searching OSM for features w.specific tag and changing it in batch

Hello everyone,

Question: how can I find all features (tracks, trails) in a specific area with a specific tag (“access=agricultural”) and change it in a batch to “motor_vehicle=agricultural”, without doing too much manual work?

Background:
I am using OSM quite regularly and try to contribute when I find mismatch between the map and the reality. For me it’s more like giving back to the community than a proper hobby, so my experience with editing the map is limited.

I have encountered a bug now which annoys me sufficiently that I’d like to fix it, but I need some support to find a right way to address it.

There are lots of forest and field roads, at least in Germany/Bavaria, which are labeled “access=agricultural”, while they mean “motor_vehicle=agricultural”. That leads to the trails being rendered as “No access allowed” (crisscrossed red) while biking (Orux Maps, Theme:OpenAndromaps Elevate, Style: Cycling/MTB.

While it seems to me that tweaking the style to work around that bug might be an easier solution, it would just hide the problem without fixing it.

So, can someone help me to find an efficient way to fix the bug?

Thanks
Anton

This will be a mechanical edit and even for things that are undisputed (and that access is wrong and it should either be vehicle or motor_vehicle is clear, differentiation depending on the relevant Bundesland) you should be adhering to https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Automated_Edits_code_of_conduct except if it affects a trivial number of objects.

I would personally do any such edits with JOSM (searching and downloading the data with overpass) and in medium size batches because you will need to check what other access tags are present on the ways as individual means of transport may have been added to the ways etc.

Simon

Thanks for the link, Simon. Great to have the guidelines, they totally make sense.

Assuming I do actually get around to doing that on more than a trivial number of objects, what would be the best place to discuss the proposed edits? German forums? Specific Bundesland forums?

I will have a look at the overpass feature in JOSM.

Also, what do you consider a medium-sized batch? I’d start small anyways, but would like to have a reference for small/medium.

[remomed because the remark was incorrect]

I don’t have a personal preference either way, as my mapping experience is rather limited. I relied on recommendations from here and here (both links are also in the original post).

Why that? On the wiki page you quote, access=forestry is given as an example under “transport mode restrictions”. I find access=agricultural is pretty much the same. Do I miss something?