Terminology – Walking Area Beside a Highway in English

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Please refer to the red arrows in the image on the left. This road is an expressway/highway, but somehow people can come up (using a staircase) and walk in this area, although I've almost never seen anyone doing that (I was here to shoot this photo).

Is there any particular name for the area like this (walking area beside a highway)?

megapolis city with highway in the foreground
A highway/main road with concrete barrier separating it from the pedestrian lane

Best Answer

The few places I've seen this without it also being a cycle path would probably be called a footpath (the same word being used for a muddy path though a field and many other paths). This is in the UK, where the term footway is also sometimes used in official material. If cyclists also have access then cycle path/track is in common use though shared use path is more correct and official.

Logically (e.g. on maps) it's treated as a path running parallel to the road, in contrast to a pavement/sidewalk which is a part of the road.

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