Towpath Consultation - March 2014



The Canal and River Trust (CRT) has launched a consultation on towpath use.
Here is an extract from the CRT website.

A consultation on towpath use Apsley, Grand Union Canal

We're consulting with stakeholders, local authorities, communities and partners in order to put together a National Towpath Use policy.

The aim of the policy is to improve the experience for those people who use the towpaths in England and Wales. We aim to attract more visitors to regularly use and enjoy the waterways and to encourage shared, safe use of the towpaths.

Please read our Sharing Towpaths document.

You can let us know what you think of our proposals by taking our short survey.

The Trust piloted the towpath code in London, developed jointly with the Share the Space Drop your Pace  campaign. If you live in or visit London the code may well be familiar to you. Please do take the time to tell us what you think about the code and if and how it could be improved.

This consultation will close on Friday 2 May


Local context



The Regent's Canal towpath can get very busy. At commuting times it can become a no-go zone for walkers as certain cyclists race to work, whereas at sunny weekends it can become a no-go zone for cyclists when it is saturated with recreational walkers. 		busy day
Hanover-volunteers There is a wide variety of towpath users, apart from the boaters (arguably the primary users). Many people come to appreciate the canal per se and a growing number of volunteers come to maintain the vegetation and paintwork.


bbq However, there are others who use the canal and its structures for private parties without understanding the hazards. Some of them cause obstructions and leave their litter behind. Acton's litter


What are your views?


Do you agree that the CRT should be aiming to maximise the footfall on the towpath? Or should it be targeting the users who are most likely to help with the canal's upkeep?

Are you a walker? An angler? A dog owner? A recreational cyclist? A commuter cyclist? If so, then you should read the proposals.

If you are a boater, are you concerned about any reclaiming of the towpath width? Could this result in loss of grass verges? Are you concerned that towpath users should be better informed about the need to give way to you when you are using your ropes and water hoses.

The proposals can be found in this pdf file or else you can view a copy of the plain text on this website.


If you have any comments or questions then please send an e-mail to friendsregentscanal@gmail.com and/or write directly to the CRT. If there are enough consistent messages from our regular contributors then we will send a group response to the CRT.