Editing Pedestrian

{{Short description|Person traveling on foot}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
[[File:CrossWalk (5465840138).jpg|250px|thumb|Pedestrians on a [[crosswalk]] in [[Buenos Aires]]]]
[[File:Pedestre.JPG|right|thumb|A sign in [[Belo Horizonte]], [[Brazil]], directing pedestrians to an [[footbridge|overpass]] for safe crossing.]]
A '''pedestrian''' is a person traveling on foot, by [[wheelchair]] or with other [[Mobility aid|mobility aids]]. [[Street]]s and [[road]]s often have a designated footpath for pedestrian [[traffic]], called the ''[[sidewalk]]'' in [[North American English]], the ''pavement'' in [[British English]], and the ''footpath'' in [[Australian English|Australian]] and [[New Zealand English]]. There are also footpaths not associated with [[thoroughfare]]s; these include rural paths and urban short cuts. 

Historically, walking has been the main way people get around. In the early use of the word, ''pedestrian'' meant a "professional walker", or somebody who held a record for speed or endurance. With the advent of [[car]]s, it started to be used as an opposite: somebody who is not riding or driving.

As walking is a healthy and sustainable mode of transport, there are efforts to make cities more [[Walkability|walkable]]. For instance, by creating wider sidewalks, a pedestrian network, or [[Pedestrianisation|restricting motor vehicles]] in city centres. Pedestrians are vulnerable and can be injured, for example when crossing thoroughfares. The rise of [[SUV]]s has decreased safety for pedestrians.

==Etymology==
{{Wiktionary}}
The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with the [[morpheme]]s ''ped-'' ('foot') and ''-ian'' ('characteristic of').<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Studies in Etymology (Second ed.).|last1=Dunmore|first1=Charles|last2=Fleischer|first2=Rita|publisher=Focus|year=2008|isbn=9781585100125}}</ref> This word is derived from the Latin term ''pedester'' ('going on foot') and was first used (in the English language) during the 18th century.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedestrian#h1|title=Definition of PEDESTRIAN|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817131309/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedestrian#h1|archive-date=17 August 2017|access-date=27 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In its early useage, it often referred to a "professional walker", or somebody who held a notable record for speed. When cars came into common use, pedestrian started to be used in its current meaning, as somebody who is not driving or riding.<ref name=":1" /> Nowadays a pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other [[Mobility aid|mobility aids]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pedestrians With Disabilities |url=https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/PED_BIKE/univcourse/pdf/swless17.pdf |accessdate=2024-04-19 |publisher=[[Federal Highway Administration]]}}</ref>

It was originally used, and can still be used today, as an adjective meaning plain or dull.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pedestrian&allowed_in_frame=0|title=Online Etymology Dictionary|website=www.etymonline.com|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702051541/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pedestrian&allowed_in_frame=0|archive-date=2 July 2016|access-date=27 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The word pedestrian may have been used in middle French in the ''[[:fr:Recueil des Croniques et Anchiennes Istories de la Grant Bretaigne, à présent nommé Engleterre|Recueil des Croniques et Anchiennes Istories de la Grant Bretaigne]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/p%C3%A9destre|title=PÉDESTRE : Définition de PÉDESTRE|website=www.cnrtl.fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129020259/http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/p%C3%A9destre|archive-date=29 January 2017|access-date=7 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
{{See also|Pedestrianism}}
Throughout history, walking has been the main way people get around. The first humans to migrate from Africa, about 60,000 years ago, walked.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/ |title=Genographic Project |author=Dr. Spencer Wells |year=2005 |url-status=dead |access-date=28 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325231342/https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/ |archive-date=25 March 2014 }}</ref> They walked along the coast of India to reach Australia. They walked across Asia to reach the Americas, and from Central Asia into Europe.

