"pedestrian" = 'traveler on the sidewalk'

[Jonathan Lighter]

I'm with Joel: my sense of the word is that "pedestrian" has long connoted
"on the sidewalk, not in the street," though I would not be likely
to subsume bicyclists or skateboarders under the heading of "pedestrian" in
anything I wrote.

But I am  old and the world is young.

JL

On Sat, Jul 24, 2010 at 6:31 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "pedestrian" = 'traveler on the sidewalk'
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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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