Canals
Westminster's Little Venice lies at the junction of two canals:
These canals form attractive and direct cycle routes, avoiding all motor traffic and passing through remarkably green and tranquil surroundings.
Cycling organizations, local authorities and Canal & River Trust (formerly British Waterways) are seeking to improve conditions for cycling along these canals, as well as access to them.
For further information about the canals, including those outside London, please refer to canalrivertrust.org.uk
Share the Space, Drop your Pace
The Canal & River Trust has launched a new considerate towpath campaign ‘Share the Space, Drop your Pace’. The campaign calls for all those who use London's towpaths to follow a new Greenways Code and to help keep our historic network of waterways safe and pleasant for everyone to share.
The Grand Union Canal
The main section of the Grand Union Canal runs from Brentford in London to Birmingham and is 134 miles long. The Paddington Branch joins it near Hayes in Middlesex.
The most convenient way of joining the canal is from the path through the open space at the western end of Delamere Terrace. Unfortunately, Delamere Terrace and Blomfield Road are one-way towards the west. As part of the London Greenways project, a Cycle Route Implementation and Stakeholder Plan, published in January 2010, recommended contraflow cycling in Blomfield Road and a shared-use path along Delamere Terrace, so as to allow two-way access to the canal. To date there has been no action with regards to Blomfield Road, but a shared-use path along Delamere Terrace has been implemented.
The Regent’s Canal
The Regent's Canal connects Paddington to Limehouse Basin in London's Docklands via Camden, Islington, Hackney and Mile End. The Westminster section runs around the north side of Regent's Park, opposite the zoo.
The canal runs through a tunnel between Edgware Road and Lisson Grove. This can be avoided by using Blomfield Road, Aberdeen Place, Lyons Place, Fisherton Street and Frampton Street.
In recent years there have been a number of improvements to the route to the east of Lisson Grove.
The canal path is reached via a ramp from Lisson Grove.
The path then crosses the canal on a footbridge just to the west of the railway lines.
A high-level path then runs along the south side of the canal past the Lisson Green Estate.
The path then runs along the north side of the canal, under several bridges and past the London Zoo.
Reporting incidents and maintenance
The Canal & River Trust strives to provide a safe environment for everyone who uses and visits its canals and rivers. If you are involved in an incident, please report it on a form you can download from http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/contact-us/visitor-incidents
If you come across instances where maintenance is required, please contact London Waterways by email at enquiries.london@canalrivertrust.org.uk, giving details and the location of the problem.