With the advent of cars at the beginning of the 20th century, the main story is that the cars took over, and "people chose the car", but there were many groups and movements that held on to walking as their preferred means of daily transport and some who organised to promote walking, and to counterbalance the widely-held view that often favoured cars, e.g. as related by [[Peter Norton (historian)|Peter Norton]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://doi.org/10.1017/S0963926819000956 |title= Persistent pedestrianism: urban walking in motor age America, 1920s–1960s|author=Peter D. Norton |journal= Urban History|year=2021 |volume= 48|issue= 2|pages= 266–289|doi= 10.1017/S0963926819000956|s2cid= 210507536|access-date=20 January 2021}}</ref>

During the 18th and 19th centuries, [[pedestrianism]] (walking) was non a popular spectator sport, just as [[equestrianism]] (riding) still is in places. One of the most famous pedestrians of that period was Captain [[Robert Barclay Allardice]], known as "The Celebrated Pedestrian", of [[Stonehaven]] in Scotland. His most impressive feat was to walk {{convert|1|mi}} every hour for 1000 hours, which he achieved between 1 June and 12 July 1809. This captured many people's imagination, and around 10,000 people came to watch over the course of the event. During the rest of the 19th century, many people tried to repeat this feat, including [[Ada Anderson]] who developed it further and walked a half-mile (800&nbsp;m) each quarter-hour over the 1000 hours.

Since the 20th century, interest in walking as a sport has dropped. [[Racewalking]] is still an [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] sport, but fails to catch public attention as it did. However major walking feats are still performed, such as the [[Land's End to John o' Groats]] walk in the United Kingdom, and the traversal of North America from coast to coast. The first person to walk around the world was [[Dave Kunst]] who started his walk traveling east from [[Waseca, Minnesota]] on 20 June 1970 and completed his journey on 5 October 1974, when he re-entered the town from the west. These feats are often tied to [[Charitable organization|charitable]] [[fundraising]] and are undertaken, among others, by celebrities such as Sir [[Jimmy Savile]] and [[Ian Botham]].

==Footpaths and roads==

===Outdoor pedestrian networks===
[[File:Colección de hombres cruzando.JPG|thumb|Pedestrian signal in [[Santa Ana (California)|Santa Ana]], [[California]].]]
[[File:Bauman Street.jpg|thumb|160px|right|The pedestrian [[Baumana Street, Kazan|Bauman Street]] in [[Kazan]], [[Russia]].]]
[[File:Yieldpeds.jpg|thumb|right|100px|In many jurisdictions in the [[United States]], one must yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.]]
[[File:LightTunnelDetroit.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Colorful pedestrian ''Light Tunnel'' at Detroit's [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport|DTW airport]], United States.]]

Roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian [[traffic]], called the ''[[sidewalk]]'' in [[North American English]], the ''pavement'' in [[British English]], and the ''footpath'' in [[Australian English|Australian]] and [[New Zealand English]]. There are also footpaths not associated with a road; these include urban short cuts and also rural paths used mainly by ramblers, hikers, or hill-walkers. Footpaths in mountainous or forested areas may also be called ''[[trail]]s''. Pedestrians share some footpaths with horses and bicycles: these paths may be known as bridleways. Other byways used by walkers are also accessible to [[vehicle]]s. There are also many roads with no footpath. Some modern towns (such as the new suburbs of [[Peterborough]] in England) are designed with the network of footpaths and cycle paths almost entirely separate from the road network.

The term ''trail'' is also used by the authorities in some countries to mean any footpath that is not attached to a road or street.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sidewalks/appb.htm |title=Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access |work=[[U.S. Department of Transportation]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529005217/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sidewalks/appb.htm |archive-date=29 May 2010 |date=7 July 2017 |access-date=8 May 2018 |quote=Trail – A path of travel for recreation and/or transportation within a park, natural environment, or designated corridor that is not classified as a highway, road, or street}}</ref> If such footpaths are in urban environments and are meant for both pedestrians and pedal cyclists, they can be called ''[[shared use path]]s''<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)]]|access-date=7 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129172738/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sidewalk2/sidewalks214.htm|archive-date=29 November 2011}}</ref> or ''multi-use paths'' in general and official usage.

