





Pedestrian Footpath
Pedestrian crashes are a major road safety problem, especially in low and middle income countries. Footpaths (or sidewalks) reduce crash risk by separating vehicles and pedestrians and help to promote walking as an alternative to motorized transport.
Footpaths (or sidewalks) are created by providing space that is separated from the road for people to walk to and from home, a place of work, recreational facilities, schools, shops, and public transport. Footpaths should be provided wherever people need or want to walk along a road.
Footpaths are typically constructed from concrete and raised above the road surface with curbs but may also be constructed from asphalt, crushed stone or by covering linear drainage channels providing a stable, consistent and slip-resistant surface is created and well maintained. Footpaths should be continuous and accessible to all pedestrians including those in wheelchairs.
The safety benefit of a footpath will be greatest if the footpath is separated from the road (for example, by a drain, a grass verge or a barrier). Pedestrians also feel more comfortable to walk when there is a wide separation between traffic and the footpath, especially on higher speed roads.
In urban areas inadequate footpath space, street traders, parked cars or poor footpath surfaces can force pedestrians onto the road. Footpaths may be widened to improve access and physical barriers such as bollards to prevent parking on the footpath can be useful. In central areas, streets can be closed to vehicles for part of the day or permanently.
In rural areas where pedestrians walk along the road less frequently, a wide paved shoulder may serve as a walkway, and this can delineated with simple kerbs or flexible posts that help separate those walking from the travel lanes. Informal footpaths can be created by using a road grader to create a flat, stabilized, unpaved walkway, though this requires regular maintenance. In areas that have large drainage channels to manage rainfall, there is often an opportunity to create a footpath by covering the drain.
- Increased safety for pedestrians.
- Improves facilities for pedestrians (improves accessibility).
- May help to increase walking as a mode of transport (environmental benefits and reduced traffic congestion).
- Walking can improve health and fitness.
- Provision of footpaths should accord with the desired route of pedestrians with respect to important origins and destinations.
- Provision of footpaths should facilitate access to public transport facilities including bus stops and bus terminus.
- Where pedestrian volume is high, a reasonable Level of Service (LOS) of footpaths should be attained to encourage usage of the footpath.
- A routine maintenance programme is needed to ensure that footpaths are kept clean and level, free from defects and to prevent vegetation from causing an obstruction.
- Signage should be used to warn drivers of pedestrians if the road shoulder is commonly used as an informal footpath.
- Street traders, public utility apparatus and street furniture should not be allowed to obstruct the footpath.
- It is recommended that consideration be given to improving accessibility for the mobility impaired. This should include design features such as paved footpaths with sufficient width to accommodate wheelchairs, dropped kerbs at pedestrian crossing points, tactile paving and improved road markings and signs.
- Interruptions by obstructions and access openings should be minimised along footpaths. Accesses to parking areas and industrial facilities could be hazardous. The risk can be mitigated by ensuring adequate visibility and highlighting the conflict area in a different colour of the footpath surface.
The Star Rating Demonstrator is a freely available tool with the iRAP online software, ViDA. With the Star Rating Demonstrator, it is possible to explore the impact that this Safer Roads Treatment has on risk.
Treatment Summary
Costs | Low to medium |
Treatment life | 10 years - 20 years |
Effectiveness | 40-60% |
Case Studies
Related Images
- An obstructed footpath and pedestrian walking on the road. rn Image Credit: iRAP
- Bicycle lane and sidewalk in China. rn Image credit: WRI
- Bicycle lane and sidewalk in Mexico. rn Image credit: iRAP
- Bollard protect a sidewalk - Chinarn Image credit: iRAP
- Bollards to protect the sidewalk from vehicles - Chinarn Image credit: iRAP
- Covered footpath in Singapore. rnImage credit: Alina Burlacu
- Covered footpath in Singapore. rnImage credit: Alina Burlacu
- Curb buildout to narrow pedestrian crossing width and creating parking space in Kyoto, Japan. rn Image Credit: iRAP
- A low-cost and easy to implement pedestrian footpath in Kampala, Uganda. Even simple footpaths like this one have the potential to significantly improve safety for pedestriansrn Image credit: Unknown
- Exclusive bicycle lane and pedestrian footpath in New Delhi India.rn Image credit: iRAP
- Exclusive bicycle lane and pedestrian footpath in New Delhi Indiarn Image credit: iRAP
- Exclusive bicycle lane and pedestrian footpath in New Delhi, Indiarn Image credit: iRAP
- Exclusive bicycle lane and pedestrian footpath in New Delhi Indiarn Image credit: iRAP
- Image Credit: iRAP
- Footpath in Mumbairn Image credit: Alina Burlacu
- Illegal parking on a footpath in Beijing, China. rn Image Credit: iRAP
- Pedestrian crossing and sidewalk at a school in Mexico. rn Image credit: ITDP
- Informal footpath along a major road in India. rn Image Credit: IndiaRAP
- Informal footpath along a National Highway in India. rn Image Credit: IndiaRAP
- Informal sidewalk in Uzbekistanrn Image credit: NACU
- 3-leg intersection with pedestrian facilities.rn Image credit: Kerala State Transport Project
- Pedestrian and bicycle facilities in Shanghairn Image credit: Unknown
- Pedestrian crossing facility with footpath, wide centreline and speed transverse markings to calm speed on a state highway in Kerala, India. Image credit: Kerala State Transport Project
- Pedestrian crossing - Dubai, UAErn Image Credit: iRAP
- Pedestrian crossing in Tokyo, Japanrn Image Credit: iRAP
- Pedestrian footover bridge in India rn Image credit: iRAP
- Pedestrians walking on informal footpath along a rural road in India. rn Image credit: iRAP
- Pedestrians spill onto the road from a sidewalk that does not have enough capacity in Chinarn Image credit: iRAP
- Pedestrians walk on the road because of an obstructed sidewalk - Chinarn Image credit: iRAP
- Pedestrians walking in the road despite the presence of a footpath in New Delhi, India. rn Image credit: iRAP
- Pedestrians in Tokyo, Japanrn Image Credit: iRAP
- Physical channelisation (and planting) under the flyover to provide a safe refuge for pedestrians to cross the road in two stagesrn Image credit: Unknown
- Public transport in China (School children)rn Image credit: iRAP
- Raised pedestrian crossing in Chinarn Image credit: iRAP
- School safety improvements.rn Image credit: Asia Injury Prevention Foundation"
- School Zone crossing supervisor, Camp Hill QLDrn Image credit: Unknown
- Sidewalk in Chinarn Image credit: iRAP
- Sidewalk in Chinarn Image credit: iRAP
- Sidewalk in Vietnamrn Image credit: Unknown
- Sidewalk in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnamrn Image Credit: iRAP
- Sidewalk in Shanghai, Chinarn Image Credit: iRAP
- Simple pedestrian footpath in a semi-urban area of New Zealand. Photo courtesy of iRAP
- Narrow sidewalkrn Image credit: Michael Martin
- Street lights designed to provide illumination for both the footpath and carriageway. Photo courtesy of Greg Speier
- Low cost footpath in Uganda
- Urban footpath (concrete), New York State, US
- Urban road at a multimodal transport hub with sidewalks, bicycle lanes, median and pedestrian crossing in China. Image credit: Tianjin Urban Construction Design Institute
- Vehicles obstruct a sidewalk in ChinanImage credit: iRAP
- Village street in England, UKrn Image Credit: iRAP







