on bicycle waiting at signal regulated intersection inside marked bicycle box.
D2	Signal Regulated Intersection with ASL			Diagram of Signal Regulated Intersection with Advanced Stop Line for cyclists.
D2	SRI with ASL and Short Bike Lane
D2	SRI with Dedicated Area for Cyclists
D3	Mini Roundabout
D3	Roundabout with Mixed Traffic and Traffic Calming Elements
D3	Roundabout with at least one Cycle Way exit point
D3	Roundabout with Protected Cycle Lane and Facilitated Crossing Points for Cyclists
D3	Roundabout with Protected Cycle Lane where all other Vehicles Have Duty to Give Way to Cyclists
E - Challenging points for cyclists
E1 — Stops
E1	Hourglass Buss-/ Tram Stop
E1	Cycle Lane behind Buss-/ Tram Stop Refuge
E1	Interrupted Cycle Lane
E2 — Goods delivery and parking
E2	Cycle Lane in combination with Goods Delivery and Parking
E3 — Cycle Passage and System Changes
E3	Cycle Passage from One-way Street to Street with Cycle Lane
E3	System Change on Distance with Cycle Lanes to Cycle Ways
E3	Cycle Passage with Right of Way

Other Bicycle related elements

Element	Meaning	Description
Bicycle Parking
Bicycle Garage
Bicycle Hotel
Bicycle Counter	A Bicycle Counter is a device measuring number of passing cyclists. Usually stats are show on the device. A daily, monthly and/or yearly count could be displayed. Picture of a bicycle counter	Key Value amenity clock display digital man_made monitoring_station monitoring:bicycle yes name name of counted street start_date year since starting counting support pole visibility street website URL of online data state
Bicycle Repair Station		service:bicycle:diy=yes was previously frequently used together with amenity=bicycle_repair_station but has been discontinued as a bicycle repair station inherently is "do-it-yourself". Key Value Description amenity bicycle_repair_station optional Airpump for inflating tires? service:bicycle:pump compressed_air=yes amenity=compressed_air yes / no separate service:bicycle:tools yes / no There are tools (screwdrivers, pliers, ...) for reparing. service:bicycle:chain_tool yes / no There is a tool for repairing broken links in a bicycle chain. service:bicycle:stand yes / no there is a stand to lift your bike
Air Pump			Key Value amenity compressed_air compressed_air yes service:bicycle:pump yes