Some [[Retailing#Shops and stores|shopping]] streets are for pedestrians only. Some roads have special [[pedestrian crossing]]s. A bridge solely for pedestrians is a [[footbridge]].

In Britain, regardless of whether there is a footpath, pedestrians have the legal right to use most public roads, excluding motorways and some toll tunnels and bridges such as the [[Blackwall Tunnel]] and the [[Dartford Crossing]] — although sometimes it may endanger the pedestrian and other road users. [[The Highway Code|The UK Highway Code]] advises that pedestrians should walk in the opposite direction to oncoming traffic on a road with no footpath.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/rules-for-pedestrians-1-to-35|title=Rules for pedestrians (1 to 35) – The Highway Code – Guidance – GOV.UK|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=7 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108183219/https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/rules-for-pedestrians-1-to-35|archive-date=8 January 2018}}</ref>

===Indoor pedestrian networks===
Indoor pedestrian networks connect the different rooms or spaces of a building. Airports, museums, campuses, hospitals and shopping centres might have tools allowing for the computation of the shortest paths between two destinations. Their increasing availability is due to the complexity of path finding in these facilities.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Goetz | first1 = M. | last2 = Zipf | first2 = A. | year = 2011 | title = Formal definition of a user-adaptive and length-optimal routing graph for complex indoor environments | doi = 10.1007/s11806-011-0474-3 | journal = Geo-spatial Information Science | volume = 14 | issue = 2| pages = 119–128 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2011GSIS...14..119G }}</ref> Different mapping tools, such as [[OpenStreetMap]], are extending to indoor spaces.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Goetz | first1 = M | year = 2012 | title = Using Crowdsourced Indoor Geodata for the Creation of a Three-Dimensional Indoor Routing Web Application | doi = 10.3390/fi4020575 | journal = Future Internet | volume = 4 | issue = 2| pages = 575–591 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

==Walkability==
{{See also|Mobility transition}}
As walking is a healthy and sustainable mode of transport, there are efforts to make cities more [[Walkability|walkable]]. For instance, by creating wider sidewalks or pavements, a pedestrian network, or restricting motor vehicles in city centres.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-08-12 |title=Pedestrian Safety, Urban Space and Health |url=https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2012/08/pedestrian-safety-urban-space-and-health_g1g13e6c.html |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=OECD |pages=48–52 |language=en}}</ref> [[Pedestrian zone|Pedestrianisation]] is a process of removing motor traffic from city streets or restricting motor access to streets for use by pedestrians, to improve the environment and safety.<ref name="who.int">{{cite book|url=http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/79753/9789241505352_eng.pdf|title=Pedestrian safety. A Road Safety Manual for Decision-Makers and Practitioners|year=2013 |publisher=[[World Health Organization]]|isbn=978-92-4-150535-2|pages=114|access-date=3 April 2018}}</ref>

Efforts are under way to restore pedestrian access to new developments, especially to counteract newer developments, 20% to 30% of which in the United States do not include footpaths. Some activists advocate large [[pedestrian zones]] where only pedestrians, or pedestrians and some non-motorised vehicles, are allowed. Many [[urbanist]]s have extolled the virtues of pedestrian streets in urban areas. In the US, the proportion of households without a car is 8%, but a notable exception is [[Transportation in New York City|New York City]], the only locality in the United States where more than half of all households do not own a car (the figure is even higher in Manhattan, over 75%).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bts.gov/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/executive_summary.html|title=Publications – Bureau of Transportation Statistics|website=www.bts.gov|access-date=7 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002070118/http://www.bts.gov/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/executive_summary.html|archive-date=2 October 2006}}</ref>

The use of cars for short journeys is officially discouraged in many parts of the world, and construction or separation of dedicated walking routes in city centres receives a high priority in many large cities in Western Europe, often in conjunction with [[public transport]] enhancements. In [[Copenhagen]], the world's longest pedestrian shopping area, [[Strøget]], has been developed over the last 40 years, principally due to the work of Danish architect [[Jan Gehl]], a principle of urban design known as ''[[Copenhagenization (bicycling)|copenhagenisation]]''.

