Wagga City Council announced the upgrades to multiple pedestrian walkways in locations like Glenfield Park and Turvey Park, focusing on driving down criminal activity and boosting community use.

A combination of residents' concerns and police audits sparked the action, which Wagga Crime Prevention Group member Saba Nabi said were reflective of issue's importance.

Upgrades will involve clearing vegetation and installing lights and bollards to restrict vehicle access.

"Criminals were using the walkways as escape routes and causing, understandably, stress to residents living in that area," council's director of community Janice Summerhayes said.

"So these upgrades will hope to deter people from using that area for the wrong reasons, and improve the use by those accessing things like shopping centres, parks and recreational areas in those suburbs."

Four laneways will receive the upgrades, including Bandera Avenue, Walla Place and Yungana Place in Glenfield Park, and Lusher Avenue in Turvey Park. Bollards will be installed at Bandera, Walla and Lusher walkways along with other safety measures, and the playground and shaded area of Bandera will also be upgraded.

With a total cost of $24,148 for the work excluding lighting, Ms Summerhayes said they were working with Wagga's energy provider to speed up the process.

"Essential Energy are working closely with us on the replacement program for the city overall, so we will also be working with them as soon as possible to improve lighting at those locations," she said.

Dr Nabi said the move to a safer city was something she'd hoped to see for a long time, particularly as the population grows.

"I have a young family, so of course I want it to be safe, but even for those like shift workers who need to be out and about late at night or early in the morning," she said.

"These laneways are a great way to get around, they're great spots and great shortcuts that should be safe to use to their full potential."

As a migrant herself, Dr Nabi also encouraged the culturally and linguistically diverse community to report incidents to the police.

"Sometimes, I feel like those in the CALD community are reluctant to speak to the police because of the cultural barriers, and sometimes you don't have multilingual resources," she said.

"For example, when I first arrived in Australia, I was hesitant to speak to the police when I had my car hit, because I though from my old mindset I may be tormented.

"The police station wasn't a safe place for women to go coming from another country, so I really feel like we need to encourage migrants to speak up and know their rights, and know it is safe to do so."

Further upgrades to additional hotspots may be considered in future should the initial plans successfully deter crime.