diff --git a/js/iD/Connection.js b/js/iD/Connection.js
index 0f779676a..661ee07dc 100755
--- a/js/iD/Connection.js
+++ b/js/iD/Connection.js
@@ -1,8 +1,5 @@
 iD.Connection = function(graph) {
-    var nextNode = -1,
-        nextWay = -1,
-        nextRelation = -1,
-        apiURL = 'http://www.openstreetmap.org/api/0.6/';
+    var apiURL = 'http://www.openstreetmap.org/api/0.6/';
 
     var connection = {};
 
@@ -18,8 +15,8 @@ iD.Connection = function(graph) {
 
     function getNodes(obj) {
         var nodes = [], nelems = obj.getElementsByTagName('nd');
-        for (var i = 0; i < nelems.length; i++) {
-            nodes[i] = +nelems[i].attributes.ref.nodeValue;
+        for (var i = 0, l = nelems.length; i < l; i++) {
+            nodes[i] = 'n' + nelems[i].attributes.ref.nodeValue;
         }
         return nodes;
     }
@@ -39,9 +36,9 @@ iD.Connection = function(graph) {
         var members = [],
             elems = obj.getElementsByTagName('member');
 
-        for (var i = 0; i < elems.length; i++) {
+        for (var i = 0, l = elems.length; i < l; i++) {
             members[i] = {
-                id: +elems[i].attributes.ref.nodeValue,
+                id: elems[i].attributes.type.nodeValue[0] + elems[i].attributes.ref.nodeValue,
                 type: elems[i].attributes.type.nodeValue,
                 role: elems[i].attributes.role.nodeValue
             };
@@ -66,12 +63,15 @@ iD.Connection = function(graph) {
             nodes: getNodes(obj),
             tags: getTags(obj)
         };
-        var numbers = {id: true, lat: true, lon: true };
         for (var i = 0; i < obj.attributes.length; i++) {
             var n = obj.attributes[i].nodeName;
             var v = obj.attributes[i].nodeValue;
-            o[n] = numbers[n] ? +v : v;
+            o[n] = v;
         }
+        if (o.lat) o.lat = parseFloat(o.lat);
+        if (o.lon) o.lon = parseFloat(o.lon);
+        o._id = o.id;
+        o.id = o.type[0] + o.id;
         return o;
     }
 
diff --git a/js/iD/Util.js b/js/iD/Util.js
index 55f908233..c3dde3ebf 100644
--- a/js/iD/Util.js
+++ b/js/iD/Util.js
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 iD.Util = {};
 
-iD.Util._id = -1;
+iD.Util._counters = {};
 
-iD.Util.id = function() {
-    return iD.Util._id--;
+iD.Util.id = function(counter) {
+    if (!iD.Util._counters[counter]) iD.Util._counters[counter] = 0;
+    return iD.Util._counters[counter];
 };
 
 iD.Util.friendlyName = function(entity) {
@@ -30,15 +31,6 @@ iD.Util.friendlyName = function(entity) {
     return n.length === 0 ? 'unknown' : n.join('; ');
 };
 
-iD.Util.extend = function(child, parent) {
-    for (var property in parent.prototype) {
-        if (typeof child.prototype[property] == "undefined") {
-            child.prototype[property] = parent.prototype[property];
-        }
-    }
-    return child;
-};
-
 iD.Util.codeWindow = function(content) {
     top.win = window.open('','contentWindow',
         'width=350,height=350,menubar=0' +
diff --git a/js/iD/actions/actions.js b/js/iD/actions/actions.js
index 31d1477bb..03f20ccca 100644
--- a/js/iD/actions/actions.js
+++ b/js/iD/actions/actions.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ iD.actions.AddPlace = {
             type: 'node',
             lat: ll[1],
             lon: ll[0],
-            id: iD.Util.id(),
+            id: iD.Util.id('node'),
             tags: {}
         };
     },
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ iD.actions.AddRoad = {
             type: 'node',
             lat: ll[1],
             lon: ll[0],
-            id: iD.Util.id(),
+            id: iD.Util.id('node'),
             modified: true,
             tags: {}
         };
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ iD.actions.AddRoad = {
                 highway: 'residential'
             },
             modified: true,
-            id: iD.Util.id()
+            id: iD.Util.id('way')
         };
     },
     enter: function() {
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ iD.actions.DrawRoad = function(way) {
                 type: 'node',
                 lat: ll[1],
                 lon: ll[0],
-                id: iD.Util.id(),
+                id: iD.Util.id('node'),
                 modified: true,
                 tags: {}
             };