Footpath or pavement, which is it?

moxin

I've been reading news stories lately from Irish based news sites and it seems the Americanised word pavement is creeping in to our honourable home grown news outlets. When I was growing up, that lump of concrete we walk on was always the footpath, nothing to do with paves.

So AH, what do you think on this earth shattering revelation that will ruin our lives that your most honoured footpath is now called a pavement, do you agree?!

CINCLANTFLT

It's sidewalk!!!

MistyCheese

Footment ftw

looking_around

path....just path.

but I don't really care what anyone calls it, so long as I know what they're talking about.

Lisha

It's more often used as a cycle lane

I say footpath

El Weirdo

Pavement isn't American.

Or are we on about the band?

The_Valeyard

The Path.


Or the footpath next to the pot holes

Matta Harri

Toe path

moxin

Poll added, bloody hell a damn conspiracy trying to prevent me highlighting this crisis issue :P

bodice ripper

I got such **** for saying sidewalk as a kid.


I refuse to change it. Sidewalk, faucet, elevator, truck, aluminium, pants, sneakers, jerks, highway.

**** you Kildare in the 80s...



*come to think of it! I got so much **** for saying kid as a kid. Times have changed.

bodice ripper

All the while using press, delph, immersion, lorry, and eejit like they were actually words...

brevity

The ground.

moxin

El Weirdo wrote: »

Pavement isn't American.

Proof?

I quote Wikipedia our bastion of neutrality even though its written mostly by Americans http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_surface

wendell borton

Footpad

Hande hoche!

bodice ripper wrote: »

I got such **** for saying sidewalk as a kid.


I refuse to change it. Sidewalk, faucet, elevator, truck, aluminium, pants, sneakers, jerks, highway.

**** you Kildare in the 80s...



*come to think of it! I got so much **** for saying kid as a kid. Times have changed.

bodice ripper wrote: »

All the while using press, delph, immersion, lorry, and eejit like they were actually words...

You seem to have a chip french fry on your shoulder.

JuliusCaesar

A pavement is paved, a path is just a track worn by use. Footpath or pavement are and were interchangeable here.





Sidewalk - now that's American.

(Just ask aul' ones, we know these things. We pre-existed americanisms, kid!)

bodice ripper

Hande hoche! wrote: »

You seem to have a chip french fry on your shoulder.

Grafted to my scapula.

bodice ripper

Hande hoche! wrote: »

You seem to have a chip french fry on your shoulder.

And be careful. The American for "chip on your shoulder" is actually "kill everyone with an automatic weapon".

moxin

moxin wrote: »

I've been reading news stories lately from Irish based news sites and it seems the Americanised word pavement is creeping in to our honourable home grown news outlets. When I was growing up, that lump of concrete we walk on was always the footpath, nothing to do with paves.

So AH, what do you think on this earth shattering revelation that will ruin our lives that your most honoured footpath is now called a pavement, do you agree?!

Ive never really thought about it - but now that I do - I realise I use both terms. Contextually. If I am talking about some scenario where people are moving about - I use footpath. So "The man ran along the footpath".

But if I am referencing the ground itself in some way - I switch to pavement. "The money was on the pavement".

So I guess I am Bi to Bi-curious on this one

I can not really think of a single context I would use "sidewalk" in - short of a (insert correct collective noun here while quoting me) of mimes walking hermit crab like along it.

blueser

El Weirdo wrote: »

Pavement isn't American.

Or are we on about the band?

Agreed 100%. I'm born and brought up in Manchester, and it was always pavement.

riffmongous

I usually just call it a path, I'd rarely say footpath but sometimes I do refer to roads as wheelpaths

michellie

Sidewalk.

Dont call me Shirley

You mean the walkey road?

zcorpian88

I call it path myself. I've heard an Irish guy say sidewalk before which made me look at him very peculliarly!

All this talk of pronouciations made me think of that scene in The Simpsons about Homer saying "Garage" the way Americans say garage.

Homer: "Hmm. I wonder why he's so eager to go to the garage?"

Moe: "The "garage"? Hey fellas, the "garage"! Well, ooh la di da, Mr. French Man."

Homer: "Well what do you call it?"

Moe: "A car hole!"

Hande hoche!

bodice ripper wrote: »

And be careful. The American for "chip on your shoulder" is actually "kill everyone with an automatic weapon".

