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Is there anyone living in USA or Canada that actually calls a BIKE PATH a 'cycleway'?

Former Member over 5 years ago

Correct Answer: NO

The crazy thing? When I (a human living in the USA) google 'cycleway' you know what the first result is? BIKE PATH (!!!)

Garmin, please make this update for your North American database -- swap out 'cycleway' with 'bike path'. It is more common and accurate description for us American blokes.

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0 fallingrock over 5 years ago

They might be called cycleways on municipal planning maps.

0 Martin868 over 5 years ago

I think a cycle way is a generic term. It includes bike path, bike lane, shared lane, counter-flow lane, bus shared lanes, and probably other types as well. Bike paths are just one type of cycle way among many.

0 dpawlyk over 5 years ago in reply to Martin868

It's meant to be a more-encompassing term than "bike path" (one kind of cycleway).

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:cycleway

How hard is it to expand your vocabulary?

0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to dpawlyk

Apparently this is a huge challenge for me. Thanks for pointing it out. Also, thanks for the Afrikaans link. You’ve proven my point. English is a fascinating language. So is American English.

0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to Martin868

My favorite response so far—I could see this. But if that’s the case, why not get more specific and label these different cycleways what they actually are — shared lanes, bike paths, bike lane, etc?

0 dpawlyk over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member

Also, thanks for the Afrikaans link.

???

It's in English when I click on it.

0 Jeff_Burns over 5 years ago in reply to dpawlyk

Around here "Bike" Paths are multi-usage paved trails primarily used by joggers, roller bladers and folks with strollers, and are totally separate from Bike Lanes which are part of the street. (and because it says Bike Lane on the street signs, joggers go on those too because "Bike" now means jogger apparently...) :) Regardless, English is a weird fluidic language of contradictions and regional differences on meanings across the planet.