Regarding the highway=cycleway, highway=footway thing, I think in OSM in the UK cycleways do not forbid pedestrians, so highway=cycleway and segregated=no for a shared use path is very common, though I take your point that some might interpret that as a bike path where pedestrians are allowed rather than the other way round. highway=footway definitely prohibits cycling if not accompanied by a bicycle=yes/permissive tag.
Have you seen any council documents that establish a position one way or the other?