"pedestrian" = 'traveler on the sidewalk'

[Joel S. Berson]

At 7/24/2010 06:09 PM, Garson O'Toole wrote:
>Wikipedia, the voice of the people or the hive mind says: "A
>pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running.
>In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or
>skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians."

But in Massachusetts bicyclists are (1) required to obey the same
rules of the road as motor vehicles; (2) prohibited from "driving" on
sidewalks -- at least in some towns (cities), like Cambridge, if not
throughout the Commonwealth.

Joel


>So the meaning is shifting somewhat away from the OED (June 2008)
>sanctioned "pedestrian B. n.  a. A person who goes or travels on foot,
>esp. as opposed to one who travels in a vehicle; a walker; one who
>walks as a physical exercise or in athletic competition."
>
>A cyclist does use his or here feet to power locomotion.
>
>On Sat, Jul 24, 2010 at 5:02 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      "pedestrian" = 'traveler on the sidewalk'
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Or perhaps 'traveler not operating a motorized vehicle'?
> >
> > Boston Globe, July 24, 2010, page 1, Photo caption:
> >
> > "Pedestrians biked down the revitalized North Street [Pittsfield],
> > now host to festivals, open houses, and art shows."
> >
> > [The cyclists are on the sidewalk, not the motorway.  This particular
> > illustration is not included in the on-line article.]
> >
> > Joel
> >
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> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
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