A
sidewalk (American English) – also known as a
footpath,
footway or
pavement in Australian, New Zealand, Irish English, South African English and British English – is a path along the side of a
road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade (height) and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a
curb. There may also be a
median strip, or road verge (a strip of vegetation, grass or bushes or trees or a combination of these, referred to as either a
verge or a
nature strip in Australia, and as an
island in parts of the United States) either between the sidewalk and the
roadway or between the sidewalk and the boundary.