I think what most people do is to mark the linear path the cars usually take on the square. What I would do is to scroll down to the examples in the wiki, see which one is more similar to the case I'm trying to map, and search it on OSM, click Edit, and see others mapped it.
this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2025
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There are only a couple obscure routing engines that can route through areas, so you will have to use interconnected linear ways probably.
What square are you mapping exactly?
If the entire square is open to cars, you should do something like the following:
On the square area itself set
place=square
area:highway=yes
Also connect all the other roads entering/exiting the square to each other, so that they are routable; make sure they all have appropriate highway=* tags set, so that routers don't get confused.
Make sure that all pedestrian paths (sidewalks) are also connected together, using highway=crossing when appropriate.
i followed these instructions, hoping that it works
@merde I'd say the same way as routable pedestrian square. Draw the square outline for main tags, and add main flow lines as regular highways crossing it.
@merde
The highway=road tag is for a road of unknown type.
The square should be tagged with an actual classification and have area=yes on it to indicate that it is meant to be treated as an area.
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:highway
If the acceptable vehicles aren't what you'd expect for that type of road you can override with the relevant access tag:
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:access
Routing support is poor, so most with show a route around the perimeter.