A notice in town warns that improvements to the footway are imminent.
Well, we have roadways, railways, motorways & airways, so why not footways, instead of what seem the more familiar footpaths or pavements?
No reason at all - the earliest recorded uses in the OED for both footpath & footway date from 1526.
In fact, if you place a lot of weight on original meanings you might argue that way is more correct, since the earliest meaning of path is “A way or track formed by the continued treading of pedestrians or animals, rather than one deliberately planned and made”, whereas a way is “A track prepared or available for travelling along”
Even better, a footway is “A way or path for foot-passengers only” – definitely out of bounds to cyclists & pavement parkers.