==Safety==
[[File:ZoSS.jpg|thumb|A crossing for school children in [[Jakarta]]]]
Safety is an important issue where cars can cross the pedestrian way. Drivers and pedestrians share some responsibility for improving safety of road users.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://exchange.aaa.com/safety/pedestrian-safety/tips-pedestrian-safety/|title=Tips for Pedestrian Safety|work=AAA Exchange|access-date=7 May 2018}}</ref> Road traffic crashes are not inevitable; they are both predictable and preventable.<ref name="who.int" />

Key risks for pedestrians are well known. Among the well-documented factors are driver behaviour (including speeding and drunk driving); infrastructure missing facilities (including pavements, crossings and [[Refuge island|islands]]); and vehicle designs which are not forgiving to pedestrians struck by a vehicle.<ref name="who.int" /> The Traffic Injury Research Foundation describes pedestrians as vulnerable road users because they are not protected in the same way as occupants of motor vehicles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tirf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/RSM_2008_Cyclists_Pedestrians_final.pdf|title=The Road Safety Monitor 2008. Pedestrians and Bicyclists|work=Traffic Injury Research Foundation|pages=37|access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref> There is an increasing focus on pedestrians versus motor vehicles in many countries.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Most pedestrian injuries occur while they are crossing a street.<ref name="who.int" /> In the United States, 20% of pedestrian crash fatalities are linked to jaywalking, defined as improper crossing of a roadway or intersection.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=Legal |date=2025-01-03 |title=Deadly Crossings: An Analysis of Fatal Pedestrian Crashes and Jaywalking |url=https://www.jacobyandmeyers.com/blog/fatal-pedestrian-crash-study/ |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=Jacoby & Meyers Law Offices |language=en}}</ref> Most crashes involving a pedestrian occur at night.<ref name="who.int" /> Most pedestrian fatalities are killed by a frontal impact. In such a situation, an adult pedestrian is struck by a car front (for instance, the bumper touches either the leg or knee-joint area), accelerating the lower part of the body forward while "the upper body is rotated and accelerated relative to the car," at which point the pelvis and thorax are hit.<ref name="who.int" /> Then the head hits the windscreen at the velocity of the striking car. Finally, the victim falls to the ground.<ref name="who.int" />

Research has shown that urban crimes, or the mere perception of crimes, severely affect the mental and physical health of pedestrians. Inter-pedestrian behaviour, without the involvement of vehicles, is also a key factor to pedestrian safety.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Yifei |last2=Li |first2=Hansong |title=Signalling security: An observational and game theory approach to inter-pedestrian psychology |journal=Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour |date=April 2022 |volume=86 |pages=238–251 |doi=10.1016/j.trf.2022.02.017 |bibcode=2022TRPF...86..238W |s2cid=247483300 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847822000419}}</ref>

Five states – Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas – are the site of 46% of all pedestrian deaths in the United States.<ref name="Aratani">{{cite news |last=Aratani |first=Lauren |date=12 March 2019 |title='Boulevards of death': why pedestrian road fatalities are surging in the US |url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/12/boulevards-of-death-why-pedestrian-road-fatalities-are-surging-in-the-us |access-date=17 March 2019 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |publisher=[[Guardian News & Media Limited]]}}</ref>
The advent of [[SUV]]s is considered a leading cause;<ref name="Freep">{{cite news |last1=Eric D. Lawrence, Nathan Bomey and Kristi Tanner |title=Death on foot: America's love of SUVs is killing pedestrians |url=https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2018/06/28/suvs-killing-americas-pedestrians/646139002/ |access-date=24 December 2019 |work=www.freep.com |agency=[[Detroit Free Press]] |date=1 July 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214084336/https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2018/06/28/suvs-killing-americas-pedestrians/646139002/ |archive-date=14 December 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> speculation of other factors includes population growth, driver distraction with mobile phones, poor street lighting, alcohol and drugs and speeding.<ref name="Aratani" />

