The council has submitted an application to its own planning department to pave a pathway under Strathfieldsaye Road's Emu Creek Bridge.

The underpass would be close to the Blucher Street intersection, an increasingly busy area some residents say is a "nightmare" during busy periods.

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The council hopes it will help make crossing safer and encourage more people to walk and ride their bikes, engineering manager Brett Martini said.

"It's a bit of each, really," he said.

Catherine Wilby is one resident increasingly concerned about the road, which now handles about 15,000 vehicles a day including heavy haulage.

She was among those who had thought about an underpass last year, when Regional Roads Victoria completed community consultations on Strathfieldsaye Road's future.

"There's no traffic lights or roundabout there and it's virtually impossible for children or other pedestrians to cross the road at those peak times," Ms Wilby said at the time.

RRV is working on a range of ideas triggered by that round of consultation.

It had hoped to count the pedestrians and cyclists using Strathfieldsaye Road this year.

However, those plans were put on hold when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.

RRV wants to carry out those counts when normal walking and cycling levels return.

The group's regional director Brian Westley confirmed RRV considering better connections near Blucher Street but had not yet pitched any projects for funding.

"We're working with council, and getting further feedback from the community, to help shape our designs and ensure we get the right solution for all users," he said.

The council needs permission to pave a path near Emu Creek because of the native vegetation that would need to be removed near the bridge.

A council-commissioned environmental report stated that it is unlikely any endangered animals' habitat would be affected, though it suggested further work was needed to prove no Bibron's toadlets were living at the site.

The endangered species has not previously been seen there but has been recorded in the One Tree Hill section of a nearby national park.

"This species is more often found in damp forests and woodlands but could be found within the Emu Creek Reserve," the report stated.

"Further assessment of the presence of this species is recommended before works occur."

Mr Martini said the council was yet to lock in funding for the project.

"We've come out of the previous work we've done planning this project having identified the need to remove native vegetation ... so we want to get this application in place before we take the next step of going after funding," he said.