My day with the towpath ranger
Ever wondered what it's like to be a towpath ranger? Melissa Ezechukwu spent the day on the Regent's Canal with Joe Young, London's towpath ranger, to find out.
As I perch on the edge of City Road Lock in Islington eyeing the modern canalside offices, I can't help but feel I've picked the perfect day for my interview with Joe Young, the towpath ranger.
The sun is beating down relentlessly through cloudless skies, making the waters of the Regent's Canal glitter and sparkle ' very tempting in the sweltering heat.
We have arranged to meet at 10am but, being eager not to get lost; I've made my way over extra early and arrived on the towpath slap-bang in the middle of rush hour. This, combined with the gorgeous weather drawing out even more people, makes it the perfect opportunity for me to see what things are like for the average London towpath pedestrian.
Making my way down here cyclists were coming at me from all sides; some tinging their bell, and some just whizzing silently past me. I instinctively hugged the wall at first, not knowing where I should plant myself. When Joe turns up he tells me walkers should keep to the inside of the towpath, but it's when cyclists have the same idea ' and don't warn you ' that the problems begin. Or when pedestrians spread themselves across the towpath, ignoring the bell or simply not hearing it with their headphones in.
And this is of course the raison d'être behind Joe's position ' to engage with those cyclists and towpath users who don't always take other people into consideration, or are not always aware how they should behave. Joe's average week is usually spent outside, walking or cycling the length of the towpath chatting to pedestrians and cyclists. One day a week during the morning rush, Joe and his deputy, Brian Smith hold a Two Tings event where they hand out copies of the towpath code of conduct, free bells and badges, and just generally try to slow down speeding cyclists.
It's clear from the smile on his face that Joe loves his job, especially on glorious days like these. When I ask him what the best aspects of his job are he's able to reel off a long list: 'Because I'm the first of my kind there's no set job description, so I can make it up as I go along and bring new ideas to the table. There's lots of independence and creative focus. Also, I like feeling part of the local community ' I often see the same cyclists or boaters, and I like feeling like I'm doing something to improve that community.'
Joe goes on to say that this sense of community can be difficult to find nowadays, especially in London. Although he's quick to admit that things are better, friendlier, by the canal and he wants to help keep that up. The friendliness on the towpath is 'sort of a throwback to how things used to be' he says. And he should know ' he has certainly become well recognised since taking on this new role, with plenty of people waving 'hello' and stopping to chat.
And what are the worst aspects? 'Feeling unable to affect certain groups of people and their behaviour,' he says 'seeing people's disregard for other people'. Joe also admits that some days can be quieter than others, but that's clearly not something that's bothering him today, after all the action of Bike Week.
Seven days of working long hours has left him exhausted, but also ecstatic from all the positive feedback the events received. So has the towpath ranger scheme in general been successful, I ask? 'Yeah, definitely' he nods 'there's still a minority, but people are using their bells more and interacting with people.' He insists he's received a great response from people, and is really keen for BW to extend the role of towpath ranger to other areas of the UK.
Today Joe's mission is to hunt out some spots along the Regent's Canal that may be suitable for a piece of permanent graffiti art, so we wander away from Islington taking photos along the way. A temporary mural has been painted on the side of nearby Hanover school, but Joe's now looking for something more eye-catching to slow down that stubborn minority; typically young, male professionals speeding on their way to work.
Since the role of a Towpath Ranger is a new position I ask him what he did before to gain experience for this. 'I was an Anti-Social Behaviour Officer for Brent Housing Association, so that's what equipped me to deal with conflict resolution' he says. 'In the end I got sick of dealing with people's complaints about their noisy neighbours! I also volunteered for Sustrans for about two years.' Being a keen cyclist and fitness enthusiast (he's about to embark on the notorious Three Peaks Challenge) the prospect of being out and about all day is also what drew him to the job he says.
The day draws on and we stroll into London's East End, Joe tinging his bell as we approach blind tunnels and thanking those that ting back. Things are a lot less hectic now, and it's a joy to see large walking groups and school children out enjoying their local canal.
We approach the swanky, glass-front flats of Limehouse Basin after what Joe tells me is a 2 ½ mile walk, and stop for a much needed tea break at the BW harbour office. I ask him what his most memorable canal incident has been since starting. 'I haven't yet witnessed a dispute myself,' he says 'although I was approached once by a lady who'd had her arm broken after a collision with a cyclist!' Although shocking, Joe has managed to keep in touch with her and she's very supportive of the Two Tings campaign, and Joe and Brian's work.
Having witnessed some cyclists riding shockingly close to the edge of the water today, I also ask him if he's ever seen anyone fall in. 'Yeah,' he says with a hint of a smile 'the other week a commuter travelling much too fast caught his bike on the towpath and went flying in.' Fortunately the cyclist wasn't hurt and fully accepted that he should have been travelling slower; 'he told me he knew it would happen one day' said Joe.
After retrieving a large, cumbersome trailer of leaflets we head back towards Islington, with me left wondering how on earth we'll wheel it along the towpath collision-free. I needn't have worried; despite a few near misses (largely due to my getting in the way) the majority of towpath users are polite and accommodating. It really is refreshing to see the code of conduct in action, rather than just as words on paper.
As we approach Islington and the end of our walk I ask Joe if he's seen any celebrities using London's beautiful canals? 'Last week, at about six in the morning during the pavement art, Boris Johnson came jogging round the corner, saw the photographers and started jogging in the other direction!' Joe says. 'He eventually spoke to us and was really supportive of the project. He said he jogs every morning and has never experienced any problems with cyclists not ringing their bells.'
Proof, indeed, that relationships on the towpath are improving.
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