Difference Between Avenue and Boulevard

Giving directions is never an easy task. To simplify this, roads are given various names such as lanes, drives, alleys, trails, boulevards, and avenues. It is common for people to remember the road without necessarily understanding the meaning. For this reason, this article aims to differentiate avenue and boulevard.

 

What is an Avenue?

This is a straight road lined with trees. It can be used by the public as well as by any vehicles. Traffic is not common in an avenue as vehicles can move fast as there are no roadways on either side. It is most common in urban areas.

 

What is a Boulevard?

Common in urban areas, this is a wide road that has vegetation and trees on both sides and has a median in the middle. The median serves the purpose of separating the directions of the lanes. It has parking areas on both sides, hence should be traversed slowly. It is also common for a boulevard to have stores and shops on either side.

 

Similarities between Avenue and Boulevard

  • Both are common in urban areas

 

Differences between Avenue and Boulevard

Definition

An avenue is a straight road lined with trees. On the other hand, a boulevard is a wide road that has vegetation and trees on both sides and has a median in the middle.

Lanes

While an avenue is a straight road, a boulevard is a multi-lane road.

Median

An avenue may or may not have a median. On the other hand, a boulevard has a median.

Traffic speed

While vehicles move fast in an avenue, vehicles move slowly in a boulevard due to the presence of roadways on each side.

Road usage

In avenues, roads are for vehicle use while pedestrians walk along the avenue. On the other hand, the main road in a boulevard is used by vehicles while pedestrians use the peripheral roads.

Avenue vs. Boulevard: Comparison Table

 

Summary of Avenue vs. Boulevard

While an avenue and a boulevard are easily confused for the other, an avenue is a straight road lined with trees. A boulevard, on the contrary, is a wide road that has vegetation and trees on both sides and has a median in the middle.