International Pedestrian Lexicon

a work-in-progress compiled with input from members of the Pednet list

 

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20mph zone - Area in which vehicle speeds have to be kept to 20mph or less.

accessible pedestrian signals (APS) - a term to replace "audible pedestrian signals". Accessible signals may include vibro-tactile or other devices in addition to or instead of sound.

accident - one should eliminate the word accident from the field of unintentional injury. Continuation of the use of this word, in lieu of crash, works against a public perception on the preventability of injuries and fatalities in the highway environment.

ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; broad legislation mandating provision of access to employment, services, and the built environment to those with disabilities.

aire piétonne - ped zone (French)

angled curb cuts - a curb cut that is not perpendicular to the curb. It can create a warped surface that is difficult for a wheelchair to navigate.

attached sidewalk - a sidewalk with one edge adjacent to the back of the street curb. An attached sidewalk may or may not have intermittent planting of street trees in wells along its length. In the US, they are also called curbside, curbline and curbtight

audible pedestrian signals (APS) - The Canadian Transportation Association describes them this way: The purpose of audible pedestrian indications is to assist visually impaired pedestrians in crossing at locations that are either fully or partially controlled by traffic signals. Audible pedestrian indications may be used at locations with pre-timed, vehicle actuated or pedestrian actuated control provided that pedestrian timing intervals are used. See accessible pedestrian signals

balisage - waymarking (French)

bandes rugueuses - rumble strips (French)

Barnes Dance - also called scramble phase. A traffic signal-light phase during which all vehicle movement is stopped by red lights, while walk signals allow pedestrians to cross between any two curbs, including diagonal crossings. It is named for Harry Barnes, former traffic commissioner for Denver and New York City who developed it in the 1950s. The 'dance' occurs when all lights at an intersection go red and pedestrians are allowed to go in either direction or diagonally.

bateau - dropped kerb, curb cut (French)

Belisha beacon - pole with flashing orange light, marking a zebra crossing. Named after Leslie Hore-Belisha, who was UK Minister of Transport between 1934 and 1937, and was a leader in the introduction of traffic regulation and road safety reform. In 1937 he became Secretary of State for War and held that post until the outbreak of WWII. In that post he carried out some necessary military reforms.

bike/pedestrian lane - a lane between the parking lane and the traffic lane shared with both pedestrians and bicyclists. Attested Wisconsin, USA

Bliss - Henry Bliss, first pedestrian killed in North America by a car on 13th September 1899

blister pavement - truncated domes.(Br)

bollard - A short post imbedded in the ground to indicate the line beyond which motor traffic cannot pass. Used where curbs are not possible or not effective enough, e.g., building entrances at the end of circular driveways. Sometimes the tops are connected by chains, but this is improper as it stops pedestrians as well as motor vehicles. Often used in Euope to prevent illegal pavement parking.

border Area - the area located within the public right-of-way between the curb line of a street or roadway edge and the property line at the edge of right-of-way.

bostal - path up the side of a steep hill (Southern England)

boulevard -- term for the types of streets that make Paris so beautiful - through travel lanes in the middle, then a raised area with trees, then a frontage road with parking for local traffic, then sidewalks against the buildings. Or at least for a high-volume urban thoroughfare which is designed with many compatible uses in mind - cars, buses, bicyclists, pedestrians, businesses, residences...

boulevard strip - planting between the roadway and the sidewalk. In our design manual we call it a <<planting strip>>. It is sometimes called a <<landscape strip>> or a <<buffer>>. To us a boulevard is a type of street (which often has planting strips included)."

Some in the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition some years ago consciously chose "planting strip" to describe an unpaved area between the sidewalk and the curb. Probably the most common term in the (Western?) U.S. is "parking strip". This has little to do with "parking cars", but is probably a shortening of "parkway strip" or "park strip". "Parking strip" is to easily confused with the lane used to park cars, called by engineers the "parking lane." Hence, "planting strip".

Ironically, some roadway engineers have been designing sidewalks adjacent to the curb, with 3 or 4 feet of unpaved right-of-way behind the sidewalk, and then calling this area the "planting strip". Thus, we are forced to advocate for a "planting strip between the sidewalk and the curb". On the same vein, in Portland the Forestry Department has often advocated for the sidewalk to be adjacent to the curb, with "street trees" behind it, rather than the trees between the sidewalk and the curb. They argue that the trees can better survive there. Unfortunately, this often puts them on the private property, where the city has no control of their care. Plus, they provide no "buffering" effect for pedestrians.

branchage - twice-yearly trimming by property-owners of verges, hedges etc, to remove encroachments onto highway (Jersey)

bridle path, bridleway - countryside path for horses, peds and cyclists (UK); countryside path for horses. Often used by pedestrians and bicyclists as well, although sometimes bicycles are prohibited or kept on a separate path. (NAm)

bridge - see "pedestrian bridge"

build-out - A narrowing of the carriageway constructed on one side of the road as an extension of the verge or footway. Also "bulb-out"

bulb-out - extended pavement to narrow roadway, or pinch throughfare, or provide space for bus stop, bench, etc. Also "build-out"

capes - extended pavements at public transport stops

carrefour surélevé - junction table (French)

charette, charrette - Intensive design session,often including 'all-nighter', originally just for architecture students but more recently including the public and professionals. Term originated et the Paris Ecole des Beaux-Arts at the turn of the century. Projects were collected at designated times on a cart ('charrette') where students would be found putting finishing touches to their schemes. Term now widely used in the USA to describe any intensive, group brainstorming effort. Also used in Aus.

