THE LONG AND WINDING CANAL PERSPECTIVE...
Of course it's totally obvious to everyone, not least to Spokes, that not all the speedsters on the towpath (not that there are a huge number anyway) are going to read a code and, if they do, suddenly all start behaving in a totally considerate fashion. Though it will probably have a bit of an effect on some people. And there is talk of towpath-based publicity which might make it a little harder to ignore.
The point is not to see the code as one isolated happening but as a small part of a long and hopefully continuing process to improve the towpath and its usage, and to improve cycling conditions in general in that corridor.
Not that many years ago the towpath was a muddy track about 30cm wide, and even that you were told officially that you needed a permit to cycle on.
Now it is surfaced a long way out, it has solar lighting, Scottish Canals actually publicise it for cycle use, and it is an official part of the NCN. Future developments could be widening where feasible, extension of lighting and surfacing, more accesses and linking routes, leisure spaces around it, provision of parallel onroad routes for those who wish to cycle faster, etc, etc. All these depend on pressure for improvements from individuals and organisations, sometimes via supportive and hard-working councillors like Gavin Corbett, and they equally depend on confidence from bodies such as the council, sustrans, scottish canals, etc, who have the money, but who also get vociferous complaints from some walkers.
Codes, publicity campaigns, etc hopefully reduce anti-social behaviour to some degree but they also help give the funding agencies confidence to keep the towpath open for cycling and improving for cycling. If all we do is express cynicism about codes, and say what is the point, then the momentum for continuing improvement and support for cycling takes a knock. We tend to accept improvements as they appear, then take them for granted, but they don't appear by magic!
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