London's Regents Canal Path Now Has Duck Lanes

Designated lanes in high-traffic areas make sense, especially if you're trying to ease congestion and accommodate travelers of different speeds. With bikers, pedestrians, and ducks all vying for access along the Regents Canal path in central London, it was only a matter of time before demarcated lanes started appearing.

The first group to get their own section of the path: The ducks. Last week, lanes featuring spray-painted duck silhouettes, reminding people to #sharethespace, started popping up along the Regents Canal and other popular paths. Since ducks don't read all that well, the lanes, which were painted by towpath ranger Dick Vincent, are largely symbolic.

"It just wouldn’t be possible to paint lanes on the towpath for all of our different visitors so we thought the ducks could have one instead," Claire Risino, campaigns manager at the Canal & River Trust, told Quartz. "We’re keen for everyone to take it as a reminder to think about those around you, be courteous to your fellow towpath visitors and keep our lovely towpaths special places to visit away from the stresses of daily life."

So far, the signs are working to spread the word about path-sharing. Pedestrians have been posting pictures of the duck lanes to Twitter since they first appeared.