Traffic command lane change direction

[dbeckerAC]

Describe the problem

I just stumbled over the lane change direction in the TrafficCommand message:

        // Targeted lane relative to the current lane.
        //
        // Convention: +1 means to the right, -1 means to the left.
        //
        optional int32 relative_target_lane = 2;

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Isn't this convention quite counter-intuitive?

When thinking about this, I encounter at least two examples, where this is confusing:

• Usually vehicle coordinate systems use a coordinate system where the y-axis points to left in driving direction.
• In OpenDRIVE, the lane numbering is the other way around (and also within the LaneChangeAction in OpenSCENARIO, I guess).

Notes

The last changes according to git blame came from you, @pmai and @ThomasNaderBMW. Probably you could help me understand why the direction was defined this way? Thanks in advance!