Mervyn Grosskopf and his 85-year-old wife Margaret Feeney have been pleading with Indigo Council for a footpath so they can safely leave their front yard.

They presently have to contend with a rocky, dirt track which is often covered by damp leaves.

To make matters worse, they have been told the planned new footpath won't reach their front gate.

"You compare a footpath here to that idiotic bicycle track," Mrs Feeney said.

"They told me it's going to cost $115,000 in five years time, but it's going to be cut off before the last four houses down here anyways.

"To do this bit as well they say it's going to cost $170,000 all up."

"Give me a break."

Indigo shire passed their 2021/22 budget at this month's council meeting, which has allocated $129,000 for footpaths.

Around $3.6 million was allocated to cycling infrastructure.

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Mrs Feeney said her husband had only been able to leave their home a handful of times since Christmas 2019 because of his knees and the difficulty he had walking on the dirt path with his walker.

They are presently waiting for a mobility scooter to arrive to help Mr Grosskopf.

"He won't get anywhere if there isn't a footpath out the front," Mrs Feeney said.

"I have it pictured in my head that Merv is going to be driving down the road, flag waving, but that doesn't mean the driver is going to see you, they could be in fairyland.

"I won't dare take my walkers outside, I've had one broken already.

"The vibration on the track is just so hard for us and people park on there anyways to get under the trees and out of the sun."

Further afield in Wahgunyah, Alan Pleitner and Scott Parker say their pleas for a footpath on Traton Street have all been ignored by the council.

Mr Pleitner made a submission to the council draft budget as secretary of the Waghunyah Progress Society.

Over 130 Wahgunyah residents signed a petition over a three day period in support of the footpath.

Mr Pleitner said he had been requesting a footpath on the busy local road since 2014.

Concerns are held for the people who frequently use the road, which include families walking their young children to school.

"The unfortunate thing is, and there have been close calls, that if something does happen we'll get the footpath but it shouldn't take that," Mr Parker said.

"I was coming up this road one morning and it was foggy and there were people coming down here and it was just too close.

"I could barely see in front of me and they were on the road because it's so wet either side and they shouldn't have to be, it isn't acceptable."

Mr Parker said they were told by council that a footpath wasn't necessary on Traton Street because they have path nearby already.

Across a few hundred metres of private property and a creek.

"They said 'you've got a track over there, why do you need something here?'" he said.

"How naive is that?

"That was their response, they said there's a track on the other side."

Mr Parker said the worst part was that all their efforts in bringing these issues to the attention of council seemed to have all but been ignored.

"That's the frustrating thing, we're not asking for an indoor pool, we're in 2021 we just want a path for a growing town," he said.

"They keep upping the rates because the value of property is going up, it'd be nice to see some of that.

"It would have been nice to at least have some engagement with them and a reason why it can't be done.

"We just don't get anything back."

Mr Pleitner questioned the priorities of the council, given their large spends on cycling infrastructure in the latest budget.

"We're not talking about getting some tourists here to buy their lattes and take off again, we're talking about our people being safe," he said.

"Their understanding of community needs is so lacking, they think that a bike path for tourists is more important than keeping us safe.

"They're the ones who are hanging their hats on the fact that they consult with the community, they talk about consultation but it's been all us, they haven't been coming back to us at all.

"They've been ignoring us."

Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said his office had been receiving more and more complaints regarding the budgetary decisions made by Indigo council.

"From what I've read from the last council meeting, for every dollar Indigo plans to spend on footpaths, the shire is spending $30 dollars on cycling," he said.

"It would be interesting to see what the average punter thinks of that."

Indigo councillor Bernard Gaffney described the recent cycling spend as "exorbitant" and has been critical of the Beechworth to Yackandandah Rail Trail previously.

When approached for comment, Indigo shire mayor Jenny O'Connor said they had received federal funding through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program, some of which would go towards footpaths.

"Of a total allocation of just over $2.2 million, approximately $1.34 million was allocated to footpaths across the shire," she said.

"Predominantly they (footpaths) are prioritised to address safety issues and based on the expected level of use."