In recent years the Regent’s Canal towpath has seen a rapid increase in the number of people using it. This is good news for the health of those enjoying it and London’s population as whole, which benefits from improved air quality and reduced road congestion as a result.
Introducing “kissing gates” should be a last resort as they may impede the enjoyment of the towpath by introducing bottlenecks at busy times.
It is not the behaviour of cyclists but overcrowding on the towpath that leads to conflicts between its many users. This in turn is a symptom of a much bigger problem of the unfriendliness of London’s roads and streets for cyclists, runners and walkers.
Improving air quality and making London’s streets safer will encourage more people to use alternative routes, thus easing the pressure on the Regent’s Canal towpath. Provision of a greater number of safe cycle routes, a 20mph speed limit on all roads and restricting lorries to certain routes and hours offer a more sustainable and forward-looking answer to this debate.