Wikipedia

Subway (crossing)

(Redirected fromPedestrian underpass)
For other uses, seeSubway (disambiguation).

Asubway,also known as anunderpass,is agrade-separatedpedestrian crossingrunning underneath aroadorrailwayin order to entirely separate pedestrians and cyclists from motor or train traffic.

A subway under a busy road in Prague, Czechia

Terminology

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The 'Public Subway' sign at this transit system entrance refers to the pedestrian subways underneath the junction, not to theLondon Underground.

In the United States, as used by theCalifornia Department of Transportationand in parts ofPennsylvaniasuch asHarrisburg,Duncannon and Wyoming County, subway refers to a depressed road undercrossing.[1][2][3][4][5]Where they are built elsewhere in the country, the term 'pedestrian underpass' is more likely to be used, because "subway" in North America refers torapid transitsystems such as theNew York City Subwayor theToronto subway.This usage also occurs in Scotland, where the underground railway in Glasgow is referred to as theGlasgow Subway.

Effects

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Pedestrian underpasses allow for the uninterrupted flow of both pedestrians and vehicle traffic. However, they are normally considered a last resort by modern urban planners as they can be expensive and cause graffiti and security issues.[6]

Pedestrians will not use an underpass where a more direct at-grade option is available.[6]

Badly designed subways may not provide for disabled users, especially those in a wheelchair who cannot use stairs. As the underpass is normally below the level of the footway and carriageway (rather than the carriageway being lifted over the road), technologies such as stairs, lifts and ramps must be used. A subway under theA38inBirminghamcity centre was criticised for having a ramp on one side but only stairs on the other side.[7]

Usage in different countries

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A cycle underpass in the Netherlands

Subways are characteristic of Europeanpost-warsuburbs andnew towns.InMilton Keynes,a new town in the UK, alongside the grid of expressways are a system of shared-use paths known asredways.To reduce conflict with the grid system vehicle traffic (which normally has high speeds), redways normally run underneath grid roads.[8]

In the Netherlands, underpasses for cyclists and pedestrians are often built as part ofbikeways,often to replacelevel crossingsor at-grade cyclist/pedestrian crossings. AtBilthovenstation, the cycle track and major road previously crossed the railway at grade. To reduce delays, new separate underpasses were built, with motor traffic given a longer route than active travel modes.[9]In's-Hertogenbosch,the urban ring road has only one level crossing, but has ten overpasses and fourteen underpasses to ensure the road does not form a barrier to cyclists and pedestrians.[10]

Canceled underpass in the center ofPardubice,Czechia,repurposed to the café restaurant

In Czechia, building subways under major city streets was popular mainly from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s. After 2000, the prevailing tendency is to calm down urban traffic by building bypasses and ring roads and preferring non-motorized traffic within cities. Underpasses and footbridges that lengthen pedestrians' journeys or do not allow wheelchair access are no longer acceptable. Clarity and a sense of security are also taken into account. Some subways have been canceled, destroyed, buried or leased for other purposes. In 2022, Institute of Planning and Development of Prague (IPR) prepared a study of the revitalization of the Prague subways. Of the 123 underpasses under the administration of the municipal road manager (TSK), 30 were proposed to be canceled, 41 to be evaluated as part of a comprehensive solution for the given area, and the last to be revitalized or reconstructed, themselves or including modification of access roads.[11]At railway stations on the main lines, access via an underpass or footbridge is standard. The current trend is to extend the underpasses, which originally led only from one side of the track, to allow access from the opposite side as well. At the main railway station in Prague, access to theŽižkovside was ceremoniously opened on 24 September 2021.[12]Similar modification was carried out, for example, in Olomouc (2006[13]), Praha-Holešovice (2023[14]) and others.

Subways are less common in North American cities than in European cities of comparable size. They are constructed when it is necessary for pedestrians to cross arailway lineor adual carriagewaysuch as aninterstate highway,and they appear at the exits from undergroundrapid transit systems,but one would be rarely built to enable people to cross an ordinary city street.[citation needed]

In the Philippines, the term is also underpass, and there are two types: underpasses for pedestrians such as alongAyala AvenueinMakatiand in theCity of ManilanearQuiapo Church,and vehicular ones along the length ofEDSAand other thoroughfares. One of the earliest and most notable vehicular underpasses is the "Lagusnilad" in front ofManila City Hall.[citation needed]

Art

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Public art in a subway

Subways can present an opportunity forpublic artprojects, especially murals. Most cycle underpasses in the Netherlands have works of art on the walls to make the tunnels less scary.[15]Such public art projects can be community projects to showcase the work of local and lesser-known artists, and can receive positive feedback from members of the public.[16]If done as acts of protest, such art projects can be controversial. In 2021, a mural painted by inPassaic County, New JerseybyBlack Lives Matteractivists was ordered to be removed by local officials after they received complaints.[17]

Wildlife tunnels

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Main article:Wildlife crossing

Subways can also be designed for users other than pedestrians or cyclists. Wildlife tunnels allow animals to safely cross busy roads, reducing the risk of animal-vehicle collisions. They can also be used by humans walking on trails through nature reserves.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^dot.ca.gov
  2. ^"Upcoming road trip".
  3. ^pennlive
  4. ^cumberlink
  5. ^state.pa.us[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ab"Pedestrian Overpasses/Underpasses".Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).Retrieved3 January2022.
  7. ^Cardwell, Mark (30 October 2020)."Charity slams underpass with ramp at one end and stairs at other".BirminghamLive.Retrieved3 January2022.
  8. ^Franklin, J. (1999)."TWO DECADES OF THE REDWAY CYCLE PATHS IN MILTON KEYNES".Traffic Engineering & Control.40(7/8).ISSN0041-0683.
  9. ^Dutch, Bicycle (8 December 2020)."Cycling underpass at Bilthoven Station".BICYCLE DUTCH.Retrieved3 January2022.
  10. ^Dutch, Bicycle (8 April 2012)."25 Ways to cross a major road".BICYCLE DUTCH.Retrieved3 January2022.
  11. ^Podchody,Podchody ve správě TSK –⁠ analýza a plán rozvoje,IPR Praha, September 2022
  12. ^Na hlavním nádraží otevřeli podchod na Žižkov. V Praze vznikla také nová stanice,Novinky.cz, 24 September 2021
  13. ^Hodolany propojil podchod,Olomouc, 6 November 2006
  14. ^Další pražské nádraží bude průchozí. Skanska prodlouží podchod pod holešovickým nádražím k Vltavě,Zdopravy.cz, 11 February 2021
  15. ^Dutch, Bicycle (4 February 2020)."Cheerful art in a cycle tunnel".BICYCLE DUTCH.Retrieved3 January2022.
  16. ^McEvoy, Louise (22 August 2020)."Graffiti artist brightens up Stevenage underpass with imaginative murals".The Comet.Retrieved3 January2022.
  17. ^NJ, Anthony G. Attrino | NJ Advance Media for (29 July 2021)."Black Lives Matter mural on Parkway bridge underpass must come down, highway officials tell town".nj.Retrieved3 January2022.
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