road
Let an agent reason about a road as infrastructure with an owner, a classification, a surface, rules of use and a condition, separate from the traffic on it.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent reason about a road as infrastructure with an owner, a classification, a surface, rules of use and a condition, separate from the traffic on it.
A route between places with a prepared surface for use by vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians or animals, forming part of a public or private network.
What it is for: Carrying traffic between places, and giving access to property.
It can be travel on it, subject to traffic law and access rights; classify it, by function and ownership; build, maintain and close it; route over it, using network data.
Distinguishing features
Infrastructure, not the traffic or the vehicles
Has an owner and a road authority
Classified by function: motorway, arterial, collector, local
Rules of use are set by traffic law and signs
What it looks like
A strip of surfaced ground, usually asphalt, concrete or gravel, with markings, verges and signs; ranges from a track to a multi-lane motorway.
Physical character
lane width: 2.5-3.75 m - motorways at the upper end
design speed: 20-130 km/h
pavement thickness: 0.1-0.6 m - depends on traffic loading
How it is recognised
Surface, width, lane markings and signs indicate its class
Road numbers on signs identify it in the network
Roundabouts, causeways and elevated highways are kinds or parts of roads
Related models
is a kind of - alongside rail, waterways and airports
carries - vehicles are separate models
is part of - routing depends on the network
is governed by - rules of use
In practice
Families and kinds
by function: motorway, trunk, arterial, collector, local, track
by ownership: public, private, toll
by surface: paved, unpaved
by structure: at grade, elevated, bridge, tunnel, causeway
Identifiers
road number national scheme such as A1, I-95, E40 identifies a road in the network
OpenStreetMap way id numeric identifies a mapped segment
Standards and regulation
Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals
National road design standards and highway codes
EU directives on road infrastructure safety management
Failure modes and hazards
Crashes, concentrated at junctions and on high-speed roads
Surface damage such as potholes and rutting
Flooding, landslides and closures
Out-of-date network data leading routing onto closed roads
Also called
+537
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.road
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Identity and class Which road and what kind.
Classification and numbering tie a road to its rules and authority.
Number and name
Road number and street name.
Road identity
The number, name and segment.
- What is this road number or name, and which segment is meant? definition
- Has its number or class changed? provenance
Class
Functional class.
Functional classification
The class and its implications.
- Which functional class does this road belong to? definition
- What rules follow from that class? boundary
Ownership and maintenance Who owns and looks after it.
The road authority is who to contact and who is liable.
Owner
The road authority.
Road authority
The owner and responsible authority.
- Who owns and manages this road? provenance
- How are defects reported? action
Condition
Surface and structure condition.
Condition survey
The latest condition assessment.
- What is the current condition of this road? measurement
- When was it last surveyed or resurfaced? provenance
Use and rules Who may use it and how.
Rules of use change along a road and over time.
Rules
Speed limits and restrictions.
Rules in force
Limits and restrictions.
- What speed limits and restrictions apply on this segment? definition
- Are there vehicle, weight or time restrictions? boundary
Closures
Temporary and planned closures.
Current closures
Closures and diversions.
- Is this road closed or restricted now, and until when? boundary
- What diversion is signed? action
Safety and traffic Crashes and flows.
Traffic volume and crash history show how a road actually performs.
Traffic
Volumes and congestion.
Traffic data
Counts and congestion.
- What traffic volume does this road carry? measurement
- When is it congested? measurement
Safety
Crash record and ratings.
Safety record
Crashes and safety ratings.
- What is the crash record on this road? measurement
- Which safety improvements are planned? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should road segments and named roads be separate entries?
- How should temporary closures and restrictions be represented?
- Which classification should be used across countries?