Now it's 'sleeping policemen'

THE latest scheme from Canal & River Trust in an attempt to slow down speeding cyclists on the towpath are 'sleeping policemen'—one sleeping with the words 'Drop you pace share the space'.

This is the result of a recent survey of 2,000 adults last August that discovered nearly a quarter (23%) of people told their biggest bugbears in public places is when cyclists speed past them, and with it stating that 'half of Brits (50%) going out of their way to find a quieter/greener area to escape the hustle and bustle of main roads' the campaign will be welcome news to those who like life by the water.

Various messages

Throughout the summer the Trust will spray various messages on the towpath in the busiest areas around England and Wales to encourage people to ‘slow down and look around’ and that there’s ‘no need to rush, just relax’, together with 3D image of a sleeping policeman at certain points along the towpath encouraging people to drop their pace.

Dick Vincent, Canal & River Trust’s National Towpath Ranger, explains:

“Towpaths are wonderful places to visit, whether you use them every day to commute to work or visit them occasionally for a nice walk after Sunday lunch. They are calm green spaces in the concrete jungles of cities and people come to them to relax and unwind from the stresses of everyday life. Unfortunately, some people chose to go too fast when they are cycling or running on the towpaths and this is causing problems for other visitors, particularly during commuting hours.

“Pedestrian’s take priority on our towpaths so we’re asking people who cycle and run too fast to please slow down and take time to enjoy their towpath visit. If you are trying to beat the clock on an app or in a rush to get to work, the towpaths are not for you so choose another route.

“We hope our new recruit will help us spread the message, and a smile, to slow down and to enjoy your time on our historic slow lanes. Life is much better by the water...but you might end up in it if you go too fast! Slow down and enjoy the ride.”

Speed preventative measures

As to speed preventative measures, the Trust states that due to the heritage and environmental constraints and the need to make sure towpaths are easy for everyone to access, there are limited opportunities for the charity to add physical speed measures to the towpaths.