Andy from the the DWG here. I’ve sent this message to both @TomJeffs and @Pete Owens .

Can the pair of you please try and grow up a bit? Adding, and also then removing, “bicycle=no” on something that is just a “highway=footway” adds no value to OSM and just wastes everyone’s time (including yours).

Clearly both of you think that you are right and think that the other person is wrong. If either of you can point to recent edits of the other person where they are definitively wrong in OSM terms please email [email protected] with a subject line of “[Ticket#2025120410000502] TomJeffs” and explain exactly what OSM objects they have edited incorrectly and why.

More general discussions about what bicycle tagging is appropriate on footways (sidewalks, crossings, and elsewhere) should be in the forum https://community.openstreetmap.org/c/communities/uk/86 , not in changeset comments. That discussion would likely cover what is the legal situation, as well as what it would be appropriate for either renderers or routers to show when they do (or do not) see the tag.

Usage of that tag isn’t consistent across England (but isn’t just limited to Manchester / Cheshire). See

https://overpass-ultra.us/#m=5.28/54.1066/-8.0271&q=LQhQBcE8AcFMC4AE0D2Bnc0CGa2g5ADYKiKKFaSwBOa8pZiwiUcSAFrFuALZbQNGiTtz7Rg1LABMAlgFc6iANqIA5DIB24GqgrbVAGmWrCmrtVUBdI0tUAvFCh5WjABgMAmI4gCMADiMPV0tBRhFefmAAd1gZAHN2cCQlACI42HAUoxSAYxQ5LRSQoTJwsWBNbQ00GSgkVwA6H1AQYFAAZQBRABlOgGEAFRYsOLQjdKdQADEAJQB5AFlkdEwcNAB9Uw1YUAB1AAlOmc7h0eAAPnPVdnj2KMpVAF5VADNHcHvIVVAAQQA5AAipzQFyuACMZDlIDliE9VBoUN9-kCJjxEAAydGIdoDdYLLAAa1gnQ0ADdYIQUHAABQAb1pUTQsA0AF8WQYACwAZg8ADYAJSgIA

and

https://overpass-ultra.us/#map&m=5.28/54.1066/-8.0271&q=LQhQBcE8AcFMC4AE0D2Bnc0CGa2g5ADYKiKKFaSwBOa8pZiwiUcSAFrFuALZbQNGiTtz7Rg1LABMAlgFc6iANqIA5DIB24GqgrbVAGmWrCmrtVUBdI0tUAvFCh5WjABgMAmI4gCMADiMPV0tBRhFefmAAd1gZAHN2cCQlACI42HAUoxSAYxQ5LRSQoTJwsWBNbQ00GSgkVwA6H1AQYFAAZQBRABlOgGEAFRYsOLQjdKdQADEAJQB5AFlkdEwcNAB9Uw1YUAB1AAlOmc7h0eAAPnPVdnj2KMpVAF5VADNHcHvIVVAAQQA5AAipzQFyuACMZDlIDliE9VBoUN9-kCJjxEAAydGIdoDdYLLAAa1gnQ0ADdYIQUHAABQAb1pUTQsA0AF8WQYACwAZg8ADYAJSgIA

(it looks like a couple of mappers regularly use it)

Neither of you are “vandals” and neither of you are “100% right” or “100% wrong”. Please don’t make that assumption in any future comments or changesets. If either of you continues this edit war by just undoing the other’s previous edits the DWG will take further action. If either of you sees data that is clearly wrong and needs editing please email the DWG as described above so that we can have a look.

Best Regards,

Andy