This page describes how the road network in ANYWAYS is structured and how its properties affect routing and traffic assignment.
OpenStreetMap data model
ANYWAYS uses OpenStreetMap (OSM) as the underlying source for its road network.
The road network in ANYWAYS follows the same core data model and tagging concepts as OpenStreetMap, including:
- Roads represented as ways
- Connectivity defined at intersections
- Properties such as direction, access, and speed derived from OSM tags
This means that:
- Road segment properties in ANYWAYS correspond closely to OSM tags
- Familiar OSM concepts (e.g. one-way streets, access restrictions, speed limits) behave as expected
- Edits in ANYWAYS modify the network state derived from OSM data
Not all OSM tags are necessarily used for routing or simulation, and some tags may be interpreted or simplified to support traffic assignment.
Road segments
The road network consists of road segments connected at intersections.
Each road segment represents a directed or bidirectional section of road and has a set of properties that influence:
- Whether the segment can be used
- Which vehicles can use it
- How costly it is to traverse
Road segments are the fundamental units used by the route planner.
Direction
Direction defines the allowed travel direction on a road segment.
Supported configurations:
- Two-way: travel is allowed in both directions
- One-way: travel is allowed in a single direction
Direction is based on OSM direction tags and affects:
- Route availability
- Connectivity of the network
- Assignment results in datasets
If a road segment is one-way, travel in the opposite direction is not permitted.
Access restrictions
Access restrictions define which vehicle types or transport modes are allowed to use a road segment.
Access rules are derived from OSM access-related tags and can:
- Allow or prohibit specific modes (e.g. car, bicycle, truck)
- Override default access based on road type
Access restrictions are interpreted by vehicle profiles during routing.
If a vehicle profile does not have access to a road segment, that segment will not be used when calculating routes for that profile.
Maximum speed
The maximum speed defines the upper bound on travel speed for a road segment.
Maximum speed values are derived from OSM speed-related tags where available.
Maximum speed is used by:
- Vehicle profiles that optimize for travel time
- The route planner when calculating fastest routes
If no explicit maximum speed is set, a default value based on road type may be used.
Changing the maximum speed affects:
- Travel time estimates
- Route choice
- Dataset assignment results
Road type
Road type classifies road segments into categories (e.g. motorway, primary road, residential street).
Road type is based on OSM highway classifications and may influence:
- Default speed limits
- Default access rules
- Routing preferences in vehicle profiles
Road type does not by itself prohibit access unless combined with access restrictions or vehicle profile rules.
Interaction with vehicle profiles
Vehicle profiles interpret road segment properties when calculating routes.
Examples:
- A
car.fastprofile prioritizes segments with higher maximum speeds
- A bicycle profile may avoid certain road types
- A truck profile may respect additional access restrictions
The same network can yield different routes depending on the selected vehicle profile.
Impact on datasets and simulation
Road network properties affect:
- Which routes are available
- Which routes are selected during assignment
- Travel times and traffic distribution in datasets
When the road network changes:
- Existing datasets may need to be recalculated
- Assignment results may change even if OD data remains the same
What the road network does not represent
The road network does not include:
- Traffic demand
- Assigned routes
- Traffic volumes
- Simulation results
These are represented in datasets and scenarios.
Related reference pages
- Vehicle profiles
- Dataset assignment behaviour
- Network and scenario lifecycle