Mapping and spatial analytics company Esri has made a national map of pavement widths freely available to the public sector.
It said it has made the move to support local authorities and other bodies in efforts to maintain social distancing in public places in their responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The GB Pavement Width Indicator is based on Ordnance Survey’s MasterMap Topography Layer and was created using Esri’s ArcGIS mapping software.
It has been made available under the company’s Covid-19 Disaster Response Programme and is covered by the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement.
Esri said the map has already been taken up by over 30 local authorities, including those for Glasgow, Stirling and East Dunbartonshire.
Its early analysis has revealed that only 30% of Great Britain’s pavements are at least three metres wide, compared with 36% at two to three metres and 34% at less than two metres. This points to a serious challenge in following the Government’s guidelines on people keeping at least two metres apart in public.
Ensuring safety
Paul Clarke, head of Esri UK’s government practice, said: “The pavement map is designed to help local authorities and related organisations prioritise their efforts, to ensure the safety of the public, as lockdown restrictions are being gradually eased.
“By giving them an instant view of the situation they’re faced with, the map reduces the time needed to manually measure pavements and not rely on records which may be out of date. Easy access to current pavement width data will help all councils make faster decisions with greater certainty and ensure walking is as safe as possible.”
Esri said the data is also available free to the private sector though the Ordnance Survey Mapping for Emergencies programme.
