diff --git a/modules/osm/multipolygon.js b/modules/osm/multipolygon.js
index 41e61a5ae..01587c321 100644
--- a/modules/osm/multipolygon.js
+++ b/modules/osm/multipolygon.js
@@ -104,6 +104,16 @@ export function osmJoinWays(toJoin, graph) {
         return member.type === 'way' && graph.hasEntity(member.id);
     });
 
+    // Are the things we are joining relation members or `osmWays`?
+    // If `osmWays`, skip the "prefer a forward path" code below (see #4872)
+    var i;
+    var joinAsMembers = true;
+    for (i = 0; i < toJoin.length; i++) {
+        if (toJoin[i] instanceof osmWay) {
+            joinAsMembers = false;
+            break;
+        }
+    }
 
     var sequences = [];
     sequences.actions = [];
@@ -121,19 +131,19 @@ export function osmJoinWays(toJoin, graph) {
             var end = currNodes[currNodes.length - 1];
             var fn = null;
             var nodes = null;
-            var i;
 
             // Find the next way/member to join.
             for (i = 0; i < toJoin.length; i++) {
                 item = toJoin[i];
                 nodes = resolve(item);
 
+                // (for member ordering only, not way ordering - see #4872)
                 // Strongly prefer to generate a forward path that preserves the order
                 // of the members array. For multipolygons and most relations, member
                 // order does not matter - but for routes, it does. If we started this
                 // sequence backwards (i.e. next member way attaches to the start node
                 // and not the end node), reverse the initial way before continuing.
-                if (currWays.length === 1 && nodes[0] !== end && nodes[nodes.length - 1] !== end &&
+                if (joinAsMembers && currWays.length === 1 && nodes[0] !== end && nodes[nodes.length - 1] !== end &&
                     (nodes[nodes.length - 1] === start || nodes[0] === start)
                 ) {
                     currWays[0] = reverse(currWays[0]);
diff --git a/test/spec/actions/join.js b/test/spec/actions/join.js
index e7de473f3..ba37ae329 100644
--- a/test/spec/actions/join.js
+++ b/test/spec/actions/join.js
@@ -273,15 +273,13 @@ describe('iD.actionJoin', function () {
         ]);
 
         graph = iD.actionJoin(['-', '='])(graph);
-
-        expect(graph.entity('-').nodes).to.eql(['a', 'b', 'c']);
+        expect(graph.entity('-').nodes).to.eql(['c', 'b', 'a']);
         expect(graph.hasEntity('=')).to.be.undefined;
     });
 
     it('joins a <-- b ==> c', function () {
         // Expected result:
         // a --> b --> c
-        // tags on --- reversed
         var graph = iD.coreGraph([
             iD.osmNode({id: 'a'}),
             iD.osmNode({id: 'b'}),
@@ -292,9 +290,9 @@ describe('iD.actionJoin', function () {
 
         graph = iD.actionJoin(['-', '='])(graph);
 
-        expect(graph.entity('-').nodes).to.eql(['a', 'b', 'c']);
+        expect(graph.entity('-').nodes).to.eql(['c', 'b', 'a']);
         expect(graph.hasEntity('=')).to.be.undefined;
-        expect(graph.entity('-').tags).to.eql({'lanes:backward': 2});
+        expect(graph.entity('-').tags).to.eql({'lanes:forward': 2});
     });
 
     it('joins a --> b <== c', function () {
diff --git a/test/spec/osm/multipolygon.js b/test/spec/osm/multipolygon.js
index f3bba303b..b5f4b78c2 100644
--- a/test/spec/osm/multipolygon.js
+++ b/test/spec/osm/multipolygon.js
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ describe('iD.osmJoinWays', function() {
         expect(result[0][0]).to.eql(member);
     });
 
-    it('joins ways', function() {
+    it('joins ways (ordered - w1, w2)', function() {
         //
         //  a ---> b ===> c
         //
@@ -184,7 +184,27 @@ describe('iD.osmJoinWays', function() {
         expect(result[0][1]).to.eql(w2);
     });
 
-    it('joins relation members', function() {
+    it('joins ways (unordered - w2, w1)', function() {
+        //
+        //  a ---> b ===> c
+        //
+        var a = iD.osmNode({id: 'a', loc: [0, 0]});
+        var b = iD.osmNode({id: 'b', loc: [1, 0]});
+        var c = iD.osmNode({id: 'c', loc: [2, 0]});
+        var w1 = iD.osmWay({id: '-', nodes: ['a', 'b']});
+        var w2 = iD.osmWay({id: '=', nodes: ['b', 'c']});
+        var graph = iD.coreGraph([a, b, c, w1, w2]);
+
+        var result = iD.osmJoinWays([w2, w1], graph);
+        expect(result.length).to.equal(1);
+        expect(result.actions).to.eql([]);
+        expect(getIDs(result[0].nodes)).to.eql(['a', 'b', 'c']);
+        expect(result[0].length).to.equal(2);
+        expect(result[0][0]).to.eql(w1);
+        expect(result[0][1]).to.eql(w2);
+    });
+
+    it('joins relation members (ordered -, =)', function() {
         //
         //  a ---> b ===> c
         //  r: ['-', '=']
@@ -209,6 +229,31 @@ describe('iD.osmJoinWays', function() {
         expect(result[0][1]).to.eql({id: '=', type: 'way'});
     });
 
