Should SC offer surface=stone option for steps?

[burrscurr]

I regularly come across steps for which the surface categories provided by SC don't really fit, because they are made of large plates of hewn natural stone. The wiki suggests surface=stone for this (and has a pretty good image describing what I mean here). Currently, it is about half as common as surface=metal on steps. What do you think about adding such option in the surface overlay? Is the tag sufficiently defined? Would it be possible to offer this surface type only for steps?

[matkoniecz]

large plates of hewn natural stone

sounds like surface=paving_stones - see https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:surface%3Dpaving_stones

[burrscurr]

I guess it depends on what you think paving_stones are. If you consider large stone blocks (think 1.5-2m) forming a step a paving stone, then this would fit (somewhat). On the other hand, then pretty much all steps made of concrete blocks would also fit this definition (example of concrete steps that might be classified paving_stones by this logic).

Would you say that steps like these are surface=paving_stones? That's the answer I tend to select now, but it does not feel to me like this is a great fit.

[matkoniecz]

example of concrete steps that might be classified paving_stones by this logic

I in fact mapped them as surface=paving_stones https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/984423188/history and I feel confident about this. If the same material would be arranged, it would be still clearly surface=paving_stones

These blocks do not even have size problem, they are segmented like typical surface=paving_stones are

Admittedly mapping them as surface=concrete would not change much and would not be blatantly wrong.

Would you say that steps like these are surface=paving_stones? That's the answer I tend to select now, but it does not feel to me like this is a great fit.

I would tag them in such way, but without great conviction of happiness

problem with surface=stone is how horribly unspecific it is, that gives basically no info

[burrscurr]

I in fact mapped them as surface=paving_stones https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/984423188/history and I feel confident about this. If the same material would be arranged, it would be still clearly surface=paving_stones

(Haha, did not realize that this exact photo was uploaded by you.) I think I agree with this. Reading surface=concrete wiki makes me think that this is mostly for concrete cast in place. Which in my mind would also be a useful differentiation from surface=paving_stones. Maybe the current concrete image is a bit misleading, at least for footways/steps etc. Would it be an option to have different images depending on the highway=... value?

[mnalis]

• See Add "stone" option for surface quests #3189 (comment) and comments below and around (and especially at the bottom)