Al fresco dining, shop signs and products for sale on footpaths can all present irritating trip hazards to the casual pavement stroller, as well as leaving businesses and local councils open to possible personal injury claims.

Happily the Greater Bendigo City Council has found a simple, yet effective, solution to these lurking dangers by using small metal discs, called trading indicators, which will be embedded in the pavement in Hargreaves Mall this weekend.

The discs will guide mall tenants on where to place shop displays, goods for sale, A-frame signs and outdoor dining furniture and they will be placed three metres from shop front and at five metre intervals along the mall’s length.

The council’s Environmental Health and Local Laws Manager, Susannah Milne, said the aim of the trading discs was to clear a pathway for pedestrians by reducing potential tripping hazards.

“The City periodically receives complaints from residents about trip hazards in the mall caused by signs, goods or furniture being placed too close to the front of shops,” Ms Milne said.

“It is very important to maintain a clear path, especially for the visually impaired, people in wheelchairs or other mobility devices, and those pushing children in strollers.

“This makes it easier for the public to window shop and move around the city centre on foot, which is good for business.”

Ms Milne said that when council staff had acted on complaints from the public and approached traders or their staff, they said it was difficult for them to remember the rules around where everything should go and the required distance between their shop fronts and their signs, goods and furniture.

“The installation of the footpath trading indicators will help mall traders and their staff to easily identify where they can and cannot place outdoor items within the pedestrian walking area,” she said.