A sidewalk (also pavement, footway, and sometimes platform) is a path along the side of a road A road is an identifiable thoroughfare, route, way or path between two places which may or may not be available for use by the public; public roads, especially major roads connecting significant destinations are termed highways. Modern roads are normally smoothed, paved, or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel although historically many roads. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade (height) and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb A curb or kerb is the edge where a raised pavement/sidewalk/footpath, road median, or road shoulder meets an unraised street or other roadway. Typically made from concrete, asphalt, or long stones (often granite), the purpose is twofold: first as a gutter for proper drainage of the roadway, and second for safety, to prevent motorists from driving (British spelling: kerb), there may also be a strip of vegetation, grass or bushes or trees or a combination of these between the pedestrian section and the vehicular section (known as a parkway/tree lawn A tree lawn, also called by other names including parkway, boulevard, sidewalk buffer, verge, nature strip, tree belt, utility strip, planting strip, devil's strip , city grass, berm, and numerous others in the United States).

In some places, the same term may also be used for a paved path, trail The term is most widely used for a beaten or maintained path used for travel off highways. In North America trail is the common term for pedestrian routes through rural or remote areas, but it is also used for highway routes and water routes designated for their interest to tourists. Trails may be tracks used for community travel in less developed or footpath A Footpath is a thoroughfare or scenic pedestrian route, that is intended for pedestrian walking use and from which other forms of traffic are excluded and prohibited. The terms walking trail, nature trail, and pedestrian way are also used in certain regions and applications that is not next to a road, for example a path through a park.

Terminology

United Kingdom

The professional civil engineering term in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[note 7] is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land is footway and the term footpath A Footpath is a thoroughfare or scenic pedestrian route, that is intended for pedestrian walking use and from which other forms of traffic are excluded and prohibited. The terms walking trail, nature trail, and pedestrian way are also used in certain regions and applications is usually only used for paths that are not associated with a highway;^[1] pavement, however, is the term most normally used in common language.

The term shared use footway is used when cyclists are able to use the same section of path as pedestrians and segregated footway where there is separate space allocated to different classes of user.

According to the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, often abbreviated to SOED, is a scaled-down version of the Oxford English Dictionary . It comprises two volumes rather than the twenty needed for the full second edition of the OED. The sixth edition was released in August 2007 (third edition 1933) the term sidewalk was still in occasional use in the UK and pavement was also used for: 'a piece of paved work'; 'the superficial covering of a floor, yard, street etc' as well as for 'the paved part of a public thoroughfare A thoroughfare may refer to a public road, highway or trail or a well-use route on water from one place to another for use by a variety of general traffic. On land a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a simple trail through to limited access highway with grade separated junctions; on water a thoroughfare may refer to a strait, channel or, but now only the paved footway by the side of the street A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable surface such as concrete, cobblestone or brick'.^[2] This older British English is therefore close to the current American English.

United States

The term footpath A Footpath is a thoroughfare or scenic pedestrian route, that is intended for pedestrian walking use and from which other forms of traffic are excluded and prohibited. The terms walking trail, nature trail, and pedestrian way are also used in certain regions and applications is used for a pedestrian path that is not next to a road.

A walkway In US English, a walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. These include sidewalks, footbridges, stiles, stairs, ramps, paseos or tunnels is a more comprehensive term that includes stairs, ramps, paseos (passageways), and related structures that facilitate the use of a path.^[3]

If a sidewalk is meant for both pedestrians and bicyclists, it can be called a shared-use path Segregated cycle facilities are roads, tracks, paths or marked lanes designated for use by cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded. The names and definitions of the various cycle facility types vary from country to country or multi-use path in general and official usage.^[4]

Other Countries

Footpath A Footpath is a thoroughfare or scenic pedestrian route, that is intended for pedestrian walking use and from which other forms of traffic are excluded and prohibited. The terms walking trail, nature trail, and pedestrian way are also used in certain regions and applications is used to describe sidewalks in Australian English Australian English is the form of the English language spoken in Australia, Irish English Hiberno-English – also known as Irish English – is the dialect of English spoken in Ireland. The English language was first brought to Ireland during the Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century. However, because England was unable to control the country, English was only spoken by a small minority of people inhabiting an area known, Indian English Indian English or South Asian English comprises several dialects or varieties of English spoken primarily in the Indian subcontinent. These dialects evolved during and after the colonial rule of Britain in India. English is one of the official languages of India, with about ninety million speakers according to the 1991 Census of India. Fewer than, Pakistani English Pakistani English is the term used to describe the English language as spoken in Pakistan, and New Zealand English New Zealand English is the form of the English language used in New Zealand.

Platform is used chiefly in Indian English Indian English or South Asian English comprises several dialects or varieties of English spoken primarily in the Indian subcontinent. These dialects evolved during and after the colonial rule of Britain in India. English is one of the official languages of India, with about ninety million speakers according to the 1991 Census of India. Fewer than.