chemin - path (French)

chemin de halage - towpath (French)

chemin balisé - waymarked path (French)

chicane - A series of two or more build-outs on alternate sides of the road, but not opposite one another.

clear zone - 1) urban area restricted to pedestrians, cyclists and low- or non-polluting motor vehicles; 2) Clear zone - or recovery zone - also used to describe an area near the roadway kept clear of obstructions such as trees and poles as a safety measure for errant drivers. More appropriately used on high speed rural roads than on city streets.

clearance interval - the length of time that the DON'T WALK indication is flashing on a pedestrian signal indication.

continental crosswalk - zebra crossing (attested in Oregon, USA)

continuous pavements - pavement surface should continue across junctions and across roads at appropriate points. In practice this means that instead of the pedestrian having to change surfaces and levels all the time, the car will have to do so. This has been done in cities (e.g. Edinburgh, where tourism is a major industry) very successfully; it also acts as a very effective traffic calming method, as vehicles necessarily slow when approaching the ramps on either side of a pavement crossing the road. Very effective as entry treatment on residential streets.

1. Zebras

A non-signalised crossing indicated with black and white stripes across the carriageway with Belisha beacons on black and white striped poles at the carriageway edge. Drivers should give way to pedestrians on the crossing.

2. Pelican Crossings

Pedestrian operated signal crossing. Lights (eventually) change after pressing of button located by the crossing. Includes audible (or rotating tactile indicator) during green man. Signals show flashing amber to cars after red - during this time pedestrians on crossing still have priority but 'new' pedestrians should not cross the road. Peds see a flashing green man at this time.

3. Puffin.

Advanced Pelican with possible microwave detectors and pressure pads to modify signal timings. Devised to avoid the problem of signals on Pelicans changing after the pedestrian who pressed the button has already crossed. Good idea but the technological problems have not really been overcome.

4. Toucan

Combined Pedestrian / Cyclist signal crossing. Otherwise as Pelican.

5. Pegasus

Combined Pedestrian / Cyclist / Horse Crossing. Otherwise as Pelican

6. Pedestrian Facilities in junction signals

Signals at junctions often include either a pedestrian phase as a normal process of the cycle or a ped. phase on demand only. Will not include audible warning but should now include rotating 'knurled knobs'.

coulée verte - see voie verte

countdown signal - 1) a pedestrian signal that counts down the number of seconds left to cross (usually reaching zero when the auto signal turns yellow). Especially useful on wide streets, where the necessary clearance interval is substantially different for a slow walker than for a fast walker;

2) a pedestrian signal that counts down the number of seconds left until pedestrians can start crossing - gives peds confidence in the level of service, and discourages crossing against the light

corridor vert - green corridor; see voie verte

cours urbaine - home zone (French)

covered mall (NAm) - shopping centre (Br).

crosswalk (NAm) - crossing (Br)

cul-de-sac - a street closed at one end.

"curb bulb" - see curb extension. (Br) bulb-out

curb-cut - (NAm) interruption in the curb, as for a driveway. Also used to refer to curb ramps for wheelchair access.

(Br) dropped kerb

Or sidewalk ramp or curb ramp. Comments from Pednet: In our office, we use <<curb cut>> to describe this. However, in our standard drawing and on construction plans, <<sidewalk ramp>> is used. Our standards engineer is more familiar with ADAAG than I am when it comes to curb cut/sidewalk ramp details, so it would surprise me a bit if sidewalk ramp is not a correct term.

Like other entries in the lexicon, the use of curb ramp, curb cut, cut curb, sidewalk ramp, dropped curb (and kerb) and similar labels varies by region. Additionally, there are differences in type among them. The ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) and its predecessor document, the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS), use curb ramp throughout, even when describing the projected type as a 'built-up' curb ramp. When the Access Board proposed guidelines (not yet adopted) for public rights-of-way, we attempted to discriminate between 'perpendicular' curb ramps that cut through a curb at right angles (and were generally inset into the sidewalk, with a landing at the top for turning or bypassing the ramp) and 'parallel' curb ramps that were better choices for narrow sidewalks because they were a ramped length of the sidewalk that terminated in a level landing at more-or-less street elevation, where a turn could be made for a crossing. We even described 'combination' curb ramps wherein some portion of the change in elevation was accomplished on the sidewalk leg, leaving a lesser height for a short perpendicular run (good for sidewalks of six feet or so in width). Our goal in differentiating these types was to encourage more usable design solutions. A perpendicular curb ramp without a landing at the top is a formidable barrier to wheelchair traffic across it. Where sidewalks are less than 10-12 feet wide and curb heights are at 6+ inches, a perpendicular curb ramp is not very accessible. Although it's commonly supposed that the side flares of a curb ramp are intended to ease the transition of a wheelchair from ramp to sidewalk, side flares were in fact introduced so that pedestrians would not trip over the edges of curb ramps, as may happen where the curbing returns along the edge of a ramp. Sidewalks of lesser width will be more accessible if parallel or combination ramps are installed.

Another view: "I think of a curb/sidewalk ramp as when fill (commonly asphalt) is added to the street level to create a gentle slope from street up to sidewalk (pavement/footpath) grade, while a curb cut's slope is contained *within* the width of the sidewalk. My understanding of ADAAG is curb cuts are encouraged; curb ramps discouraged."

"Built-up (or projected) ramps, even when provided with convex flares, are hazardous to pedestrians in wheelchairs because of their unstable edge conditions. Ramps of this sort, if necessary, should be wider than the minimum and should contrast visually from adjacent surfaces."

