Design Requirements of Footpath

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A footpath is a type of route designed just for pedestrians and not for other types of traffic such as cars or bicycles. Footpaths are found in a range of locations, including city centres, farms, and mountain ridges. 

The footpath is designed for a pedestrian Level of Service (LOS) B, thereby providing wide pedestrian facilities for safe, pleasant, and comfortable walking. However, under resource constraint, LOS (C) may be adopted to decide the footpath's width mentioned in Table-1.

Design Flow in Number of Persons Per Hour

Sl No	Width of Footpath in m	In Both Direction- LOS B	In Both Direction- LOS C	In One Direction- LOS B	In One Direction- LOS C
1	1.8	1350	1890	2025	2835
2	2	1800	2520	2700	3780
3	2.5	2250	3150	3375	4725
4	3	2700	3780	4050	5670
5	3.5	3150	4410	4725	6615
6	4	3600	5040	5400	7560

The width of footpaths depends upon the pedestrian traffic and may be fixed with the help of the following norms subject to not be less than 1.8 m.

The land use adjacent to roads significantly influences the generation of pedestrian traffic. The recommended width of the footpath along various land uses is given in Table-2.

Sl No	Description	Width in m
1	Minimum free walkway width and residential/mixed-use areas	1.8
2	Commercial/Mixed-use areas	2.5
3	Shopping frontages	3.5 to 4.5
4	Bus stops	3
5	High-intensity commercial areas	4

Footpath and pathways shall meet the following design requirements:

1. The footpath shall be smooth, hard, and have a levelled surface suitable for walking and wheeling.
2. Irregular surfaces such as cobblestones, coarsely exposed aggregate concrete, bricks, etc., often cause bumpy rides and shall be avoided.
3. The gradient of the pathway must not exceed 1:20.
4. If the slope of a footpath on an accessible route exceeds 1:20, it shall be designed and constructed as a ramp.
5. The cross-fall gradient over an accessible route must not exceed 1:50 (20 mm/m) unless it is coupled with a dropped curb.
6. The length of the pathway shall not exceed 30 m.
7. When the length of the pathways exceeds 60 meters, a rest space in the form of chairs or resting seats should be provided at 30 m intervals. 
8. Seat height should be between 450 and 500 mm for comfort, with a 700 mm backrest and armrests. One side of seating may be without an armrest to address the transfer needs of persons with disabilities. In addition, a color contrast should be provided around the seating area for ease of identification by persons with low vision.
9. The safety of cyclists and pedestrians shall be addressed by encouraging the construction of segregated rights of way for bicycles and pedestrians.
10. Manholes and gratings should be avoided in the walkway.
11. The width of the main means of access pathway should be 3 m in special housing schemes for low-income groups and economically weaker parts of society created up to a two-story row/cluster housing plan.

Drainage of Pathway

1. The cross-fall of a level or sloped path, a ramp, a stepped path, or a landing is provided to permit surface water drainage.
2. The top, bottom, and landings of steps and ramps shall be properly trained to avoid water flowing down steps and ramps.
3. A dished channel is not permitted to be built inside the confines of a ramp or walkway.
4. The dished channels shall have a maximum width of 150 mm and a maximum drop into the gulley of 5 mm. A drainage grating within the boundaries of a path or a ramp shall be set flush with the surface.

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