Editing Regent's Canal (section)

===New uses===
[[File:Limehouse Basin Bridge.jpg|thumb|upright|Modern bridge over the canal into Limehouse Basin next to the [[Docklands Light Railway|DLR]]]]
A new purpose was found for the canal route in 1979, when the [[Central Electricity Generating Board]] (CEGB) installed underground cables in a trough below the towpath between [[St John's Wood]] and [[City Road]]. These 400&nbsp;[[Volt|kV]] cables now form part of the [[National Grid (UK)|National Grid]], supplying electrical power to London. Pumped canal water is circulated as a coolant for the high-voltage cables. The canal is frequently used today for pleasure cruising; a regular [[London Waterbus Company|waterbus]] service operates between Maida Vale and Camden, running hourly during the summer months.<ref>{{cite web|title=Regents Canal Waterbus|url=http://www.londonwaterbus.com|website=London Waterbus Company|access-date=28 October 2017}}</ref>

Due to the increase in cycle commuting since the [[2005 London Bombings]]<ref>'Cycling on London's Waterways', British Waterways London</ref> and increasing environmental awareness, the canal's towpath has become a busy cycle route for commuters. [[National Cycle Route 1]] includes the stretch along the canal towpath from Limehouse Basin to Mile End. British Waterways carried out several studies into the effects of sharing the towpath between cyclists and pedestrians, all of which have concluded that despite the limited width there were relatively few problems at the time of the audits.<ref>See a [http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/media/documents/BWL_Cycling_On_Londons_Waterways_Presentation.pdf presentation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608215931/http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/media/documents/BWL_Cycling_On_Londons_Waterways_Presentation.pdf |date=June 8, 2011 }} by British Waterways following a {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110708094504/http://www.british-waterways.com/media/documents/BWL_Regents_Canal_towpath_safety_audit_final_report.pdf Safety Audit]}} study by [http://www.transport-initiatives.com Transport Initiatives] in 2006.   {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128020430/http://www.transport-initiatives.com/ |date=January 28, 2011 }}</ref> More recently, in 2019, ''The Guardian'' reported on instances of conflict between pedestrians and cyclists.<ref name="Townsend-27Jul2019">{{cite news |last1=Townsend |first1=Mark |title=On roads, cyclists are vulnerable – but on towpaths they're the menace |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jul/27/on-roads-cyclists-are-vulnerable-but-on-towpaths-theyre-the-menace |access-date=18 February 2021 |work=Guardian |date=27 July 2019}}</ref>