History

The state of the roads in British The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[note 7] is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land urban towns was a matter of considerable concern in the 1600s-1700s and a number of 'Paving Acts' (Acts of parliament) were passed although they were not always effective as was the case of the 1623 Act for Colchester Colchester (pronounced /ˈkoʊltʃɛstər/ ) is a historical army town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.^[5]

Construction

While some assert that Arthur Wesley Hall and William Alexander McVay invented concrete sidewalks and partitions in St. Stephen, New Brunswick in 1924,^[6] concrete pavements from the 1860s onwards can be found in good repair all over the older districts of San Francisco, having survived the 1906 quake The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other values have been proposed, from 7.7 to as high as 8.25, and stamped with the name of the contractor and date of installation. When quantities of Portland cement Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world because it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout. It is a fine powder produced by grinding Portland cement clinker (more than 90%), a limited amount of calcium sulfate (which controls the set time) and up to 5% minor were first imported to the United States in the 1880s, its principal use was in the construction of sidewalks.^[7] In the 19th century and early 20th century, sidewalks of wood A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes, vehicles. Boardwalks are often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments. Boardwalks along intertidal zones are known as foreshoreways. A boardwalk along a river is often known as were common in some locations. They may still be found at historic beach locations and in conservation areas to protect the land beneath and around, called boardwalks A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes, vehicles. Boardwalks are often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments. Boardwalks along intertidal zones are known as foreshoreways. A boardwalk along a river is often known as. Contemporary sidewalks are most often made of concrete Concrete is a construction material composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate (generally a coarse aggregate made of gravels or crushed rocks such as limestone, or granite, plus a fine aggregate such as sand), water, and chemical admixtures (particularly in the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language and Canada The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three), tarmac Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901. The term is also used, with varying degrees of correctness, for a variety of other materials, including tar-grouted macadam, Tarvia, bituminous surface treatments and even modern asphalt concrete, asphalt Asphalt ( ˈæs.fɒlt ) is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits sometimes termed asphaltum. It is most commonly modelled as a colloid, with asphaltenes as the dispersed phase and maltenes as the continuous phase (though there is some disagreement amongst, brick A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar (particularly in Europe Europe is one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus region (Specification of borders) and the Black Sea to the southeast. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean and), stone Natural stone is a geographical list of stone used for decorative purposes in construction and monumental sculpture; currently or historically produced in various countries. In addition hardstone carving uses many types of gemstones, slab or (increasingly) rubber Natural rubber is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid found in the sap of some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the latex sap collected and refined into a usable rubber. The purified form of natural rubber is the chemical polyisoprene, which can also.^[8] Multi-use paths alongside roads are sometimes made of materials that are softer than concrete, such as asphalt.

In the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language, the most common type of sidewalk consists of a poured concrete ribbon with cross-lying strain relief grooves at intervals of ~1 m; this is intended to minimize visible damage from tectonic and temperature fluctuations, both of which can crack longer segments. However, freeze-thaw cycles (in cold-weather regions) and tree root growth can eventually result in damage which requires repair. Brick sidewalks are found in some urban areas, usually for aesthetic purposes. Brick sidewalk construction usually involves the usage of a mechanical vibrator to lock the bricks in place after they have been laid (and/or to prepare the soil before laying). Although this might also be done by other tools (as regular hammers and heavy rolls), a vibrator is often used to speed up the process.

In other countries, suburban pavements Road surface or pavement (American English) is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic. In the past cobblestones and granite setts were extensively used, but these surfaces have mostly been replaced by asphalt or concrete. Such surfaces are frequently marked to guide traffic. Today, permeable are most commonly used. This kind of approach (using pavements) is more economical and sometimes more environmentally-friendly, depending on what material is used (e.g. trass instead of energy intensive Portland cement concrete or petroleum-based materials as asphalt or tar-penetration macadam). In the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[note 7] is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land the suburban pavements are most commonly constructed of tarmac Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901. The term is also used, with varying degrees of correctness, for a variety of other materials, including tar-grouted macadam, Tarvia, bituminous surface treatments and even modern asphalt concrete, which is however not more environmentally-friendly. In urban An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets or inner-city The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the poorer parts of the city centre and is sometimes used as a euphemism with the connotation of being an area, perhaps a ghetto or slum, where residents are less educated and more impoverished areas pavements are most commonly constructed of slabs, stone, or brick depending upon the surrounding street architecture A wider definition may comprise all design activity, from the macro-level to the micro-level (construction details and furniture). Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. It requires the creative and furniture Street furniture is a collective term for objects and pieces of equipment installed on streets and roads for various purposes, including traffic barrier, benches, bollards, post boxes, phone boxes, streetlamps, street lighting, traffic lights, traffic signs, bus stops, grit bins, tram stops, taxi stands, public lavatories, fountains and memorials,.