Cheers for the heads up. Will make sure I'm around good guys with guns.

Candy_Girl

I was just telling my little one today that when he goes out with his Nan he's to stay on the inside of the pavement.I actually thought to myself where and when did I start calling the path a pavement.

Tonyandthewhale

bodice ripper wrote: »

I got such **** for saying sidewalk as a kid.


I refuse to change it. Sidewalk, faucet, elevator, truck, aluminium, pants, sneakers, jerks, highway.

**** you Kildare in the 80s...



*come to think of it! I got so much **** for saying kid as a kid. Times have changed.

Why? Are you American or just weird?

wendell borton

wendell borton wrote: »

Footpad

OK my English is not perfect but is it not a footpad the person which uses the footpath?

And for question, it is sidewalk :pac:

Donkey Oaty

Well technically you're all wrong, at least as far as the UK is concerned.

Under Interpretation Section 329 of the 1980 Highways Act, if it goes alongside a road that vehicles can go along, it's a "footway"!

DEFTLEFTHAND

Pavement is British. Most people I know in Ireland say footpath, if sidewalk ever creeps in over here I'll think I'll give up life.

Super-Rush

The gripe.

LoganRice

Walking area

Awkward Badger

I thought pavement was one of those words older people used. Like calling the radio the wireless.

Bongalongherb

I tripped up and hit my head off the pavement.

I walked from the cycle-lane onto the footpath.

My wireless is disconnected.

My radio is playing nice relaxing music.

eeeee

The path. The footpath if someone is really not getting it.

Americanisms really piss me off. We have deadly colloquialisms, why do people go with Americanisms? Cops is another one that really annoys me. You're Irish, you have been born, reared, live and work in Ireland. Where the cup did you get cop from?! There's shyte loads of that. Mate is another one (although that's an English one, equally annoying). :mad: :mad:

I actually can't think about it anymore it's too annoying.

--LOS--

After reading all that I'm not sure what I call it anymore

Kevin McCloud

The hard shoulder if one has had too many cherry's.

It's a sidewalk

Bongalongherb

It's a footpath here in Ireland, end of story. Can we now cook the christmas dinner ? pretty please with brussel sprouts on top I'm starving.

Son Of A Vidic

CINCLANTFLT wrote: »

It's sidewalk!!!

In Ireland, we walk on a footpath. Sidewalking is left to those of us who've had one too many.

braddun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08DjMT-qR9g

the_syco

It's a footpath if you're a pedestrian, the pavement if you're a cyclist, and the sidewalk if you're driving something with four wheels.

The Backwards Man

The ditch.

Turtwig

It's a pavement until someone walks on it. Then it's a footpath.

Bongalongherb

Turtwig wrote: »

It's a pavement until someone walks on it. Then it's a footpath.

Umm... That's like saying the moon isn't there if I'm not looking at it ? Quantum mechanically thinking.

Bongalongherb

Bongalongherb wrote: »

Umm... That's like saying the moon isn't there if I'm not looking at it ? Quantum mechanically thinking.

Deepak!

Turtwig

Bongalongherb wrote: »

Umm... That's like saying the moon isn't there if I'm not looking at it ? Quantum mechanically thinking.

No it's like saying the moon is a clump of rock. Then in the presence of the Earth it becomes a cheese.

Bongalongherb

Ahh, everything is blending together and starting to make sense now.

Victor

Actually, it's a footway ...

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1993/en/act/pub/0014/sec0002.html#sec2

Roads Act, 1993
Interpretation.

2.—(1) In this Act, except where the context otherwise requires—

“footpath” means a road over which there is a public right of way for pedestrians only, not being a footway;

“footway” means that portion of any road associated with a roadway which is provided primarily for use by pedestrians;

In an Irish engineering context 'pavement' refers to a hard surface of a road, e.g. concrete, asphalt or tarmac.

Donkey Oaty

Bongalongherb wrote: »

Ahh, everything is blending together and starting to make sense now.

Note section 7 in Part 1 of the Act that Victor quotes, which clarifies the situation beyond all doubt:

The Minister may make regulations prescribing any matter or thing which is referred to in this Act as prescribed or to be prescribed or in relation to any matters referred to in this Act as the subject of regulations or for the purpose of giving full effect to this Act.