Cities have had mixed results in addressing pedestrian safety with [[Vision Zero]] plan: Los Angeles fails while NYC has had success. Nonetheless, in the US, some pedestrians have just 40 seconds to cross a street 10 lanes wide.<ref name="Aratani" />

Pedestrian fatalities are much more common in accident situations in the European Union than in the United States. In the European Union countries, more than 200,000 pedestrians and cyclists are injured annually.<ref name="safetyresearch.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.safetyresearch.net/blog/articles/european-pedestrian-crash-standards-will-make-global-changes-car-design-inevitable|title=European Pedestrian Crash Standards Will Make Global Changes in Car Design Inevitable|date=1 April 2005|work=Safety Research & Strategies, Inc.|access-date=7 May 2018}}</ref> Also, each year, more than 270 000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world's roads.<ref name="who.int" /> At a global level pedestrians constitute 22% of all road deaths,<ref name="who.int" /> but might be two-thirds in some countries.<ref name="who.int" />
Pedestrian fatalities, in 2016, were{{needs update|date=April 2024}} 2.6 per million population in the Netherlands, 4.3 in Sweden, 4.5 in Wales, 5.3 in New Zealand, 6.0 in Germany; 7.1 in the whole United Kingdom, 7.5 in Australia, 8.4 in France, 8.4 in Spain, 9.4 in Italy, 11.1 in Israel, 13 in Japan, 13.8 in Greece, 18.5 in the United States, 22.9 in Poland, and 36.3 in Romania.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/743242/ras52001.ods|title = Reported road accidents, vehicles and casualties tables for Great Britain| date=19 December 2024 }}</ref>

===Safety trends===
{|
|{{Graph:Chart|width=400|height=200|xAxisTitle=Year|yAxisTitle=Killed|legend=Pedestrians killed on road|type=line|x=2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019
|y1=  ,,,,,,, 4699, 4414, 4109, 4302, 4457, 4818, 4779, 4910, 5495, 5987
|y2=  ,,,,,,, 
,,,
 4302,
 4457,
 4818,
 4779,
 4910,
 5494,
 6080,
 6075,
 6374,
6205,

|y3=  ,,,,,,, 8342,7865,6828,6140,6232,5647,5503,5506,5265,5320
|y4 = ,,,,,,,,,, 5952,5986,5441,5308,5246,4998,4966,4870,4763,4668

|xType=date
|xAxisFormat=%Y
|colors=#80ae3C01,#807171fe,#80019A37,#80Fe7e01,#804674C0,#80FeAaA5
|y1Title=United-States
|y2Title=United-States (source NHTSA 2019)
|y3Title=European Union
|y4Title=European Union (27 member states), source ERSO (2010-2019)
|xGrid=1
|yGrid=1
|yAxisGrid=1
|yAxisMin=0 }}
|-
| colspan="2" |
* EU: Source CARE,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/sites/roadsafety/files/pdf/statistics/dacota/bfs20xx_pedestrians.pdf |title=Pedestrians |year=2018 |work=Traffic Safety Basic Facts |publisher=European Road Safety Observatory |access-date=9 March 2019 |agency=[[European Commission]]}}</ref> 2010-2019: Source ERSO.<ref>
European Commission (2021) Road safety thematic report – Fatigue. European
Road Safety Observatory. Brussels, European Commission, Directorate General for
Transport</ref>
* United States: Source NHTSA 2016<ref>{{cite journal |year=2016 |title=Pedestrians |url=https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812493 |publisher=[[U.S. Department of Transportation]]|access-date=9 March 2019 |journal=Traffic Safety Facts}}</ref> (FARS ARF), NHTSA 2019<ref>National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2021, May). Pedestrians: 2019 data (Traffic Safety Facts. Report No. DOT HS 813 079). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.</ref>
|}

===Road design impact on safety===
[[File:Forumhelsinkikauppakeskuskadunylitys.JPG|thumb|Pedestrians ready across the street next to the [[Forum (shopping centre)|Forum]] shopping center in [[Helsinki]], [[Finland]]]]
It is well documented that a minor increase in speed might greatly increase the likelihood of a crash, and exacerbate resulting casualties. For this reason, the recommended maximum speed is {{convert|30|km/h|-1|abbr=on}} or {{convert|40|km/h|0|abbr=on}} in residential and high pedestrian traffic areas, with enforced traffic rules on speed limits
and traffic-calming measures.<ref name="who.int" />