"And while I'm at it, let me correct the most common misconception about curb ramps and their location: perpendicular curb ramps do not need to be installed on a tangent ('straight') section; they can be constructed on a curb return (radius, curve, sweep, etc.). What is essential is that the length of the sides of a curb ramp be the same, so that its footprint is a rectangle, not skewed into a trapezoid to be in line with a crosswalk, as often happens with large-radius returns. A pedestrian in a wheelchair needs to be able to approach the change in slope squarely, with both wheels entering (or leaving) the ramp at the same time to avoid imbalance and compromised control."

curb extension - an area where the sidewalk and curb are extended into the parking lane, usually in order to shorten pedestrian crossing distance. See "neckdown"

cut-through - ped shortcut link through development, estate, between buildings. See snickelway

"dartout" - mid-block motor vehicle/pedestrian injury. This term should be avoided in the opinion of many pedestrian activists because it "blames the victim".
Use of the term often reflects the fact that the driver was not paying attention when the person moved into their "path" and thus the pedestrian's presence was "sudden," leaving them with the conclusion that the pedestrian "darted," when in fact he may not have moved as fast as "dart" implies.

detached sidewalk - a sidewalk that is separated from the curb by a linear planting strip. (see Separated sidewalk)

detectable curb - where curb ramps provide access for wheelchairs, blind pedestrians cannot rely on the (now flush) curb to locate the edge of the street. A two foot detectable warning strip immediately behind the curb is recommended. Truncated domes are the recommended treatment.

diagonal curb ramp - form of perpendicular curb ramp; a single curb ramp at each corner pointed diagonally into the intersection. Usually inferior to having two curb ramps at each corner - one for each crosswalk.

downcurb - the curb at the start of a crossing where the pedestrian goes down into the roadway (It would be the up curb for a pedestrian crossing the other direction.)

drink walking - walking while drunk, see tippling and toddling

dropped kerb - (Br) Where a pavement is lowered to meet the carriageway of the road at the same level. Often done for disabled access. (NAm) curb cut

elevated crosswalk - ped bridge (NAm)

entry treatment - traffic calming measure (physical or psychological) at entrance to street

false roundabout - A form of traffic island.

footfall - Alternative term for foot traffic. Amount of potential customers in commercial area measured for statistical analysis.

footpath - pavement, sidewalk, or any linear surface primarily destined for pedestrian use - not necessarily at edge of roadway

footstreets - streets for pedestrians. Alternative term for pedestrian precinct/pedestrian zone. Best known example in York in UK.

foot traffic - pedestrians, pedestrian traffic

footway - pavement, sidewalk, or any surface primarily destined for pedestrian use

gateway - Structure on the verge or footway announcing the presence of traffic calming works in the area.

GR - Sentier de Grande Randonnée - national rambling path (French)

green corridor - linear park

Green Lanes - In Jersey, (mostly) country lanes designated for ped, cyclist and horse riding priority with 15mph speed limit.

'greenways' - for people on foot or on bikes to get into town or out to the country without dependence on the motor car

gyratory - (Br) a gyratory is a traffic-management system that enforces a round-the-block left-turn loop to avoid traffic queues waiting for a right-hand-turn (reverse directions for RH-drive jurisdictions)

hail and ride - public transport system where pedestrians can flag down bus, minibus etc at any point on route, rather than solely at designated stops

hoggin - loose gravel paving surface, often used for trails and squares, etc

"Home Zones" - (UK) A home zone is a street or group of streets where pedestrians and cyclists have priority and cars travel at a top speed of 10 mph. Drivers have to give way to pedestrians and cyclists and are normally responsible for any injury caused to them. The change in the status of the road is clearly indicated through signing, traffic calming measures and landscaping features such as seating, other street and plants. The phrase is a calque of Dutch woonerf.

"horsey button" - an equestrian push button, mounted higher than a pedestrian push button. see also pegasus crossing

international style crosswalk - zebra crossing (attested NAm)

jaydriving - a term invented on the pattern of jaywalking to denote inattentive and inappropriate driving, failing to yield to pedestrians, etc

jaywalking -this term stirs up strong reactions among pedestrian activists. Dictionary definitions imply that there has to be danger, traffic and carelessness. Mid-block crossings are NOT synonymous with jaywalking. Asserting right of way is NOT jaywalking.

The Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, Second Edition (1988), says that:
"Jaywalker dates back to the early part of the century, when jay was a popular slang term meaning 'countrified' or 'rustic.' A farmer, strange to the ways of the city and perhaps frightened by the newfangled automobiles churning down the streets at fantastic speeds up to fifteen miles or twenty miles an hour, might have been expected to cross the street in an erratic fashion, without paying too much attention to signals. Hence, jaywalking."

1. to cross a street carelessly or in an illegal manner so as to be endangered by traffic
2. cross or walk in the street or road without regard for traffic

"In Ottawa this refers only to crossing in a formal intersection against the signal/light, vs. referring to crossing at any time outside the formal intersection (the latter is not illegal here)."

