Walkways

What is walkway fencing?

Walkway fencing is the fence line that bounds, guides and where necessary protects pedestrian routes through parks, recreation grounds, seafront promenades, campuses and residential estates. It is not an off the shelf product: it is a scheme worked out around the length of the line, the ground the path crosses and the job the fence has to do. That is why there is no size and price table on this page.

The job of the fence is not the same everywhere, and the right product choice follows directly from that job. On some lines the aim is only to protect the grass and keep pedestrians on the path; on others there is a serious safety function, such as preventing a fall into a stream. Build the same fence for both and you either spend money you did not need to spend or leave a risky spot badly protected.

The job of the fence and the recommended height

The heights in the table are common practice; the final decision follows the level of risk on site. It is generally accepted that nowhere with a risk of falling should go below 120 cm.

How many metres of fence do you need? The key to the calculation

On walkway schemes the take off is not a closed perimeter calculation the way a five a side pitch is; here two things throw the figure out.

• One side or both sides? This is the most common mistake of all. If a 500 metre trail is to be fenced on both sides, the requirement is not 500 metres but 1,000 metres. Where one side of the path runs against a wall, a retaining bank or a building, only one side is counted.
• Curves and access openings: walkways do not run straight. Around curves the real length of the line is greater than the straight distance scaled off the drawing. Against that, the openings left for benches, bins, lighting columns and entrances are deducted from the take off.

The practical approach is this: split the line into straight sections and curved sections, add roughly 5-10% to the curved sections, then take off the access openings. Post spacing is typically 2-2.5 metres; around curves it is tightened to 1.5-2 metres, because the straight geometry of a panel can only follow a curve in short lengths.

Taking the quantities off a drawing and trusting the scale is risky too. Site layouts usually show the centre line of the path rather than the edge the fence will follow, and over a long trail the difference between the two edges can run to tens of metres. If you have a drawing, marking the fence line on it separately is the most reliable way to get the measurement right. If the line is to be measured on site, a measuring wheel reads curves far more accurately than a straight tape.

Fencing on sloping ground

Walkways are sloping more often than not, and a panel fence is a rectangular element. There are two methods on a slope:

Stepping: the panels stay horizontal and each one drops a step below the last. The top line of the fence looks straight and level, but triangular gaps open up between the bottom rail and the ground. On gentle slopes those gaps are not a problem; where children or animals are involved, they have to be filled.

Raking to the slope: the panel follows the ground down, so no gap is left at the bottom, but the top line is not level and looks wavy. On gentle, continuous slopes this method gives the cleaner result. The decision is made by looking at the percentage of the slope on site: stepping on short, steep slopes, raking on long, gentle ones.

Posts: driven or set in concrete?

On walkway schemes the decision that affects cost and service life most is how the posts are fixed, and there is no single right answer.

Driven posts are quick: the post is driven straight into the ground with a purpose made driving tool, with no concrete and no waiting for it to cure. On long runs the daily progress rises noticeably and the ground is disturbed far less, which is a real advantage across established grass in a park. Driven posts do, however, work loose over time in soft, made up and waterlogged ground.

Concrete foundations are slower and dearer, but they hold permanently. Concrete is the undisputed choice in these cases: where the fence is over 120 cm high, along stream and embankment edges with a risk of falling, at gate posts, at corners and curves in the line, and in made up ground.

In practice the most efficient answer is to mix the two: drive the straight, low sections and set the corners, gates and high risk sections in concrete. That call cannot be made without seeing the site, which is why we ask about the ground conditions at quotation stage.

Which products are used?

• Artificial grass fence: a low, decorative border type solution that separates grass and planted beds from pedestrians. It guides rather than secures.
• Panel fence: the main product on walkway schemes. It is used in heights between 100 and 180 cm, looks tidy and needs little maintenance.
• Steel tube post: the structural element. Driving is possible on low fences; above 120 cm and on any line with a risk of falling, a concrete foundation is a must.
• Pedestrian gate: on long runs, gates for the maintenance team, for emergencies and for crossing points are essential. On a closed line, the most practical way to stop people climbing the fence is to put gates in the right places.
• Shade net: fitted over the fence where the path is separated from a neighbouring plot or where the view needs to be blocked. It increases the wind load, so post spacing has to be tightened along those sections.

Details that get overlooked

• Crossing points: on long runs, if an opening is not left every 80-100 metres people climb over the fence and it is flattened within a few months.
• Sight lines: where the path meets a road the fence must not block the driver's view; the height is dropped on the approach to the junction.
• Clearance at ground level: if the bottom rail touches the ground it takes constant knocks from the strimmer, so the bottom rail is left a few centimetres clear of the ground.
• Snow clearing: on routes cleared of snow in winter, the fence has to be set back beyond the distance the cleared snow will pile up to.
• Tree roots: on lines running close to existing trees the foundation dig cuts through roots; shifting the post position by a few centimetres protects the tree and the fence alike.
• Irrigation lines: drip and sprinkler pipework in a park is usually shallow, and marking the route before digging saves hunting for a burst later on.

What determines the quoted price?

• The total length of the line and whether it is fenced on one side or both
• The height selected and whether the height changes along different sections of the line
• The type of product — artificial grass fence, low panel or full height panel fence
• Post spacing and foundation type — driven or concreted, and how many curves there are
• The number of gates and crossing points
• Ground conditions — slope, rocky ground, made up ground
• Shipping distance and method of transport

All our prices include VAT, and we do not quote a figure until the length of the line is settled.

How to get a quote, delivery and installation

For a quote we need the total length of the line, whether it is fenced on one side or both, the height you want and the slope and ground conditions on site. If you have a site layout we take the quantities off that drawing and price the posts, panels, gates and fittings item by item. If you are in Ankara the site survey is free of charge: we walk and measure the route and agree the curves and crossing points with you.

We ship from our depot in Ostim to every part of Türkiye. Delivery is always charged, and that holds for deliveries within Ankara too; there is no arrangement under which carriage is waived. Installation is not one of our standard services; on projects of approximately 1,000 metres and above our team attends site for the works. Walkway schemes often run past that figure, so we can take on the installation as well, though we confirm that once we have seen the size of the scheme. On shorter runs we send the material complete and give your installing team technical support on post spacing, foundation sizes and the order of assembly.