Vertical drops

Where land next to the footpath’s frontage zone has a significant downwards crossfall (greater than 25 percent) or a vertical drop of more than one metre, pedestrians should be prevented from straying from the through path by, for example:[1] [2]

• a 1.2m-wide strip of a contrasting coloured and/or textured material between the edge of the footpath and the start of the hazard[3]
• a raised mountable kerb at the edge of the footpath, together with a 0.6m-wide strip of a contrasting coloured and/or textured material between the kerb and the start of the hazard[4]
• a barrier at the edge of the footpath that is at least 1.1m high; if a shared path this should be 1.2m high or 1.4m if there is a high vaulting risk.

Appendix B of the Bridge Manual provides further guidance for the latter bullet point.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency bridge manual

For other slopes less than 25 percent or vertical drops more than a normal kerb height, consider treatments such as soft landscaping or planter boxes to highlight the hazard (see photograph below). Refer to the requirements for fence barriers at batters and vertical drops in Austroads Guide to Road Design Part 6A for more information.[5] The Austroads guidance is for bicycle paths but is considered relevant to footpaths as well. 

Seating prevents pedestrians walking near the sloped footpath edge, Christchurch. (Photo: Jeanette Ward)