[[File:Euro-pedestrian traffic light.gif|thumb|upright=0.6|[[Traffic light]]s for pedestrians are also a factor in increasing safety. Animated pedestrian traffic light showing the pan-European sign.]]
The design of road and streets plays a key role in pedestrian safety. Roads are too often designed for motorized vehicles, without taking into account pedestrian and bicycle needs. The non-existence of sidewalk and signals increases risk for pedestrians. This defect might more easily be observed on arterial roadways, intersections and fast-speed lanes without adequate attention to pedestrian facilities.<ref name="who.int" /> For instance, an assessment of roads in countries from many continents shows that 84% of roads are without pedestrian footpaths, while maximum limited speed is greater than 40&nbsp;km/h.<ref name="who.int" />

Among the factors which reduce road safety for pedestrians are wider lanes, roadway widening, and roadways designed for higher speeds and with increased numbers of traffic lanes.<ref name="who.int" />

For this reason, some European cities such as [[Freiburg]] (Germany) have lowered the speed limit to 30&nbsp;km/h on 90% of its streets, to reduce risk for its 15 000 people. With such policy, 24% of daily trips are performed by foot, against 28% by bicycles, 20% by public transport and 28% by car. (See [[Zone 30]].)<ref name="who.int" />

A similar set of policies to discourage the use of cars and increase safety for pedestrians has been implemented by the Northern European capitals of Oslo and Helsinki. In 2019, this resulted in both cities counting zero pedestrian deaths for the first time.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/how-helsinki-and-oslo-cut-pedestrian-deaths-to-zero |title=How Helsinki and Oslo cut pedestrian deaths to zero |first=Jessica |last=Murray |date=16 March 2020 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London}}</ref>

===Seasonality===

In Europe, pedestrian fatalities have a seasonal factor, with 6% of annual fatalities occurring in April but 13% (twice more) in December. The rationale for such a change might be complex.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Traffic Safety: Basic Facts 2018 |url=https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/sites/roadsafety/files/pdf/statistics/dacota/bfs2018_seasonality.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727202236/https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/sites/roadsafety/files/pdf/statistics/dacota/bfs2018_seasonality.pdf |archive-date=27 July 2020 |access-date=27 July 2020 |website=European Road Safety Observatory}}</ref>

==Health benefits and environment==
[[File:Pedestrians in Pornainen.jpg|thumb|Pedestrians walking in winter conditions in [[Pornainen]], Finland.]]
Regular walking is important both for human health and for the [[natural environment]]. Frequent exercise such as walking tends to reduce the chance of [[obesity]] and related medical problems. In contrast, using a car for short trips tends to contribute both to obesity and via vehicle emissions to climate change: [[internal combustion engine]]s are more inefficient and highly polluting during their first minutes of operation (engine cold start). General availability of [[public transportation]] encourages walking, as it will not, in most cases, take one directly to one's destination.

==Unicode==
In [[Unicode]], the [[hexadecimal]] code for "pedestrian" is '''1F6B6'''. In XML and HTML, the string <code>&amp;#x1F6B6;</code> produces 🚶.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1F680.pdf |title=Transport and Map Symbols |date= |website=[[Unicode Consortium]]}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Dérive]] aimless walking usually through city streets
* [[Footpath]]
* [[Jaywalking]]
* [[Junior safety patrol]]
* [[List of U.S. cities with most pedestrian commuters]]
* [[Pedestrian village]]
* [[Pedestrian zone]]
* [[Street reclamation]]
* [[Traffic calming]]
* [[Trail ethics]]
* [[Walkability]]
* [[Walking audit]]
* [[Walking]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons category|Pedestrians}}

{{Walking}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Transport terminology]]
[[Category:Walking]]