Many footpaths in Yarra are too narrow

Best practice footpaths provide sufficient width so people can walk side by side, or pass others. The required width increases as a function of traffic. Yarra’s Transport Strategy targets a minimum unobstructed clear width of 2 metres, which aligns with best practice such as the NSW Walking Space Guide.

Yarra policy is for a minimum width of 2 metres. Image credit: City of Yarra Transport Strategy.
Best practice footpath widths. Image credit: Transport for NSW Walking Space Guide.
Required footpath width to enable people to access properties. Image credit: Traffic Engineering Manual Vol 3 Part 2.19.

Footpaths in Yarra

Council has an asset management system that includes data on footpath width. Streets Alive Yarra obtained a dataset from council in 2018, and generated this histogram, showing that many footpaths are narrower than Yarra’s target of 2 metres:

Footpaths widths in Yarra (Yarra’s target was updated from 1.5 metres to 2 metres after this chart was published). Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra.

Options

Obstructed footpaths can be improved by removing the obstructions, e.g.:

  • trimming vegetation,
  • reducing the number of poles,
  • relocating poles to a consistent position,
  • enforcing the ‘no parking on the footpath’ rule.

Streets with narrow or non-existent footpaths have two basic options:

  • remove on-street parking to enable a wide footpath to be built, or
  • convert the street to a 10-30 km/h shared zone, so people can walk or roll on the street.

Photos of narrow footpaths in Yarra

This page collates images of streets in Yarra with narrow footpaths. Please send us images of any narrow footpath that you find.

Arglye Street, Fitzroy

Footpath obstructed by pole, and too sloping and bumpy for wheelchair.

Argyle Street. Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra.

Blanche Street, Cremorne

Footpath blocked by parked cars. Footpath too narrow for a wheelchair.

Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra

Boyd Street, Richmond

Footpath often blocked by parked cars. Footpath too narrow for a wheelchair.

Parking on the footpath on Boyd Street. Image credit: David Balding.

Brady Street, Richmond

Footpath often blocked by parked cars. Footpath too narrow for a wheelchair.

Parking on the footpath on Brady Street. Source: Google Maps.

Chapel Street, Cremorne

Footpath too narrow for a wheelchair.

Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra

Eastham Street, Fitzroy North

Footpath is obstructed by car parking.

Image credit: Google Maps.

Fitzgibbon Street, Cremorne

Footpath obstructed on both sides by poles. Even without obstructions, the footpath is too narrow for a wheelchair.

Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra

Gwynne Street, Cremorne

Footpath is blocked by vehicles and poles, causing people to walk on the street.

Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra

Little Hoddle Street, Richmond

Access obstructed by parking in a no-standing zone, designated by the yellow line.

Parking where access is required (yellow line along kerb). Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra.

Peckville Street, Clifton Hill

Footpath is obstructed by car parking, right next to a disabled parking bay.

Image credit: Google Maps.

Regent Street, Richmond

Footpath leading to North Richmond train station is obstructed by car parking.

Parking on the footpath near North Richmond train station. Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra.
Regent Street. Image credit: Google Maps.

Rule Street, Richmond

Footpath is obstructed by car parking.

Parking on the footpath on Rule Street. Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra.

Stafford Street, Abbotsford

Footpath is obstructed by cars parked on the footpath.

Parking on the footpath on Stafford Street. Image credit: Streets Alive Yarra.

Studley Street, Abbotsford

Footpath is obstructed by cars parked on the footpath.

Parking on the footpath on Studley Street, west of Nicholson Street. Source: Google Maps.

Yarra Street, Abbotsford

Footpath is obstructed by cars parked on the footpath.

Parking on the footpath on Yarra Street, east of Nicholson Street. Source: Google Maps.

Conclusion

Many footpaths in Yarra are too narrow. Council should adopt a policy targeting a minimum unobstructed footpath width of 2 metres, matching the Walking Space Guide from Transport for NSW. When a footpath is narrower than 2 metres, it should not be permitted to be narrowed further (e.g. by adding a pole, tree or other obstruction).

Other information on footpaths

Learn more from our collection of pages on footpaths:

How you can help

You can help by appearing on the Streets Alive Yarra website as a champion for your local street, neighbourhood, or school.

Let’s build a beautiful, liveable and accessible city