Jersey crossing - a belisha-less zebra (in Jersey)

junction table - raised roadway at crossroads

kerb (UK); curb (N. America)

kissing gate - gate that only allows one person through at a time, often used as type of stile

LPI - Leading Pedestrian Interval. After the cross traffic gets a red signal, the walk signal goes on a couple of seconds before the green signal. This allows pedestrians to enter the crosswalk and claim their right to it before turning traffic can cut them off.

level crossing - where route crosses railway track

linear park - path laid out with planting, gardens, lawn verge

lollipop person/woman/man - school crossing operative carrying large round-topped sign (hence "lollipop") (Br)

lollipop rage - tendency of motorists to assault, or attempt to assault, school crossing operatives in the course of their duties (Br); see pavement rage

median slow points - Medians which are useful halfway stations for many pedestrians pose a number of problems for blind peds.

mini-ronds-points - mini-roundabouts (French)

mini-roundabouts - "In NYC, we will refer to small (30' diameter or less) traffic circles retrofitted into residential streets as MINI-ROUNDABOUTS". But this definition leads to serious conflict with the UK mini-roundabout which is a modern traffic control system with strict offside priority - all drivers must give-way/yield on entry and pass to the nearside UK left US right of the centre island unless the vehicle is too large to do so.

mixed use path - for peds, cyclists etc.

modes de circulation douce - soft modes of transport (French)

modération de la circulation - traffic calming (French)

modern roundabouts - this NAm term has problems of competing definitions:

muertos - sleeping policemen (Spanish)

Mutzig waves - wavelike elevations of the carriageway to slow down motorized traffic. The waves are mounted at a distance of 15 m from each other and have a height of 0.6 m. The elevation profile is rounded like a sinus curve, with a maximum gradient of only 5%. Thanks to this type of construction, the waves can be passed at low speed, softly, without unpleasant bumping or noise. Cyclists can keep their normal speed on the "Mutzig waves". Car drivers who prefer to rely on the effectiveness of their shock absorbers are in for a bad surprise in Mutzig, near Strasbourg in France.

neckdowns - projected intersections, sidewalk extensions at corners or mid-block

overrun area - A part of the road which is textured or coloured so that it appears to narrow the carriageway

parallel crossing - adjacent ped and cycle crossings: see Toucan crossing

parc linéaire - see voie verte

parc relais - park and ride (French)

park and ride - out-of-town car parking integrated with public transport

passage clouté - ped crossing (old terminology - there used to be nails in the roadway to mark the crossing) (French)

passage piéton surélevé - raised crosswalk (French)

passage protégé - ped crossing (French)

passage souterrain - ped underpass (French)

passerelle - pedestrian (and/or cyclist) bridge (French)

pavé - (noun) paving stone, cobblestone, (adj.) paved. (French) From Latin "pavire" to beat, to flatten. A symbol of revolution in France as the cobbles provided a handy source of ammunition for rioters. 1968 slogan: "Sous les pavés : la plage!" (under the cobbles: the beach) - a reference to the anarchist ideal of leisure within urban society, and to the layer of sand that formed a bed for the cobbles. Here is another slogan from Victor Hugo: «Le meilleur symbole du peuple, c'est le pavé. On marche dessus jusqu'à ce qu'il vous tombe sur la tête.» (The best symbol of the people is the paving stone. One can walk on it until it crashes down on your head)

pavements / sidewalks. Pavement (Br) = sidewalk (N.Am), pavement (NAm) = roadway (Br)

paviour - paving slab

ped - abbreviation of pedestrian

pedestrian - walker and pedestrian are interchangeable terms, however, pedestrian carries the unfortunate additional meaning of unimaginative and commonplace. Pedestrian seems to be the word of choice in connection with mass transit and legal usage.

NY state law definition: Pedestrian: Any person afoot or in a wheelchair. (NAm)

The derogatory sense of "pedestrian" apparently made it into English earlier than the (perhaps only slightly less derogatory) "walker" sense of the word (early 18th century versus late).

The various senses of the word must have come to us from French, but most of the senses go all the way back to Greek and Latin, which had phrases for "prose" (as opposed to poetry) and "prosaic" that included their words for "feet".

Samuel Johnson's great dictionary of 1755 has only the form "pedestrious", with the meaning "not winged; going on foot". Poetry was thought of as winged in the ancient world.

Another sense of the "pedestrian" cognates in European languages is "foot-soldier" (="pawn").

Pedestrian in other languages:

Japanese - "hokosha"
Russian - "peshekhod" (transliterated; interestingly, Russian doesn't have separate words for "foot" and "leg")
Czech - "chodec"
Serbian - "pesak" (the "s" with a hacek over the top and pronounced "sh")
Latvian - gajejs (with lines over the top of the "a" and the "e")
Greek - "pezos" (latin transcription - and pronunciation/ stress over 'o') meaning pedestrian (this word has also two other meanings: 1) prosaic and 2) the opposite of romantic i.e. dull, cynic). Words originating from this word are "pezodromio" (stress over 'dro') = sidewalk (dromos=road) and "pezodromos" (stress over 'zo') = pedestrianized street
German - Füssganger
Spanish - peatón/peon
Portuguese - peão
French - piéton
Italian - pedone
Jèrriais - piêton

The Spanish word is "caminante" literally means "a person who walks." It is colloquial and poetic, rarely used in ordinary everyday conversation but certainly does not carry "derogatory" implications. And in Spanish, "andador" apparently means, among other things, "good walker". "Pedestrian" seems to be the primary sense of the Spanish "peon" which appears to have inspired the English word

pedestrian-activated - crossing signals are pedestrian-activated when the crossing phase is initiated by a pedestrian triggering the process by means of a button or other mechanism (without the response necessarily being immediate). See "pedestrian-responsive"

pedestrian call button - press it and wait, and wait, and wait....

Are bridges a good solution for pedestrians to cross roads? Given the maximum slope of an ADA ramp 1:12 with a 5 foot landing every 30 feet, one winds up with a 1:14 slope. With a 17 foot clearance over the roadway (FDOT) and a 18 inch thick deck structure, the ramps are 250 feet long. Asking a person with a mobility problem to walk 500 feet out of ones way, up a hill, is not a reasonable request.

