Index: applications/editors/josm/plugins/validator/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/plugins/validator/tests/SimilarNamedWays.java
===================================================================
--- applications/editors/josm/plugins/validator/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/plugins/validator/tests/SimilarNamedWays.java	(revision 4025)
+++ applications/editors/josm/plugins/validator/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/plugins/validator/tests/SimilarNamedWays.java	(revision 4026)
@@ -6,7 +6,11 @@
 import java.util.*;
 
-import org.openstreetmap.josm.data.osm.*;
-import org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.validator.*;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.data.osm.OsmPrimitive;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.data.osm.Way;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.validator.Severity;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.validator.Test;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.validator.TestError;
 import org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.validator.util.Bag;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.validator.util.Util;
 /**
  * Checks for similar named ways, symptom of a possible typo. It uses the
@@ -55,6 +59,6 @@
             return;
         
-        List<List<Way>> cellWays = getWaysInCell(w);
-        for( List<Way> ways : cellWays)
+        List<List<Way>> theCellWays = Util.getWaysInCell(w, cellWays);
+        for( List<Way> ways : theCellWays)
         {
             for( Way w2 : ways)
@@ -64,5 +68,5 @@
                 
                 String name2 = w2.get("name");
-                if( name2.length() < 6 )
+                if( name2 == null || name2.length() < 6 )
                     continue;
                 
@@ -81,99 +85,4 @@
 	}
     
-
-    /**
-     * Returns the start and end cells of a way.
-     * @param w The way
-     * @return A list with all the cells the way starts or ends
-     */
-    public List<List<Way>> getWaysInCell(Way w)
-    {
-        int numSegments = w.segments.size();
-        if( numSegments == 0)
-            return Collections.emptyList();
-
-        Segment start = w.segments.get(0);
-        Segment end = start;
-        if( numSegments > 1 )
-        {
-            end = w.segments.get(numSegments - 1);
-        }
-        
-        if( start.incomplete || end.incomplete )
-            return Collections.emptyList();
-        
-        List<List<Way>> cells = new ArrayList<List<Way>>(2);
-        Set<Point2D> cellNodes = new HashSet<Point2D>();
-        Point2D cell;
-
-        // First, round coordinates
-        long x0 = Math.round(start.from.eastNorth.east()  * 100000);
-        long y0 = Math.round(start.from.eastNorth.north() * 100000);
-        long x1 = Math.round(end.to.eastNorth.east()      * 100000);
-        long y1 = Math.round(end.to.eastNorth.north()     * 100000);
-
-        // Start of the way
-        cell = new Point2D.Double(x0, y0);
-        cellNodes.add(cell);
-        List<Way> ways = cellWays.get( cell );
-        if( ways == null )
-        {
-            ways = new ArrayList<Way>();
-            cellWays.put(cell, ways);
-        }
-        cells.add(ways);
-        
-        // End of the way
-        cell = new Point2D.Double(x1, y1);
-        if( !cellNodes.contains(cell) )
-        {
-            cellNodes.add(cell);
-            ways = cellWays.get( cell );
-            if( ways == null )
-            {
-                ways = new ArrayList<Way>();
-                cellWays.put(cell, ways);
-            }
-            cells.add(ways);
-        }
-
-        // Then floor coordinates, in case the way is in the border of the cell.
-        x0 = (long)Math.floor(start.from.eastNorth.east()  * 100000);
-        y0 = (long)Math.floor(start.from.eastNorth.north() * 100000);
-        x1 = (long)Math.floor(end.to.eastNorth.east()      * 100000);
-        y1 = (long)Math.floor(end.to.eastNorth.north()     * 100000);
-
-        // Start of the way
-        cell = new Point2D.Double(x0, y0);
-        if( !cellNodes.contains(cell) )
-        {
-            cellNodes.add(cell);
-            ways = cellWays.get( cell );
-            if( ways == null )
-            {
-                ways = new ArrayList<Way>();
-                cellWays.put(cell, ways);
-            }
-            cells.add(ways);
-        }
-        
-        // End of the way
-        cell = new Point2D.Double(x1, y1);
-        if( !cellNodes.contains(cell) )
-        {
-            cellNodes.add(cell);
-            ways = cellWays.get( cell );
-            if( ways == null )
-            {
-                ways = new ArrayList<Way>();
-                cellWays.put(cell, ways);
-            }
-            cells.add(ways);
-        }
-
-        return cells;
-    }
-    
-
     /**
      * Compute Levenshtein distance
@@ -238,4 +147,8 @@
     /**
      * Get minimum of three values
+     * @param a First value
+     * @param b Second value
+     * @param c Third value
+     * @return The minimum of the tre values
      */
     private static int Minimum(int a, int b, int c)
Index: applications/editors/josm/plugins/validator/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/plugins/validator/util/Util.java
===================================================================
--- applications/editors/josm/plugins/validator/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/plugins/validator/util/Util.java	(revision 4025)
+++ applications/editors/josm/plugins/validator/src/org/openstreetmap/josm/plugins/validator/util/Util.java	(revision 4026)
@@ -4,15 +4,16 @@
 
