Deleting ways in forest, advice needed

Hi there,
i have just deleted a way in a forest… as that is no longer existing. One endpoint is absolutely not visible any more… the other endpoint is visible but you would never be able to enter the way because absolutely overgrown.

With a second way, i am hesitating a bit.
both endpoints are visible, one side overgrown, no way to use the way.
The other side is visible, there is a gate installed (a simple bar in red-white color) which is visible from the startpoint, probably 5 meters from startpoint away. But approximately 10 meters behind that gate it is absolutely overgrown.
I checked tracktype… it is set to grade5, but still… looking at the pictures at https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/DE:Key:tracktype it is not a 5, it is definitely worse.
Is there a way to mark this path as “not usable” or should i delete it?

If it is still possible to walk the path then there is no reason to delete. You could add a visibility tag such as trail_visibility=bad.
If you think there are alternative routes that people are likely to use instead to reach the destination this one leads to and there is near no likely hood of maintenance and the way is doomed then I would consider deletion, but I would check it again in a year or two to see if it has been resurrected. But as you are on the spot, you are the one to best judge what is correct.
edit: Maybe tags like abandoned or disused can bused in situations similar to this if you think it may be reestablished in the future.

Thanks for answer… no, you will not walk that path without machete. That situation is since years. Visibility is bad,… but not zero. So let me plan my weekend-trips, and i will try to get a picture for you, in order to decide. How can i post pictures here?

You have convinced me…hit the delete button :slight_smile:
If the path is cleared and made usable in the future, someone will remap it soon enough.

If physical access is iffy I’d certainly consider adding “trail_visibility=bad” or similar, and I use it to decide whether to show a path or not in https://github.com/SomeoneElseOSM/SomeoneElse-style/blob/master/style.lua#L120 . However, as nevw says, there’s a point at which a path “simply isn’t there any more” and it makes complete sense to delete it.

Ok, here we go…
see 3 Pictures at this link https://1drv.ms/f/s!Amq74Yw_4gFJrCGPFwhUUw3nNnQI
The first 2 are the south end of the path, the other one is the north one with the gate, and part of the path still visible.

My solution would be to split the path and let the north side be still visible while completly deleting the south path.

What is your opinion?

If you want me to mark the path in any other way, let me know.

You’ve been there, so are the best placed person to decide what to do, but at first glance it does look considerably more accessible than the bramble thicket that I clambered through today!

I can’t be certain but the plants look like Himalayan Balsam or Indisches Springkraut (Impatiens glandulifera). These are annuals which grow very fast, but will be dead in winter. In which case this path may be absolutely OK in the winter.

The fact that the plants have grown suggests that it is little used in the summer.

ok then… let’s wait for winter time, snow, and clean paths :wink: I will report… maybe you are right :wink:

ok… now it is winter time.

And you were right ! Unbelievable… i cannot see any fragment of the flowers which were blocking the way in summertime… as if they were never there.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Amq74Yw_4gFJrCENZfe6sdrrumMy