Ducks have been given their own lanes along London canals to keep the birds safe from joggers and cyclists.
The designated 'duck lanes' feature along the Regent's Canal, which joins Grand Union Canal's Paddington Arm to Limehouse.
The Canal & River Trust, which cares for 2,000 miles of canals, rivers and towpaths, painted a white line marking off areas to be used by birds with a stenciled silhouette of a duck.
It forms part of its campaign to preserve the peace on London's towpaths and highlight the narrowness of the space that is shared by a range of people and wildlife.
Claire Risino, from the Canal & River Trust team, told getwestlondon: “The Grand Union Canal, which runs all the way from Little Venice to Birmingham, will see hundreds of thousands of visitors each year all enjoying towpaths in different ways – from boaters to walkers, anglers to cyclists and runners."
She added: "It’s important to the trust that our visitors enjoy the towpath and we have recently revamped a stretch of towpath in Alperton as it is used so much!"
Last year, more than 400m visits were made to the Canal & River Trust’s towpaths, with an average 48m visits alone made to London’s waterways.
The charity is calling on Londoners to help protect the special atmosphere which has made these spaces so popular.
Jon Guest, London waterway manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: “For many people our towpaths are among their most precious green spaces, antidotes to the pace and stress of the modern world and places to relax and unwind.
"They are ‘super slow ways’, providing a slice of peace and calm through the centre of London."
If you spot any webbed friends using the towpaths, you can tweet your pictures using the hashtag #sharethespace.
