4

About certain overlapping tags for ?

This list is: tag, question count, followed by excerpt.

  • 32
    Use this tag in reference to the structures and systems that sustain large portions of the population such as highways, bridges, the electrical power grid, etc.

  • 26
    Questions involving the politics of means of transport, affecting automobiles, boats, trains, planes, as well as roads, railroad tracks, etc.

  • 7
    Use for questions about political issues directly related to railroads, such as their funding, regulation, or development and promotion by a government.

  • 4
    The public-transport tag has no usage guidance, can you help us create it?

Overlaps:

contains elements of . Roads/Highways, bridges, airports, etc., could fall into both.

contains elements of and ; for the latter, public transportation by rail.

8
  • In how many cases is it actually a problem to have both tags if they're both relevant? As long as there aren't other more relevant tags that can't be added because of the 5-tag limit, I don't think it's a problem to have both [transportation] and [infrastructure] tags on the same question. The railroad tag may be too specific, but I'm not sure about the [public-transport].
    – JJJ Mod
    Commented Sep 3, 2021 at 21:17
  • 3
    Approximately 14% (864) of [united-states] tagged questions have 5 tags, I think these are mostly due to over-tagging. My "go-to" thinking is to minimize the use of tags wherever possible. It may not be a problem. I just want to reduce the potential. I would not remove one of the tags, if both were present and no other tag was needed; or add the other, if I found an unexpected question were both were appropriate.
    – Rick Smith
    Commented Sep 3, 2021 at 22:04
  • @RickSmith Why is fewer tags better? People follow tags, so the more tags, the more people that might be able to answer the question might get pinged.
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Commented Sep 24, 2021 at 0:01
  • @AzorAhai-him- yea, I thought the same thing at first. Looking at it again though, a question about trains may be tagged [railroad], [transportation] and [public-transport]. If there are three more relevant tags then one must be dropped. Keeping all these specific tags risks scattering similar question topics across different tags, thus reducing findability.
    – JJJ Mod
    Commented Sep 24, 2021 at 2:27
  • This has been featured for over a week now with no downvotes on the question or answer. Do you think it's time to go ahead with merging or are you still reviewing some of these questions?
    – JJJ Mod
    Commented Oct 4, 2021 at 17:03
  • @JJJ For the purpose of making [railroad] and [public-transport] synonyms of [transportation], I am OK with going ahead. There are questions that could use changes other than the two synonyms, I will revisit those by reviewing all [transportation] questions after the merge.
    – Rick Smith
    Commented Oct 4, 2021 at 17:52
  • Okay, I've created the synonym and merged them. Shall I mark this question as [status-completed] or do you think it needs more attention from others?
    – JJJ Mod
    Commented Oct 4, 2021 at 17:54
  • 1
    @JJJ - I think [status-completed] is fine, given that others have had a month to comment.
    – Rick Smith
    Commented Oct 4, 2021 at 17:59

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
5

I suggest making and synonyms of .

The "common sense" solution for the infrastructure overlap is:

If an infrastructure question involves transportation elements only, use the tag.

Otherwise, use the tag.

I can see no reason to use both.

But, note that, currently, 5 questions use both and . This would conflict with not using both. Removing from those questions would resolve the conflict. (See the list.)

One question uses and : What is the capitalist answer to rail passenger transportation being non financially profitable?, and may need the tag removed.

3
  • "railroad" is not synonymous with "public-transport," it would be pretty easy to ask a question about freight rail that is not public whatsoever.
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Commented Sep 24, 2021 at 0:02
  • 1
    @AzorAhai-him- I'm suggesting that [public-transport] is a synonym of [transportation] and that [railroad] is also a synonym of [transportation].
    – Rick Smith
    Commented Sep 24, 2021 at 0:10
  • Hm, yeah, fair enough
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Commented Sep 24, 2021 at 3:07

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