[Tagging] When does highway=footway become highway=pedestrian?

[nathan case]

Hi all,

I've just posted this on the Wiki discussion page (https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Talk:Tag:highway%3Dpedestrian#.22For_town_centres_and_civic_areas.22) but the thread is a little old and I know not everyone reads the Wiki anyway...

I'm wondering at what point, if at all, a highway=footway becomes highway=pedestrian (i.e., a pedestrian area)?

I have an example (https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/365487665#map=18/52.44601/-1.81904) of a sidewalk that has been mapped as a pedestrian area. It is certainly quite wide (around 7-8 m in places) and is located within a town centre/civic area. It even has painted markings (since COVID-19 pandemic began) splitting the direction of travel for pedestrians - though this is, of course, entirely ignored by everyone walking there.

However, it is, fundamentally, just a wide paved area for pedestrians that runs parallel and adjacent to the main carriageway (road) - i.e. a sidewalk.

Do we define particularly wide sidewalks as pedestrian areas? They do seem to match most of the criteria listed on the Wiki but it doesn't seem to quite fit for me.

Thanks!
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