The whole consultation conveniently ignores BW's own policy that where appropriate they should direct cyclists, especially London commuters on to collateral routes. As a quick look at the London Cycling network website shows there are well established route parallel to the canal in the area.
The towpath section in question is the that between the two points where the existing London Cycle Network crosses the canal. Not difficult to see where the collateral route lies; all you need are signposts diverting cyclists off the towpath at each end. That would cost a few thousand pounds at worst and the whole problem goes away!
The answer is so easy. Ban cycling on this inappropriate stretch of canal and return it to being a small oasis for other towpath users. Seems I'm not the only one who has thought of this. Del Brenner's contributions in Narrowboatworld's article on this represent the views of many local people. The local paper has also carried criticism of the proposal.
BW of course won't countenance that as it opens the question of why how they got away with promoting cycling on this inappropriate stretch of towpath in the first place. This is classic BW behaviour; pursuing a badly thought idea to the extreme rather than losing face and admitting they got it wrong in the first place! This ones been going on for some time, over several years; it gives me the (speed) hump especially when it being done with public money!
Then we get insult to injury: decorating at huge expense apparently solely in the name of looking good at the Olympics.
Both are examples money being spunked up on vanity projects instead of being spent on the bread and butter upkeep of the waterways and indicate why many of us have no faith in BW's present management and engagement structures.
Apparently the consultation lasts until 18 March, not that it occured to BW to put that on their webpage.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that signposts would actually divert any of the problem cyclists off the towpath. The real issue is plain and simple hooliganism and the failure of BW and the Police to deal with it.