When is a Footbridge not a Footbridge?

When is a footbridge not a footbridge; when it is attached to a highway?

Footbridges account for only a fraction of pedestrian-accessible bridges, with footpaths and lanes for other non-motorised users (NMUs) providing a major but widely under recognised sub-set of the footbridge type.

With emmissions control and carbon ethics the most pressing issues of our age, the era of the highway only bridge is gone and the provision of ‘sidewalks’ is no longer a question of relunctantly conceded extra width.

The paper examines the culture and context of NMU paths on vehicular bridges and the range of specific design opportunities they afford. Since vehicle bridges often greatly exceed the typical length of a footbridge the designer must account for long pedestrian jouneys and, commonly, the provision of rest spaces. The overlooked subject of the overlook is discussed as part of a broad analysis of the pedestrian realm on vehicular bridges, making the case for their inclusion in the footbridge canon.

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