Stone In geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids slabs called flagstones Flagstone, or flag, is a type of flat stone, usually used for paving slabs, but also for making fences or roofing. It may also be used for making memorials or headstones in a cemetery. It also refers to Pennsylvania Bluestone, a stone from northeastern Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York. This is a sedimentary rock which is cut or split or flags are sometimes used where an attractive appearance is required, as in historic town centres. In other places, pre-cast concrete slabs (called paving slabs or, less correctly, paving stones) are used. These may be coloured or textured to resemble stone.

Effects of sidewalks

Research commissioned for the Florida Department of Transportation, published in 2005, found that, in Florida, the Crash Reduction Factor (used to estimate the expected reduction of crashes during a given period) resulting from the installation of sidewalks averaged 74%.^[9] Research at the University of North Carolina for the U.S. Department of Transportation found that the presence or absence of a sidewalk and the speed limit Road speed limits are used in most countries to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum , minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign. Speed limits are commonly set and enforced by the legislative bodies of nations or provincial governments are significant factors in the likelihood of a vehicle/pedestrian crash. Sidewalk presence had a risk ratio of 0.118, which means that the likelihood of a crash on a road with a paved sidewalk was 88.2 percent lower than one without a sidewalk. “This should not be interpreted to mean that installing sidewalks would necessarily reduce the likelihood of pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes by 88.2 percent in all situations. However, the presence of a sidewalk clearly has a strong beneficial effect of reducing the risk of a ‘walking along roadway’ pedestrian/motor vehicle crash.” The study does not count crashes that happen when walking across a roadway. The speed limit risk ratio was 1.116, which means that a 16.1-km/h (10-mi/h) increase in the limit yields a factor of (1.116)¹⁰ or 3.^[10]

In cold weather, black ice Black ice is ice frozen with few air bubbles trapped inside, making it highly transparent. This type of ice appears in the color of the material beneath it, often wet asphalt or a darkened pond. Because it may be difficult to see, it presents a significant hazard to automotive traffic, cyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, mountaineers and sailors is a common problem with unsalted sidewalks. The ice forms a thin transparent surface film which is almost impossible to see, and so results in many slips by pedestrians A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates, skateboards, and other devices are considered pedestrians, but this was not the case historically.

Image gallery

See also

• Pavement
• Café
• Crosswalk
• Curb, Curb ramp
• Desire lines
• Portuguese pavement
• Public space
• Sidewalk chalk
• Cobblestone
• Big Apple Pothole and Sidewalk Protection Committee

References

1. ^ "Inclusive mobility". Department for Transport. http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/access/peti/inclusivemobility?page=3. Retrieved 2010-04-02. ""The distinction between a footway and a footpath is that a footway (usually called the pavement) is the part of a highway adjacent to, or contiguous with, the carriageway on which there is a public right of way on foot. A footpath has no contiguous carriageway. Where reference is made to one, it can generally be regarded as applying to the other for design purposes""
2. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (3rd edition).
3. ^ "Walkway". Compact Oxford English Dictionary. http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/walkway?view=uk.
4. ^ Shared-use paths, U.S. Department of Administration
5. ^ "Georgian Colchester". British History. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=21983. Retrieved 2010-04-05. ""Bad paving and obstructions were frequently reported to the justices under a paving Act of 1623, but the borough chamberlain, workhouse corporation, and parish officers failed to discharge their responsibilities and the small fines for neglect were ineffective. Enforcement of the Act by the borough justices ceased when the charter lapsed in 1741 and by 1750 the streets were so ruinous that a new Act was obtained, which perpetuated the responsibility of justices to enforce the regulations""
6. ^ Memorable Maritime Inventions (1828-1930) Page 7
7. ^ Robert W. Lesley. "What Cement Users Owe To The Public". The Cement age: a magazine devoted to the uses of cement: 652.
8. ^ [1]
9. ^ Gan, Albert; Joan Shen, Adriana Rodriquez (2005) (PDF). Update of Florida Crash Reduction Factors and Countermeasures to Improve the Development of District Safety Improvement Projects. State of Florida DOT. BD015-04.. http://www.dot.state.fl.us/research-Center/Completed_Proj/Summary_SF/FDOT_BD015_04_rpt.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
10. ^ McMahon, Patrick J.; Charles V. Zegeer, Chandler Duncan, Richard L. Knoblauch, J. Richard Stewart, Asad J. Khattak (2002) (PDF). AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO "WALKING ALONG ROADWAY" CRASHES, RESEARCH STUDY AND GUIDELINES FOR SIDEWALKS AND WALKWAYS. Federal Highway Administration. FHWA-RD-01-101.. http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/19000/19900/19995/PB2003102002.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-24.

External links

• Los Alamos Walkability Advocacy Group
• PEDS a member-based advocacy group dedicated to making metro Atlanta safe and accessible for all pedestrians.
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), a U.S.A.-based clearinghouse for information for pedestrians (including transit users) and bicyclists.

Categories: Pedestrian infrastructure | Street furniture | Footpaths | Garden features | Pavements | Types of thoroughfares

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