How do I draw a common bounded by roads?

I’m soon going to map the boundary of the local common. It has roads on three sides, so it’s not a great deal of effort. What’s the philosophy for doing this sort of thing?

I can see two possible approaches: 1) Simply use the existing roads, or 2) Draw new boundary lines alongside the roads. (In either case, I have the boundary on one side to draw.) Which of these two approaches should I take?

If it makes any difference, there is quite a wide verge with a couple of lines of trees on it between the metalled surface of the road and the common along part of one side.

I’m inclined to take approach 2) unless the advice is not to do this.

Thanks,
Tony Q

1 would be the way I would do it, but there are some issues with segments belonging to more than one way.

Would you care to elaborate on the “issues with segments belonging to more than one way” please, before I go and do it that way and break things?

Thanks,
Tony Q

Its just a messy way of doing it. Its confusing because a segment with many ways on it looks the same as a segment with one way on it. Its also sometimes hard to select 1 of the ways in particualar on that segment.

Personally I only multiple use segments if really nessesery. For example if there is a road, and a carparking area to one side. I would make the amenity=parking share the part of the road that it connects to. For your example of the park having the roads as the boundry I would probably share segments, as long as part of it had its own segments for easy selection. If the border between the roads and the park is wide enough that when you step off the road you wouldn’t say you are in the park, then it should have its own area altogether as in 2).

So the issues, as far as I know, are only what the osm community currently likes/dislikes. Its not tecnical problem though, so do what you want really.