Bathurst Regional Council's existing Footpath Restaurants Policy has two standards for determining an unobstructed passage for pedestrian movement.

In some sections of the central business district and Keppel Street, the clearance is two metres, while others require a three-metre unobstructed passage.

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BRAC chairman Bob Triming said that there should be an universal standard for all businesses.

"We're suggesting that as two metres, but obviously that would be negotiable in those minor areas where you can't have a two-metre walkway," he said.

"We think it's wrong to have different rules for different businesses in town and we thought our suggestion would be better for businesses to have a standard clearway."

Mr Triming added that, by setting the standard as two metres, some businesses would get more space to operate footpath dining in.

In addition to having an universal standard, BRAC also wants to see some changes to enforcement.

The committee has suggested creating a "self-enforcement environment", with discretion applied in the case where policy conditions cannot be sensibly met.

BRAC has also suggested that a clause be added to the policy indicating that renewals of annual licences may be dependent on the ability of grantees to adhere to the requirements of the policy as a whole.

"We are all for footpath dining, we're not against it. What we are against is the constant encroaching onto the pedestrian walkway," Mr Triming said.

Any changes to the Footpath Restaurants Policy should not require a transition period, Mr Triming said, as a clause states that council reserves the right to add, remove or amend conditions of approval.

Additionally, the changes would benefit all businesses and therefore they shouldn't need a transition period.