When to use pedestrian paths...

[MythTrip]

My cims seem to walk happily - and for long distances - on the regular streets. When are pedestrian paths necessary? Just to cut the distance around the block?

Are the pedestrians on the streets adding to the traffic jams? ie are they considered just like car traffic, or are they off the road?

[SteelRodent]

Peds should be on the sidewalk, not the street. The paths are useful for giving peds a bridge across roads, so they don't have to go looking for a zebra crossing, and for cutting through large areas to get them to schools, parks, and other hangouts. They're never required per se, but simply help your peds get around easier. The bicycle paths are a bit more useful, but the bicycle system was never implemented properly so the result will always be a bit meh.

Pedestrians are pedestrians and usually aren't considered part of other traffic. Vehicles seem to randomly switch between waiting for them cross the road and drive through them, but pedestrians shouldn't add to traffic jams unless you disable all the lights in the intersections where they cross the road.

Oh, and if you notice pedestrians walking long distances, it may be a sign that you're missing a bus route/stop in that area.

[MythTrip]

Excellent , you are the man, thanks for taking the time to write great answer!

[Randox]

Depending on how things are laid out, pedals can massively increase how far cims walk. Layouts with limited intersections on main roads are a good example. They can be like the shortcuts in an Ikea store.

Pedestrians on roads can be brutal too (if there is a lot of turning traffic). Again, if intersections are spaced out, it can be well worth it to make pedestrian bridges.

[Pops]

as often as possible and everywhere u can. Cims will walk as far as 125 cells, thats half a map tile and they choose to walk as their num 1 form of public transport.

[mbutton15]

I've even read that pedestrians prefer pathways over sidewalks. By sidewalks I mean the paths that come with the roads. If you put a pathway right next to the sidewalk (so you block out the zoneable area) they will choose to go on the pathway.

[OneJasonBradly]

I see the road for service vehicles and pathways as roads for the people.The more you work with them the more powerful you will find them to be. They are the secret of cities: skylines. I use them to reduce the amount of bus or transit stops and routes. I often use them to allow children another path to school through a park so they don’t have to deal with the roadway or slow traffic at crosswalks. I use them to get the citizens out of their vehicles.
When are they necessary? To me they are not a necessity but an improvement that can be embellished or improved upon.
Pedestrians do not add to traffic jams except at uncontrolled crosswalks and if they are so many they spill out onto the roadway, that slows traffic some.

There pathways all through this clip but the last 3 minutes I start showing what I call the people highway. The point of this clip is Sterling travels across five tiles to get to work and never pull out a pocket car, its just paths and transit for him and everyone else in this city for the most part.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1670338123
This is part 2 of my favourite pathway network that is still under construction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH445xUkHlk

Screenshot from a new town experimenting with ideas for paths and reducing traffic.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1733401249
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1733401787
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1739529023
In this clip I use paths and slow roads to create a park without the "Park Life" DLC at my airport to attract tourists, and another place for the citizens to play.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1594317288

Pathways are quicker or faster than sidewalks. Since agents or pedestrians travel the quickest route they will rather use the path if given the choice.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1715595942