I can’t find anywhere that defines motorways vs. main roads, which I’m guessing are European definitions. Are motorways the same as highways? If so, I’m not sure what main roads are. Any help is most appreciated.
There are so many different names for different roads. In the US roads have different names than in the UK or other places in the world.
Motorways are typically multi lane roads that connect big cities in a country. To cite from the OSM Wiki:
identifies the highest-performance roads within a territory.
- generally resemble a controlled-access road and are free from intersection controls (such as traffic-signals, rotaries and roundabouts, and stop signs or stop markings);
- have at least two lanes per traffic direction with some degree of separation;
- have access roads only for servicing purposes, such as a limited number of driveways serving non-residential property, service roads to infrastructure, or rest-area roads or bays, which may be more typical in regional or rural settings.
Main roads are smaller than motorways, but still bigger roads that can be considered main links between cities. Typically these will have one lane per direction (I think in the US roads often tends to have more lanes?).
I’d recommend to test these in your area as local mapping guidelines can differ from place to place.