There are a few circumstances where pedestrian bridges might be desirable:

1) Crossing a river, railroad switching yard, or major freeway where crossing at grade is not possible;

2) Where a gradual ramp can follow the pedestrian's natural desire line (such as sometimes found with a ped-bike trail crossing a road);

3) Where the road is depressed, so long ramps are not needed.

In most other circumstances, it is necessary to create a safe crossing at grade.

A modern trend for cities has been to build new river-crossings for peds (and often cyclists) only e.g. Dublin, London, Newcastle.

pedestrian district - district characterized by dense mixed-use development with a concentration of pedestrian generating activities.

pedestrian dump - where a nice, wide, pleasant, useful pedestrianized route suddenly comes to a dead stop and dumps large numbers of peds onto narrow pavements, or at a busy road junction with no ped crossing, or squeezed among parked cars.....

pedestrian island - see "pedestrian refuge"

pedestrian overpass - bridge, often denoting wide, accessible, low-gradient bridge.

pedestrian parking - a concept to promote importance of seating and standing areas as part of pedestrian network

pedestrian precinct (Br) = (N.Am) a pedestrian mall i.e. a shopping street that has been pedestrianized - or a street-like development purposely constructed.

pedestrian priority zone - area where pedestrians have priority over vehicles

pedestrian-responsive - crossing signals are pedestrian-responsive when the lights immediately respond to a pressed button (or other trigger mechanism). This term contrasts with "pedestrian-activated"

pedestrian slow points - see "medianettes"

pedestrian table - wide raised crossing (not necessarily at junction)

pegasus crossing - Combined Pedestrian / Cyclist / Horse Crossing. (UK)

pelican crossing - A pedestrian crossing incorporating traffic lights operated by pedestrians. Lights (eventually) change after pressing of button located by the crossing. Includes audible (or rotating tactile indicator) during green man. Signals show flashing amber to cars after red - during this time pedestrians on crossing still have priority but 'new' pedestrians should not cross the road. Peds see a flashing green man at this time. Pelican crossing - a PEdestrian LIght CONtrolled crossing (press the button and wait for the signal)

perpendicular curb ramps - A curb ramp in which the slope of the ramp is generally perpendicular to the line of the curb.

pinch-point - Build-outs/bulb-outs placed on both sides of the carriageway opposite one another.

planter - raised container for plants and/or trees to calm traffic, form chicane, pinch-point, entry feature, pedestrian refuge, prevent illegal parking, or hide utility e.g. bin

"planting strip" - an unpaved area between the sidewalk and the curb. See boulevard strip

pram ramp -- kerb ramp

priority radial route - priority walking route linking town centre and periphery

priority walking route - designated pedestrian route with priority crossings/ junctions for walkers

Puffin crossing - A pedestrian crossing incorporating traffic lights operated by pedestrians and infra-red detectors. Advanced Pelican with possible microwave detectors and pressure pads to modify signal timings. Devised to avoid the problem of signals on Pelicans changing after the pedestrian who pressed the button has already crossed.

queue (Br) - line (US)

quiet lanes, quiet roads - proposed UK equivalent of Jersey's Green Lanes

Radburn Layout - A form of layout separating pedestrians and traffic, developed by Clarence Stein and first applied by him at Radburn, New Jersey, in 1928. It consists of one or more superblocks, a superblock being an area containing a complex of houses (and/or shops, schools, offices, etc.) built around a central green or pedestrian space. Each superblock is ringed by a peripheral road off which short cul-de-sacs provide access for vehicles. For pedestrians, access is via the green areas which are linked to each other by underpasses or overpasses. The basic principle was first seen in Jefferson's plan for the University of Virginia; later examples include housing estates, Lancaster University, and new town shopping centres.

raised crossing - e.g: junction tables, pedestrian tables, continuous pavements, raised junctions, Wombat crossings, speed tables and raised crosswalks

raised crosswalk - flat-top speed humps in the crosswalk

raised junction - A form of road hump built across the whole area of a junction. See junction table.

rambler - someone who walks over countryside, hills, moors, fields etc. Often linked to right to roam

Refuge island - ped refuge, a raised island in the roadway that separates a crosswalk into discrete legs and provides a refuge for crossing pedestrians.

restricted byway - right of passage for non-motorised users including walkers, horse-riders, cyclists and horse-drawn carriage drivers. Vehicular rights will not be extinguished but it will be an offence to drive a motor vehicle on any way shown on the definitive map as a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway unless driving to reach premises as an owner, occupier, lessee or lawful visitor (UK)

Right-of-way - priority

Jurisdictions differ in legal definition:

(Br.) a right for any member of the public to travel over the land of another, without needing permission. There are three categories, Footpath, Bridleway, and Carriageway;

(NAm) an easement held by the local jurisdiction over land owned by the adjacent property owners that allows the jurisdiction to exercise control over the surface and above and below the ground of the right-of-way;

(NAm) government-owned land designated for passage.

Right to roam - right of walkers in many European countries to unlimited access to uncultivated land

right-turn cut-off -- This is the channel created in larger intersection by a very long turning radius and the construction of a pedestrian island (or more technically, a "refuge"), to which the pedestrian must cross before being in the formal intersection that is controlled by lights. The right-turn cut-off allows continuous right turns at fairly high speeds without stopping but the drivers are _supposed_ to yield to pedestrians crossing, but too often do not.

ring of steel - high-security anti-terrorist measures put in place to protect city centre (e.g. City of London) which restricts vehicular movement, and making walking and cycling more attractive an an unintended by-product.

risk compensation - see risk offsetting behaviour

risk offsetting behaviour - making environment safer increases risk-taking in individuals e.g. seatbelts for drivers make them feel safer and therefore they drive faster

ROW - see Right-of-way.

road alignment - The general line followed by a road.

