Safer Footways for Pedestrians

Encouraging walking is vitally important within Clackmannanshire as a means of improving health and the environment. For may people walking is their primary method of travel. Therefore we need to make it as easy as possible for all pedestrians to get around using the footways.

Obstructed footway at Devonside Unfortunately obstructions on the footway, such as:

Advertising boards
Shop displays
Wheelie bins
Parked vehicles
Overhanging vegetation
Skips or scaffolding

create hazards for pedestrians, especially the mobility impaired, the visually impaired and the elderly.

These obstructions reduce the width of the footway making it difficult for pedestrians to pass and can force them onto the road.

It is an offence to place anything on a public road including the footway without the Council’s consent. If the obstruction is not removed when requested, then the Council can remove the obstruction and recover the costs from you.

In addition to being an obstruction to pedestrians, parked vehicles on the footway can damage utility services i.e. water and gas and the footway surface itself. This leads to further disruption for pedestrians as a result of the necessary repair works. These repairs are paid for by you the local tax payer.

Obstructed footway in Sauchie Many of these obstructions not only create a physical obstacle for pedestrians to negotiate but block the visibility for drivers, especially of children and at junctions.

Keep Footways Clear

Don’t park or drive on the footway
Don’t place advertising boards on the footway or attach to pedestrian guardrails
Don’t place shop displays on the footway
Don’t leave wheelie bins or rubbish where they will be a danger to pedestrians
Don’t park motorcycles or scooters on the footway
Don’t chain bicycles to street furniture on the footway
Don’t erect scaffolding or place a skip on the footway without the Council’s permission
Don’t allow vegetation to overhang the footway

Report It

Report any incidents of the above to the Council’s Roads and Transportation Section, by contacting us using the details below or by using our Report It service.

Obstructions

Remember obstructions on the footway are not just an inconvenience to pedestrians, they are dangerous. Every year pedestrians are killed or injured directly or indirectly due to obstructions on footways.

If you require to place an object on the footway you will require to apply for permission in writing from the Roads and Transportation Section. The primary concern of the Council will be pedestrian safety and accessibility and as such there will be a presumption against permitting any form of advertising or display associated with a commercial premise.