Editing Sidewalk (section)

==Terminology==
The preferred term for a pedestrian path beside a road varies based on region.

The term "sidewalk" is preferred in most of the United States<ref name="merriam webster" /> and [[Canada]].
<ref name="ontario canada traffic manual" /><ref name="bc canada traffic manual" /> 
The term "pavement" is more common in the [[United Kingdom]]
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/section/329|title=Highways Act 1980 – Interpretation Section 329|quote="footway" means a way comprised in a highway which also comprises a carriageway, being a way over which the public have a right of way on foot only|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206091944/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/section/329|archive-date=2011-02-06}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/TransportAndStreets/Parking/ParkingPavements.htm|title=Parking on pavements|publisher=Lewisham Council|quote=Why is pavement parking a problem? Pavements are constructed and provided for pedestrian use. Vehicles parked on pavements are: a hazard to pedestrians causing an obstruction which may result in them having to step off the pavement onto the highway thus putting themselves in danger...|access-date=2010-10-29|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101004040734/http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/TransportAndStreets/Parking/ParkingPavements.htm|archive-date=2010-10-04}}</ref> and some other members of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], as well as parts of the [[Mid-Atlantic United States]] such as [[Philadelphia]] and parts of [[New Jersey]].
<ref>Cassidy, Frederic Gomes, and Joan Houston Hall (eds). (2002) ''Dictionary of American Regional English''. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.</ref>
<ref>{{cite book|author=Allan A. Metcalf|title=How We Talk: American Regional English Today|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780618043637|url-access=registration|year=2000|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=0-618-04362-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780618043637/page/90 90]}}</ref> 
Australia, New Zealand, and many other Commonwealth countries use the term "footpath".
<ref name="Austroads-Glossary" /> 

In the United States, the term ''sidewalk'' is used for the pedestrian path beside a road. "[[Shared use path]]s" or "multi-use paths" are available for use by both pedestrians and bicyclists.
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sidewalk2/sidewalks214.htm|title=Part II of II: Best Practices Design Guide - Sidewalk2 - Publications - Bicycle and Pedestrian Program - Environment - FHWA|website=[[Federal Highway Administration|Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129172738/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sidewalk2/sidewalks214.htm|archive-date=2011-11-29}}</ref> 
"[[Walkway]]" is a more comprehensive term that includes stairs, ramps, passageways, and related structures that facilitate the use of a path as well as the sidewalk.
<ref name=askoxford>{{cite web|url=http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/walkway?view=uk|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719030839/http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/walkway?view=uk|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 19, 2012|title=Walkway|work=Compact Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref> 

In the UK, the term "[[footpath]]" is mostly used for paths that do not abut a roadway.
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/access/peti/inclusivemobility?page=3|title=Inclusive mobility|quote="The distinction between a footway and a footpath is that a footway is the part of a highway adjacent to, or contiguous with, the roadway on which there is a public right of way on foot. A footpath is not adjacent to a public roadway. Where reference is made to one, it can generally be regarded as applying to the other for design purposes"|publisher=Department for Transport|access-date=2010-04-02|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122015422/http://dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/access/peti/inclusivemobility?page=3|archive-date=2010-11-22}}</ref> 
The term "shared-use path" is used where cyclists are also able to use the same section of path as pedestrians.
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/section/329|title=Highways Act 1980 – Interpretation Section 329|quote="cycle track" means a way constituting or comprised in a highway, being a way over which the public have the following, but no other, rights of way, that is to say, a right of way on pedal cycles [F3 (other than pedal cycles which are motor vehicles within the meaning of [[F4 the Road Traffic Act 1988]] with or without a right of way on foot|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206091944/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/section/329|archive-date=2011-02-06}}</ref>

In Australia and New Zealand, the term 'footpath' is used for all pedestrian paths, whether or not it runs alongside the road.
<ref name="Austroads-Glossary">{{cite web
|publisher   = [Austroads]
|title       = Austroads Glossary of Terms (2015 Edition)
|publication-date = 14 August 2015
|isbn        = 978-1-925294-63-7
|url         = https://austroads.gov.au/publications/corporate-reports-and-plans/ap-c87-15/media/AP-C87-15_Austroads_Glossary_of_Terms.pdf
|url-status  = live
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250317081227/https://austroads.gov.au/publications/corporate-reports-and-plans/ap-c87-15
|archive-date= 2025-03-17
|access-date = 30 April 2025
|quote       = 
bicycle path: A path or path section intended for the exclusive use of cyclists, generally referred to as an exclusive bicycle path.
cycle path: see bicycle path
footpath: A public way reserved for the movement of pedestrians, motorised wheelchairs and personal mobility devices. 
pavement: That portion of a road designed for the support of, and to form the running surface for, vehicular traffic. 
pedestrian: A person walking, and including people in wheelchairs, on roller skates or riding vehicles such as skate boards or other vehicles, other than a bicycle, powered by effort or a motor and with a maximum speed of 7 km/h.
shared path: A paved area particularly designed (with appropriate dimensions, alignment and signing) for the movement of cyclists and pedestrians. }}</ref>
<ref name="NZTAWK">{{cite web
|publisher   = NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotachi
|title       = Footpath design – principles
|url         = https://www.nzta.govt.nz/walking-cycling-and-public-transport/walking/walking-standards-and-guidelines/pedestrian-network-guidance/design/paths/footpath-design-principles/
|url-status  = live
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250424212119/https://www.nzta.govt.nz/walking-cycling-and-public-transport/walking/walking-standards-and-guidelines/pedestrian-network-guidance/design/paths/footpath-design-principles/
|archive-date=2025-04-24
|access-date = 30 April 2025
|quote       = Footpaths form the backbone of our walking networks. Footpaths may run alongside the road or through parks and other open spaces, and include overbridges and subways. Well located and designed footpaths encourage walking and ensure a more equitable transport network.}}</ref> 
A 'shared path' (or 'shared-use path') is a 'paved area particularly designed...for the movement of cyclists and pedestrians', and 'pavement' is the 'portion of a road designed for the support of...vehicular traffic'.
<ref name="Austroads-Glossary" />