"Reticular" refers to what is now common in suburbs, with most streets being laid out to prevent through movements. The dictionary gives this term the meaning "network-like" which comes closer to describing the even older type like that which was laid out in medieval times, with streets as short at one block, but always open on both ends, and there being many "squares" at which several of them meet; the grid being a later development to recognize the lengthening of trips and the need to more easily memorize street patterns over a longer area (memory relying more on a "point" in the grid, than a direction from a square).

The latest pattern is dominated by cul de sacs, collector streets, and arterials. Sometimes described as dead worms and lollipops. Since the only motor vehicle connection to destinations is by way of the arterial roads, they tend to become very large and pedestrian-unfriendly. "Spaghetti-like" is a descriptor used. It requires connectors for non-motorized modes, so that they don't discourage them as well as motorized trips - leaving the residents with no choice but to drive (or be driven). This type is especially hard for "strangers" to navigate (which is intended, as part of the tactic to prevent "through traffic"), since they confuse the axes, create duplicate intersections (a crescent meets the collector road at two points)

rolled curb - mountable curb, designed so that vehicles can cross them readily when required. A curb/gutter combination which slopes up from the street surface at an angle that makes it easy to drive over in a vehicle. Not recommended when the sidewalk is adjacent to the curb because of difficulties with cars parking on the sidewalk.

round and flat top humps - Road humps, to keep vehicle speeds low.

rotaries - large roundabouts (in Massachusetts)

rumble device, rumble strip - Part of the carriageway made of materials which create noise or vibration in vehicles passing over it. Often used on road shoulders to alert drivers drifting off the road. Can be a hazard for bicyclists if done thoughtlessly.

safe routes to schools - designated walking and cycling routes linking neighbourhoods and schools

scramble phase - see Barnes Dance

segregated use - Where different groups of road users, e.g. cyclists and pedestrians, are separated within a highway.

sentier - path (French)

Sentier de Grande Randonnée - GR: national rambling path (French)

sentier polyvalent - see voie verte

separated sidewalk - a sidewalk separated from the curb by linear planting strip which may include lawn or groundcover and street trees. (see Detached sidewalk)

shared space - Where drivers and/or cyclists, and pedestrians use the same surface, without separate footways and cycle tracks

shared use road - Where drivers, cyclists and pedestrians use the same surface, without separate footways and cycle tracks.

sheltered parking - Parking spaces protected by a build-out.

shoulder - the strip (can be paved as well as unpaved) at the edges of rural roads, used by pedestrians (where a sidewalk is absent) and motorists (for pulling out of the traffic lane, usually temporarily)

They would be included in what you call BORDER AREA, but would only include that portion that is approximately in the same plane as the pavement (NAm) or roadway(Br).

Sidewalk - an improved facility intended to provide for pedestrian movement; usually, but not always, located in the public right-of-way adjacent to a roadway. Typically constructed of concrete (see Standard Construction Specifications Section 308). Typically constructed out of concrete, but can be made with asphalt, bricks, stone, wood, and other materials. Concrete sidewalks tend to have fewer maintenance problems with tripping hazards that sidewalks made with bricks or small paving stones. = (Br) pavement

sinusoidal hump - Same as the round-topped hump, but the space between the apex of the hump and the road is filled in for a smoother ride

sleeping policeman (Br), speed bump, speed hump. In Brazil these are known as lombada, and in Spanish as muertos

slip lane - a lane provided for ease of right-hand turns at the intersection of arterial streets. In new construction, this is often accomplished by the use of a large turning radius and an intermediate refuge island for pedestrian crossings.

snickelway, snickleway - generic term for alleyways, snickets or ginnels; in other words, narrow passages leading from one place to another, which may have walls or hedges on either side (Northern England)

snicket - alleyway, cut-through (Northern England)

sobrepaso - ped bridge (Latin America)

speed control and red light camera - Camera set to detect drivers exceeding a set speed passing through a red traffic signal after a set time.

speed cushion - type of squarish speed hump in roadway not extending width of roadway

speed hump - raised ridge/hump in roadway to reduce vehicular speed. In USA there is now a distinction between bump and hump. The former is shorter and more abrupt; the latter is longer and more gradual. It allows higher speeds, but still only about 20 kph or so. The former are used in parking lots; the latter on streets.

speed table when all four crosswalks are so raised that the centre of the intersection also is raised. See junction table

speed tables and speed humps - where the street is raised to curb level at an intersection

staggered ladder crosswalk - a type of crosswalk marking in which lines are painted parallel to the direction of traffic, and staggered in such as way as to avoid placement in wheel tracks. This has two advantages - they wear down less rapidly, and they are more visible to motorists

steps - steps may give aesthetic quality to a walking route, and provide views and vistas and changes of level. Steps may also provide more direct walking routes. Steps also provide informal seating for pedestrians. Steps may provide orientation cues for visually-impaired walkers. However, steps may also present a barrier to mobility-impaired people. This is a controversial issue.

stile - climb-over gate in countryside

street furniture - seating, lights, planters, bins, barriers, etc

street tree - a tree planted near the edge of a street to provide shade and protection to the sidewalk. Placed in a planting strip, a tree hole in a wide sidewalk, or a bulb-out in the street.

streets for people - concept that promotes quality of life especially in resdiential areas - streets should be thought of and designed as places where people live, rather than simply conduits for cars.

surface crossing - i.e. not bridge or subway. See at-grade

tactile surface - Part of the pavement with a raised texture distinguishable by pedestrians from the surrounding area, which can give helpful messages to visually impaired people.

tactiles - push-buttons equipped with tactile indicators mounted beneath the push button unit. Taking the form of a knurled nut, they are connected to a motor which is on the same electrical circuit as the green man illuminated signal. When the green man lights, the knob rotates, thus allowing blind or partially sighted people to determine the safe time to cross (Br.)

textured crosswalks - Crosswalks are sometimes built with bricks or otherwise textured differently than the road surface.

tippling and toddling - drink walking; making your way home on foot, drunk (coined by RAC); riding the magic scooter (slang) (Br.)