 import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
+import java.awt.geom.Point2D;
 import java.io.*;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.net.URLConnection;
-import java.util.StringTokenizer;
+import java.util.*;
 
 import javax.swing.JButton;
 
 import org.openstreetmap.josm.Main;
-import org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.Plugin;
-import org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.PluginInformation;
-import org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.PluginProxy;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.data.osm.Segment;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.data.osm.Way;
+import org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.*;
 import org.openstreetmap.josm.tools.ImageProvider;
 
@@ -231,3 +232,97 @@
         return new File(localPath);
     }
+    
+    /**
+     * Returns the start and end cells of a way.
+     * @param w The way
+     * @param cellWays The map with all cells
+     * @return A list with all the cells the way starts or ends
+     */
+    public static List<List<Way>> getWaysInCell(Way w, Map<Point2D,List<Way>> cellWays)
+    {
+        int numSegments = w.segments.size();
+        if( numSegments == 0)
+            return Collections.emptyList();
+
+        Segment start = w.segments.get(0);
+        Segment end = start;
+        if( numSegments > 1 )
+        {
+            end = w.segments.get(numSegments - 1);
+        }
+        
+        if( start.incomplete || end.incomplete )
+            return Collections.emptyList();
+        
+        List<List<Way>> cells = new ArrayList<List<Way>>(2);
+        Set<Point2D> cellNodes = new HashSet<Point2D>();
+        Point2D cell;
+
+        // First, round coordinates
+        long x0 = Math.round(start.from.eastNorth.east()  * 100000);
+        long y0 = Math.round(start.from.eastNorth.north() * 100000);
+        long x1 = Math.round(end.to.eastNorth.east()      * 100000);
+        long y1 = Math.round(end.to.eastNorth.north()     * 100000);
+
+        // Start of the way
+        cell = new Point2D.Double(x0, y0);
+        cellNodes.add(cell);
+        List<Way> ways = cellWays.get( cell );
+        if( ways == null )
+        {
+            ways = new ArrayList<Way>();
+            cellWays.put(cell, ways);
+        }
+        cells.add(ways);
+        
+        // End of the way
+        cell = new Point2D.Double(x1, y1);
+        if( !cellNodes.contains(cell) )
+        {
+            cellNodes.add(cell);
+            ways = cellWays.get( cell );
+            if( ways == null )
+            {
+                ways = new ArrayList<Way>();
+                cellWays.put(cell, ways);
+            }
+            cells.add(ways);
+        }
+
+        // Then floor coordinates, in case the way is in the border of the cell.
+        x0 = (long)Math.floor(start.from.eastNorth.east()  * 100000);
+        y0 = (long)Math.floor(start.from.eastNorth.north() * 100000);
+        x1 = (long)Math.floor(end.to.eastNorth.east()      * 100000);
+        y1 = (long)Math.floor(end.to.eastNorth.north()     * 100000);
+
+        // Start of the way
+        cell = new Point2D.Double(x0, y0);
+        if( !cellNodes.contains(cell) )
+        {
+            cellNodes.add(cell);
+            ways = cellWays.get( cell );
+            if( ways == null )
+            {
+                ways = new ArrayList<Way>();
+                cellWays.put(cell, ways);
+            }
+            cells.add(ways);
+        }
+        
+        // End of the way
+        cell = new Point2D.Double(x1, y1);
+        if( !cellNodes.contains(cell) )
+        {
+            cellNodes.add(cell);
+            ways = cellWays.get( cell );
+            if( ways == null )
+            {
+                ways = new ArrayList<Way>();
+                cellWays.put(cell, ways);
+            }
+            cells.add(ways);
+        }
+
+        return cells;
+    }    
 }