Last April, residents from Sweet Gum and Wallaroo Avenues put together a petition asking the council to build a path.

Locals said they felt "ripped-off" when the council proposed a special charge scheme to fund the $83,000 project.

Under the scheme, property owners abutting the new footpath can expect to pay about $1400 depending on the frontage length.

Retirees Peter and Eileen Harwood have lived in Sweet Gum Avenue for 26 years and said the charge would place a huge burden on them emotionally and financially.

"We are all for it, but we pay enough in rates. Why should we have to pay for this footpath as well?" Mrs Harwood said.

She said it would hit them hard, with her husband also battling cancer.

The couple received a letter from the council last Thursday stating that if the footpath project proceeded they would be required to pay $2050.

Mr Harwood said Sweet Gum Avenue was a busy street, particularly at peak times, when parents dropped off and collected their children from one of the three schools (Dandenong Valley School, Fountain Gate Primary School and Eumemmerring Secondary College).

Kieran Fitzsimons, who has lived in Sweet Gum Avenue for 40 years, said he faced a charge of $1650.

"I'm a retiree. I can't find that sort of money."

Dandenong Valley School principal Margaret Edmunds said she was concerned about her pupils - who have a range of disabilities - being forced to walk dangerously on the road.

Fountain Gate Primary School principal Jennifer Duggan said residents and the broader community were entitled to pedestrian safety.

"We want the footpath, but it was never our intention that the cost should be borne by the residents. That seems unfair."

Casey engineering and environment manager David Richardson said the council was still in the early stages of the consultation process.

"No decision has been made on whether a footpath will be constructed."