+    it('joins relation members (ordered =, -)', function() {
+        //
+        //  a ---> b ===> c
+        //  r: ['=', '-']
+        //
+        var a = iD.osmNode({id: 'a', loc: [0, 0]});
+        var b = iD.osmNode({id: 'b', loc: [1, 0]});
+        var c = iD.osmNode({id: 'c', loc: [2, 0]});
+        var w1 = iD.osmWay({id: '-', nodes: ['a', 'b']});
+        var w2 = iD.osmWay({id: '=', nodes: ['b', 'c']});
+        var r = iD.osmRelation({id: 'r', members: [
+            {id: '=', type: 'way'},
+            {id: '-', type: 'way'}
+        ]});
+        var graph = iD.coreGraph([a, b, c, w1, w2, r]);
+
+        var result = iD.osmJoinWays(r.members, graph);
+        expect(result.length).to.equal(1);
+        expect(result.actions.length).to.equal(2);
+        expect(getIDs(result[0].nodes)).to.eql(['c', 'b', 'a']);
+        expect(result[0].length).to.equal(2);
+        expect(result[0][0]).to.eql({id: '=', type: 'way'});
+        expect(result[0][1]).to.eql({id: '-', type: 'way'});
+    });
+
     it('returns joined members in the correct order', function() {
         //
         //  a <=== b ---> c ~~~> d
@@ -243,7 +288,7 @@ describe('iD.osmJoinWays', function() {
         // Source:
         //   a ---> b <=== c
         // Result:
-        //   a ---> b ===> c   (and === reversed)
+        //   a ---> b ===> c    (and tags on === reversed)
         //
         var a = iD.osmNode({id: 'a', loc: [0, 0]});
         var b = iD.osmNode({id: 'b', loc: [1, 0]});
@@ -257,13 +302,14 @@ describe('iD.osmJoinWays', function() {
         expect(result.actions.length).to.equal(1);
         expect(getIDs(result[0].nodes)).to.eql(['a', 'b', 'c']);
         expect(result[0].length).to.equal(2);
-        expect(result[0][0]).to.eql(w1);
+        expect(result[0][0]).to.be.an.instanceof(iD.osmWay);
+        expect(result[0][0].nodes).to.eql(['a', 'b']);
         expect(result[0][1]).to.be.an.instanceof(iD.osmWay);
         expect(result[0][1].nodes).to.eql(['b', 'c']);
         expect(result[0][1].tags).to.eql({'oneway': '-1', 'lanes:backward': 2});
     });
 
-    it('reverses the initial segment to preserve member order', function() {
+    it('reverses the initial segment to preserve member order when joining relation members', function() {
         //
         // Source:
         //   a <--- b ===> c
@@ -275,20 +321,21 @@ describe('iD.osmJoinWays', function() {
         var c = iD.osmNode({id: 'c', loc: [2, 0]});
         var w1 = iD.osmWay({id: '-', nodes: ['b', 'a'], tags: {'oneway': 'yes', 'lanes:forward': 2}});
         var w2 = iD.osmWay({id: '=', nodes: ['b', 'c']});
-        var graph = iD.coreGraph([a, b, c, w1, w2]);
+        var r = iD.osmRelation({id: 'r', members: [
+            {id: '-', type: 'way'},
+            {id: '=', type: 'way'}
+        ]});
+        var graph = iD.coreGraph([a, b, c, w1, w2, r]);
 
-        var result = iD.osmJoinWays([w1, w2], graph);
+        var result = iD.osmJoinWays(r.members, graph);
         expect(result.length).to.equal(1);
         expect(result.actions.length).to.equal(1);
         expect(getIDs(result[0].nodes)).to.eql(['a', 'b', 'c']);
         expect(result[0].length).to.equal(2);
-        expect(result[0][0]).to.be.an.instanceof(iD.osmWay);
-        expect(result[0][0].nodes).to.eql(['a', 'b']);
-        expect(result[0][0].tags).to.eql({'oneway': '-1', 'lanes:backward': 2});
-        expect(result[0][1]).to.eql(w2);
+        expect(result[0][0]).to.eql({id: '-', type: 'way'});
+        expect(result[0][1]).to.eql({id: '=', type: 'way'});
     });
 
-
     it('ignores non-way members', function() {
         var node = iD.osmNode({loc: [0, 0]});
         var member = {id: 'n', type: 'node'};