I have had this idea for some time, and would welcome your views (I'm sure i'm going to regret this!)..

Question

..My idea is.. to drain the canals, ALL the canals in Britain, 'Tarmac them, and use them as bike roads. The canals go all over the country, 'right into city centers, and at present they are only used by a very small percentage of the population. Many of them are just a place to dump crap! Wadda ya think?

Answer 1

It's a bit of a rubbish idea, isn't it?

Isn't this country ugly enough already, without tarmacking over the pretty canals. I bet you £5 that someone in New Labour is reading this though, and thinking that you have a point.

Answer 2

The canal network of England was created to convey goods around the country. Some goods are still carried this way. Also (as others mention) clear & clean up the unused canals - organise day trips on Sundays to these areas - instead of supermarket shopping. Less traffic then & more cycling safety. Bring in restriction of car ownership, like a maxium of two cars per family, this will create safer roads & easier cycle path creation, less pollution, plus safety for cyclists. Bring back conductors on buses - that will speed up travel as well. There are tourist trips on canals, restaurants on canal barges, tourist areas around canals which go into towns and cities. So - no give up the idea of tarmacing....

Answer 3

That is a brilliant idea and could very well work too, thing is some government person would suddenly decide they wanted all the canals to start been used for what they were originally used for many years ago, then pinch your idea themselves and make a killing out of it, it would be so much safer for the bikers too as there are a lot more on the roads these days and its not the safest place for them is it with some of the idiots who drive like maniacs, you will have to get a campaign going, you never know it could work.

Answer 4

Damn fool idea! Most canals have a servicable tow-path adequate for cycling along and are much used for it. Also the canals in the UK have grown to support a wide variety of wildlife and are important ecosystems that bring nature into the hearts of our cities.

So no, not a great idea at all really!

Answer 5

No way!! What would happen to the wildlife that live on and by the canals that need the canals to survive? A good thought but it would cause too much damage.

Answer 6

Canals do so many things .It cleans cities and places it goes through.It is the cheapest mode of transportation of goods by boats.Canals keep the country Green,closing of canals will upset ecological balance.Canals have great scope in development of internal and intrenational tourism.Since the economic basis (industry)is rapidly deteriorating,UK has to utlise its tourism potential in full.Better utlisation of canals need to be given immediate attention.

Answer 7

I think a much better idea would be ban bikes until their riders are made to buy Tax and insurance like other road users and leave Canals well alone .

Answer 8

a better idea would be to go back to the days of transporting goods by canal (and railways) and get the bloody lorries off the road!

Answer 9

NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

What about the canal community?? we should be encouraging everyone to use canals....they are lovely and narrow boats/barges are a great way off life..... I'd love to live on a house boat.....anyway, there would be bike rage then and congestion.......and what about the people who live on their boats.....will we just make them homeless, or take em off the canals and stick them on the tow paths......

Answer 10

no not a good idea.... where would all the wild life go,fish ducks swans etc.....and dont for get the wild life that use the canals as a place to drink water from including badgers foxes etc...