A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via

watercraft Any vehicle used in or on water as well as underwater, including boats, ships, hovercraft and submarines, is a watercraft, also known as a water vessel or waterborne vessel. A watercraft usually has a propulsive capability (whether by sail, ...

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...

. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-

lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each ...

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...

with grade-separated junctions to a rough trail. Thoroughfares are used by a variety of traffic, such as cars, as well as pedestrians on roads and

s. On water, a thoroughfare may refer to a strait, channel, or

waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

. The term may also refer to access to a route, distinct from the route itself. Thus, ''thoroughfare'' may refer to the legal right to use a particular way.

Different terms

Highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...

s, public or private road or other public way on land * Roads, route or way on land between two places that has been paved or otherwise improved for travel * Bridle path, for equestrian use *

Cycleway Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except wher ...

, for use by cyclists * Footpath, for use only by pedestrians * Foreshoreway, a greenway along the edge of the sea, open to both walkers and cyclists * Greenway, a wilderness area intended for "passive use" * Hiking trail, trails (footpaths), in the countryside * Long-distance trails, recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing *

Right of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

, an

easement An easement is a nonpossessory right to use and/or enter onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is "best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, B". An easement is a propert ...

on a piece of land * Running course, a footway used by runners * Sidewalk, a path for people to walk along the side of a road * Snowshoe trail, a snow trail to be navigated by pedestrians in snowshoes * Towpath, a path along a canal or river used for towing a boat *

Traffic circle A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford Eng ...

, a type of intersection that directs both turning and through traffic onto a one-way circular roadway * Trail/Track, a rough path through more wild or remote territory *Many other types of road * On water, a heavily trafficked route through a strait or channel. * Street *

Stroad A stroad is a type of thoroughfare that is a mix between a street and a road. The word ''stroad'' is a portmanteau of ''street'' and ''road'', coined by American civil engineer and urban planner Charles Marohn in 2011, as a commentary about p ...

References

{{Authority control Water transport Types of thoroughfares Routes

Different terms

See also

References