Mapbox Pedestrian Network

Read the project description and its mapping standards, then review the linked OSM guidance on sidewalks, footways, and crossings. The work is an ongoing, geographically broad mapping program rather than a bounded code change; follow local community conventions and verified imagery, and use the dedicated #mapbox_pedestrian_network hashtag. Done is measured by ongoing pedestrian-feature mapping and periodic progress reports.

Introduction

The Mapbox Pedestrian Network project focuses on mapping pedestrian infrastructure—specifically separate sidewalk ways, footways, and pedestrian crossings—to improve pedestrian navigation, routing accuracy, and network connectivity along major urban streets in OpenStreetMap.

Types of Activity

Our team will focus on adding and refining pedestrian features, specifically:

• Separate sidewalk paths (highway=footway + footway=sidewalk)
• Pedestrian crossings (highway=crossing, footway=crossing)
• Specification of crossing type (crossing=*, crossing:markings=*). Whether a specification is provided depends on the size of the pedestrian crossing and how clearly its details can be seen on satellite and Street View imagery.
• Updating existing sidewalk tags on adjacent main street geometries (changing existing sidewalk=both/left/right to sidewalk=separate)

We pay strict attention to local mapping conventions, connectivity with existing road networks, and proper snapping to existing pedestrian paths. In cases where sidewalk continuity is unclear or ground truth cannot be verified, we leave a note or avoid making assumptions.

Sidewalk Mapping Standard

1. Draw Geometry: Add separate sidewalk ways and fully connect them to the road network (highway=crossing) to maintain topology. Unconnected paths are avoided.
2. Update Road Tags: When drawing a separate sidewalk along a road that already has a sidewalk=both/left/right tag, update it to sidewalk=separate (or sidewalk:left/right=separate).

   Note: We do not add sidewalk tags to untagged roads; we only update existing ones to separate where parallel lines are mapped.

Updating existing road tags prevents double-counting and routing errors in pedestrian engines, informs local mappers and automated QA tools that a separate sidewalk is already mapped nearby to avoid redundant edits, and maintains overall data consistency without guessing geometries under heavy cover.

Geographical Scope

The initial scope of the project covers major urban centers and high-density municipal road networks in North America and Europe, with a gradual expansion to other regions planned for subsequent phases.

Local Community Engagement

Before starting mapping activities in specific cities, we will reach out to the local community of each respective country individually. This will allow us to coordinate our efforts, confirm local mapping conventions, and agree on the best approach for that area.

Project Status

• Phase 1 (Setup & Pilot Alignment): Completed an initial workflow alignment and source accuracy test (features mapped under #mapbox_missing_roads). Following community feedback regarding tracking clarity, we have created this dedicated project and isolated all ongoing pedestrian mapping under its own hashtag.

  Phase 1 Summary

  Location	Total Pedestrian ways	Incl. Sidewalks	Incl. Line Crossings	Node Crossings	Other Footways
  San Francisco	2,901	1,718	871	536	—
  Las Vegas	11,425	5,898	3,781	3,354	—
  Austin	392	144	45	134	191
  Miami	1,631	857	459	799	239
  Los Angeles	445	256	177	307	10
  Atlanta	338	100	49	86	183
  London	617	462	136	130	22
  Total	17,749	9,435	5,518	5,649	645

• Phase 2 (Structured Mapping): Full rollout starting on October 21, 2026 under the dedicated #mapbox_pedestrian_network hashtag without a fixed end date.

Timeframe

This project is ongoing and will be active starting from October 21, 2026 without a fixed end date.

How to Find Edits

All edits made by our team within this project will use the dedicated hashtag: #mapbox_pedestrian_network

Editing Team

All members of the team have completed a thorough onboarding process prior to editing on OpenStreetMap and are fully familiar with OSM mapping principles, community guidelines, and organised editing guidelines.

• List of participating mappers: A full and updated list of team accounts is maintained here: OSM Data Team Members
• The team primarily uses the iD Editor. New editors are guided to standard OSM training materials, including the OSM Wiki and iD editor panel, as well as internal training sessions.

Mapping Documentation and Guidelines

When mapping pedestrian infrastructure and sidewalks, the team follows standard OpenStreetMap documentation:

• OSM Wiki: Sidewalks
• OSM Wiki: Key:sidewalk
• OSM Wiki: Tag:highway=footway
• OSM Wiki: Tag:highway=crossing
• OSM Wiki: Key:crossing
• OSM Wiki: Key:crossing:markings
• OSM Wiki: Key:crossing:signals

Sources

For mapping sidewalk features, we rely on standard and compliant sources:

• Aerial or Satellite Imagery: High-resolution orthophotos available in OSM editors such as Bing, Mapbox, Esri, and local municipal imagery where available, with careful consideration of capture dates and seasonal alignment.
• Street-Level Imagery: Open street-level photography such as Mapillary and Bing Streetside to verify sidewalk presence, crossings, and surface conditions.

Quality Assurance and Clean-up

To ensure high data quality and prevent topology errors such as disconnected footways, improper road intersections, overlapping geometries, or missing crossings:

• Edits undergo internal validation prior to and after uploading.
• Team members review routing continuity, existing local tags, and history before making changes.
• Feedback from local OSM communities is monitored continuously.

Results

Progress reports and metric updates will be provided periodically, at least quarterly, in our public repository ticket.

• Metrics tracked: Number of changesets, added pedestrian ways, and pedestrian crossings.

Contact

We strongly welcome feedback from local mappers, as local ground truth always prevails. If you have questions about a specific changeset, suggestions for process improvement, or local insights:

• Project Coordinator: Zhanna ([email protected])
• General Mapping Escalations or Feedback: [email protected]

You can also find any relevant changeset using the #mapbox_pedestrian_network tag and leave a comment directly.