A tortoise button is a pedestrian signal push button that calls for a longer pedestrian phase to accommodate people who need more time to cross the street. "Such buttons may be operated in two ways:

1) For a signal where the WALK cycle is activated on every cycle, there would be a separate button with a sign that says "Push button for longer walk signal."

2) For a pedestrian-activated signal, where the WALK comes only when a button is pushed, the longer pedestrian cycle may be activated by holding the button down longer.

We don't have any tortoise buttons in Portland, but we are looking for a location to test the use of passive detection devices to extend the pedestrian cycle when a slower-than-standard walker remains in the crosswalk longer than the normal ped phase". See "puffin crossing"

Toucan crossing - a dual-use light controlled crossing (for pedestrians and cyclists), enabling cyclists and pedestrians to cross the road together.

traffic - traffic, unless otherwise specified, should include pedestrian traffic

traffic calming - calque of German verkehrsberuhigung. A range of measures that reduce the impact of vehicular traffic on residents, pedestrians and cyclists - most commonly on residential streets, but also now on commercial streets and requested by residents in country villages

traffic circles - "Traffic Circles" as currently used in the Northwest United States (Seattle, Portland, and probably San Francisco) are not the same as Roundabouts. The traffic circles of which some here are speaking are retrofit devices, on local residential streets. Typically, the situation is an intersection of two 28 to 36 foot wide two way streets with parking along both sides of each. Into the middle of this small intersection, a circular island will be installed, perhaps 10 feet in diameter. Sometimes it is necessary to enlarge the curb return radius on some of the corners, but usually no change is made to the four corners. It is a very tight situation for many vehicles, and was intended to be so. Parking is usually removed near the corners.

"Twenty years ago, the term "Traffic Circle" was used in the U.S. in the same way that "Roundabout" is used in other countries. Portland has two older installations which would have been called this (and I don't know what we call them now, an "old fashioned traffic circle", a "giant traffic circle",or a "roundabout"?), wherein the inner circle is about 100 feet in diameter, and traffic enters from several streets. Portland's have stop signs at each entry point. There is a well-known circle in Long Beach, California, which has free flowing movement at two entry points, and stop signs at others."

traffic desegregation - process of mixing modes in same space

traffic segregation - allocation of separate space to different modes

transverse yellowbar marking - Yellow road markings used on approach to some junctions to help drivers reduce speed.

truncated domes - flat-topped circular bumps about half an inch across and an eighth of an inch high applied in a pattern on the pavement to warn blind pedestrians of a hazard, such as a station platform edge or the edge of the street at a curb ramp.

two-lane roundabouts - can pose problems for pedestrians. For one thing, pedestrians have to cross two lanes at a time which is always risky because the car in the farthest lane may not see them. Also, it is more difficult to design vehicle entry lanes with the proper deflection, so speeds may be higher than with a single-lane roundabout.

There are things that can be done to help, including high-visibility crosswalks and a pedestrian signal if needed. Engineering experience is needed, as there are no firm guidelines. Decisions should be made in view of how the intersection fits into the entire system and what works best for everyone.

As for general design, 2-lane roundabouts are used at high-volume intersections (over roughly 2,000 vehicles/hour, not uncommon in a city). Often, only the most used entries and exits have 2 lanes. Areas of high pedestrian use may be better served by a signalized intersection.

The circulating area is not striped because the vehicles naturally fall in line as they go around, even in a 2-lane design. Also, the exit tends to be more straight than the entry so that vehicles can clear the circulating lane easily. A good view of crosswalks should be maintained, and there should be room for an exiting vehicle to stop for a pedestrian in the crosswalk without blocking the circulating lane.

twitchel - path between houses (Northern England)

twitten - a narrow thoroughfare, or alley (Southern England)

uncontrolled crossing - Place for people to cross, not controlled by traffic light signals. see also "controlled crossing"

underpass - pedestrian route in tunnel under "obstacle". Also, subway or tunnel

upcurb - the curb at the end of a crossing where the pedestrian goes back up to the sidewalk. (It would be the down curb for a pedestrian crossing the other direction.)

vehicle-restricted area - area/junction/street in which only certain classes of vehicles are permitted. May also include time restriction.

vehicular homicide - killing with a car

verge - The grassy strip between the kerb and the footpath (Br., NZ)

verts - vertical displacement-speed humps (NAm)

voie verte - greenway (French); dédiée à différents types d'usagers : piétons, cyclistes, joggers, rollers et personnes à mobilité réduite... et dans certains cas les cavaliers. Elle dessert en ville : la gare, les équipements scolaires et récréatifs, les pôles culturels, les centres commerciaux. En milieux rural elle s'appuie sur des infrastructures pour la plupart existantes (halage...).

also: avenue verte, coulée verte, corridor vert, parc linéaire, sentier polyvalent

VRA - vehicle-restricted area

walk pools -

walkability - measure of how practical, attractive, pleasant and safe for pedestrians a route/city/neighbourhood is

walkable - practical, attractive, pleasant and safe for pedestrians

walker - Some people prefer walker to pedestrian (q.v.) It is short, descriptive of a variety of purposes, including recreation and transportation. The word walker concentrates on the humanity of people on foot, rather than the bureaucratic and Latinate pedestrian.

