You said, in response from my last question that your API-directions for driving-HGV does not impose any restrictions on a dimension (length, width, height and weight).
So, I performed tests with the API and with the “maps.openrouteseservice.org” service for a 6m height HGV between two French cities and it gives me an answer borrowing a highway.
Except that in France, the free height, or template, under the bridges must be at least 4.30 m on the road and 4.75 m on highway.
So, with a 6 meters truck height, your API should conclude with the impossibility of passage!
This erroneous result takes a huge doubt on your API, as it could lead to accidents and could engage the responsibility of your company!
Unless I did not understand what your API can do !?
was that the API doesn’t by itself restrict the range of possible values in a query.
That means that if you request a route for a vehicle with 2000m width and the openrouteservice will not complain and tell you that this is super unreasonable, but try to find a route.
We are using the data available on the OpenStreetMap for routing.
When no dimensional data is available for routes, the openrouteservice can not consider any dimensional restrictions. If there are restrictions that you know of, please add them to the OpenStreetMap-data.
If you think the ors should set default maximum values for car dimensions, feel free to open an issue - would you have any propositions on what reasonable maximum default values for roads or bridges could be?
Finally, the driver of a vehicle is liable for said vehicle. They are required to follow existing laws and drive responsibly.
I understood that your OpenRoute service allows you to calculate a route for a truck taking into account its dimensions so that this truck can effectively complete the proposed route.
And if, exceptionally, the road has a bridge of lower height than normal or a road of reduced width, the calculation avoids this road and proposes another.
Apparently, there are professional applications that allow you to do this kind of calculation.
I find, in fact, that it would be doing an important service to the truck driver to render this service to him, by avoiding him to turn back or, worse, to remain stuck under a bridge.
The way it is presented your application can be misleading and I am proof of that!
Besides, why propose a specific calculation for HGV when apparently you do not take into account the dimensions requested?
Unless you only offer a route on roads recognized as usable by heavy goods vehicles (motorway, main roads, and so on)?!
I think you should add warnings in your API and especially in “maps.openrouteseservice.org” to alert people to the limitations of the proposed calculation.
My goal is not to criticize but to understand what you are offering and how to exploit it.
Note: I do not know the data provided by OpenStreetMap and the one you are using. Apparently you have the road conditions (smoothness_type, surface_type, and so on) and I thought you had access to the road dimensions as well.
as stated in our Terms of Service, the routes can only be as good as the underlying data. We are exclusively using OpenStreetMap data, and as they state in their Disclaimer, the maps might not be reliable.
To elaborate a bit on this regarding your problem, as you noted, the openrouteservice
However, we cannot take into account any data that isn’t there.
If the openrouteservice tries to route over a certain road, and this road doesn’t have a maximum width or height set on the OpenStreetMap, the openrouteservice cannot take it into account.
The openrouteservice will not assume any default widths or heights. These are ususually taken care of by the admission regulations for vehicles. As an example, in Germany there’s also a required height of 4.7m for a bridge over a highway. The german admission regulations only allow a maximum height of 4m for any legal vehicle. Thus, you should normally be able to drive below any bridge with any regular vehicle.
I hope this clears up what the openrouteservice does and how it works
Best regards
