|
The width of paths is often considered,
particularly by local council officers, to be the width showing on the
ground, whether it is the walked width (the beaten track), the
hardened surface, or in the urban context the tarmac track. 1.8 metres is a
typical standard width for this.
But in fact this is rarely the actual (legal) width of paths.
In the urban context Leicester County had a 1.8 metre path policy but it
also normally required three metres of grass on either side. So the
effective path width was 7.8 metres, nearly 25 feet.
If 1.8 metres were made the legal width then, as with any path, it could
be fenced in by landowners with six and a half foot high security fences to
that width without any permission being needed. This is quite horrid and when considering widths of paths the overall
width not the hardened width should always be thought of.
|