Save the Environment by Touring London by Boat

London once a dirty and busy port is now a clean and manicured City, the river Thames even has a growing population of fish! The River Thames once lined by warehouses trading exotic spices, teas, guns and a wide range of other merchandise is now the residence of the wealthiest. A river view puts a significant premium on the value of a property.

As we all know the environment needs all the help it can get right now and the problems of the industrial revolution and our subsequent unbalanced consumption has led to the situation we are in now. Although traffic on the River Thames is increasing again it is a far cry from the days of a centaury or two ago. It was said you could cross the river by walking over the barges there being that many! Today with it's residential neighbours the river is a quieter more civilised place, but still holding vast opportunities. Boats hold many more people than an equivalent road vehicle and by removing the traffic from the roads you lighten congestion. The river is a far nicer place to be with space and tranquillity rather than bustling pavements and continuous traffic lights.

Much of London's domestic and commercial waste is now transported by water in fact as is a large proportion of aggregate and construction waste. The development of East London for 2012 has seen the reinstatement of the redundant waterways for both passenger and barge movement to avoid the obvious impact on the local road infrastructure and associated increased noise, traffic and environmental pollution.

Waterways are a much underutilised transport resource and as such have the potential to make a real difference to London's environmental impact in the future.