However, others point to the non inclusiveness of the word, as the definition of pedestrian often takes in wheelchair users, pram users, stroller users and small-wheeled transport. Walkers may also refer to ramblers.

There was a specialized sense of "walker" in English. A walker was also a "fuller", that is, a person who cleaned or thickened cloth by treading (walking on) or beating it. German has the same word.

That sense is so remote from the modern world that I have trouble even figuring out what it means. But it is one of the sources of the surname "Walker".

"Walker" as a personal name can also come from "wall" (="Roman wall") + "kerr" (="marsh").

There have been various other minor senses of "walker", such as an itinerant beggar; a vagrant; a gamekeeper with charge of a particular area of forest; (in singular and plural) the feet; a wandering insect, a palmer-worm; a bird, insect, etc., that uses walking as its usual gait, as opposed to hopping, running, etc.; a person who walks up partridges; a person employed to take dogs for walks.

One very interesting sense from the late 17th century (now rare or obsolete) involves the use of "walker" with a qualifying adjective to mean a person who acts in a specified manner: E.g., "Cast out of the . . . Communion of the Faithful as disorderly Walkers."

walking - Synonyms for walking: accompany, amble, bounce, creep, crawl, canter, continue, dance, dart, drag, elide, escort, flit, file, flounce, follow, gad, gambol, graze, gander, go hike, hoof, hurry, jaunt, jog, lead, lilt, loll, march, meander, mince, move, pace, parade, perambulate, prance, proceed, promenade, reel, roam, ramble, rove, rush, saunter, scurry, shuffle, skip, sashay, skidaddle, stagger, sweep, swish, stray, stomp, stalk, step, stride, stalk, sidle, slide, slink, slither, stomp, stride, strut, stroll, stumble, tail, tip-toe, trip, trot, tour, tramp, trudge, traipse, tread, track, retrace, travel, traverse, trek, troll, waltz, wander, wobble, waddle, wend, wind

walking bus - children picked up on journey to school and accompanied as group on foot on fixed route according to timetable

walking distance (maximum) - figures vary: 400 metres, quarter of a mile, 5 minutes. The National Personal Transportation Study found that 70% of Americans will walk 500 feet for normal daily trips, 40% are willing to walk 1,000 feet (1/5 mile), and 10% will walk a half mile (David Unterman, 1990). Studies should find greater willingness to walk as the pedestrian accessibility of an area increases. As communities improve neighbourhood shopping and achieve higher densities with more pedestrians, the distance its residents are willing to walk should increase.

Research seems to assume a third mile walk to elementary schools, half mile to middle schools, one mile to high schools and quarter mile to pedestrian friendly commercial zones, transit stops and public parks.

There are references to 400 metres to buses, 600 metres to light rail and from 800 metres to a kilometre as the catchment for heavy rail with a good level of service. In other words people are prepared to walk further if the quality of service they are accessing is better. I have also seen reference to the lower end of the spectrum being 200 metres at which point the number of walkers tend to drop off markedly and this may be the desirable limit from retail parking space to shop door.

The number-one condition that makes for a good walking environment is absence of autos. Walking a few blocks along a busy street is a burden. Walking miles in an auto-free area is a joy. This means that as auto traffic increases, fewer people are willing to walk, thereby increasing the traffic. This also means that as auto traffic decreases, more people are willing to walk and to walk greater distances, thereby decreasing auto traffic further.

Discussion on Pednet also brought out the fact that non-habitual walkers overestimate walking distances and times taken. Sample quote: "I think we can get more people to walk if we help them realize how easy it is. I have often talked colleagues at work to walk the 6-7 blocks they were planning to drive for a meeting, lunch etc. and they are amazed at how quick it was. They just never considered it."

walking radius - You take a certain radius around a point, and then figure out how much of the area of the circle can actually be reached by measuring that distance out on streets. The percentage of the area in the circle is the efficiency. Think of it as trailing Ariadne's thread, with one end tied to the transit stop or whatever. When it runs out, you mark the spot. In a grid, the area that you can actually reach will be a rough diamond. Where diagonal streets intersect, more area can be reached within the same distance, of course. Mapping this sort of thing consistently, as Perth recommends in their subdivision guidelines, will promote more of a convergence of routes around transit and other key points. (Aus)

walkway - a pedestrian facility, whether in the public right-of-way or on private property, which is provided for the benefit and use of the public.

white stick laws - laws according particular priority to bling pedestrians at crossings (NAm)

Wombat crossing - (Aus) like a zebra crossing but raised on a platform-type speed hump to be level with the footpath ( US sidewalk, UK pavement). See "raised crossing"

woonerf - Dutch home zone. It involves complete road resurfacing to create a level highway with no separate footway (the translation of 'woonerf' is 'living yard'). There are thousands of woonerf streets in existence, so Dutch highway authorities are adopting other strategies, including the use of 20 mph as a standard speed limit in residential areas. Plural: woonerven

windrow - mound of snow that is created by ploughs along the edge of a road

Zebra crossing - a black-and-white striped crossing marked with belisha beacons at which traffic must stop for pedestrians to cross.

(Updated 4/2/2002 by Geraint Jennings)