London, Birmingham and Manchester have all instituted duck lanes along waterway paths as a way to spread awareness about the animals that share the roadways with our speedy automobiles and bikes.

The Canal & River Trust has marked 2,000 miles of tow paths that run alongside old English and Welsh canals with a white line and the silhouette of a duck. The purpose of the new ‘duck lane’ is to highlight the designated path for birds to take, as well as draw awareness to the wild life we share the roads with.

Dick Vincent, a London Towpath Ranger told ruptly.tv, “We’ve painted in duck lanes on the tow path, just to highlight…[that] there’s only so much space you can share…[and] actually probably ducks need the priority.”

The Canal River Trust works to maintain over 2,000 miles of inland waterways stretching throughout England and Wales. They have a nifty little motto for everyone to keep in mind when cruising along the scenic roads, it goes: “Share the space; drop your pace; it’s a special place.”

Hopefully the new duck lanes will make everyone think more about the natural habitats that we cruise through everyday, giving ducks (and other animals) a better chance at making it in this human-infested world.

The real question is, will the ducks follow the rules and use the new ‘duck lanes’? We will just have to wait and see! You can follow the ducks on their ‘duck lane’ adventures via the hashtag #sharethespace.

Photo Credits: canalrivertrust.org.uk