I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but they are welcome to do what they have done. This canal didn't exist. They created it. They put the time in to make the pathway. They paid to put a deed on something they made.
If they had not put the time in, it would not exist, and we would not be having this discussion. If you don't like it, create your own. Or be nicer to the people who made it and see if they won't let you use it. Don't make demands of people when you are not in the right.