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Post by Mr Stabby on Jul 4, 2022 8:09:53 GMT
The reality of today's boating is that lock working is done by oldies (like Jane and I) or kids, not fully fit working men. It seems a bit pointless when Tony Dunkley constantly bangs on about what happened when working boats used the canals, because with very few exceptions they don't any more. In fact when I'm at work I am the closest modern equivalent to an 1800s boatman, the primary difference being that whereas CanalPlanAC schedules a journey from where I am to my home mooring as 46 hours and 29 minutes, the AA Route Planner has it as a journey of 1 hour 21 minutes by car, so add 30% to that to allow for the slower speed of an articulated lorry and we're still at under two hours to move the same tonnage of goods over the same distance. So basically for the canals to survive in any form, it's "Noddy Boaters" or nothing at all. I suspect Dunkley would prefer the latter.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2022 8:10:10 GMT
CRT put this policy out in March of this year. I doubt very much the recent issue with grass cutting can be blamed on the contractors. I suspect the problem is more to do with CRT setting up stupid instructions complicating what is actually a simple process.
It's all about getting boat numbers down. One day, people will realise this.
Mowing trial rolled out nationally
You may remember that last year we tried out a new system of mowing towpath verges. The aim of the successful trial was to ensure that the needs of boaters, towpath users, anglers and others accessing the waterways were met, while increasing and diversifying habitat for the wildlife that thrives along the towpaths and canal banks.
Additionally, it included other benefits such as cost savings that will allow more investment in other areas, such as managing overgrown vegetation on the ‘offside’, and a reduction in CO2 emissions.
Wildflowers growing alongside the Nottingham & Beeston CanalWe spend £2.1 million per year on towpath mowing and, prior to the trial, all towpaths were cut at the same frequency which meant climatic differences, soil nutrient, urban or rural setting, and frequency of use were not accounted for. The Trust has created a ‘mowing map’ so people can see the frequency of grass mowing in their area.
During, and after, last year’s trial we collected feedback from boaters and towpath users, advisory groups, colleagues and specialists, and have been undertaking periodic spot checks on the trial areas, which covered 375 miles (around a fifth of our network). The majority of the feedback was in favour of increasing the amount of habitat fringe, with certain amendments to our mowing specifications to ensure that the towpaths are suitable for all, especially boaters.
Wild flowers at Pontymoile on the Monmouthshire & Brecon CanalThe new national mowing programme, starting in April, will ensure sightlines on the inside of sharp bends are mown to the water’s edge, and vegetation at locks, moorings, winding holes and places of interest continues to be cut most frequently to meet boaters’ needs.
Where there are no formal moorings along a canal and the towpath fringe is allowed to grow, a cumulative 100m of informal moorings will be cut every kilometre. There will be minimum width for the towpath walking area so the fringe width will vary rather than the width of the towpath, with the fringe no more than 1m wide. We’ll seek alternative management to break up long stretches of tall vegetation, and a full width cut removing the season’s growth, including saplings, will remain. This will commence annually from August to replicate a ‘hay meadow’ style cut.
Peter Rodriguez, operational projects manager said: “A legacy from the Industrial Revolution, canals are unique ecological corridors that offer tremendous benefits to the nation’s flora and fauna by providing sanctuary to many much-loved and endangered species. Due, in part, to changes in farming practises and urban sprawl, the canal network, with its linear hedgerows and verges, provides vital connecting routes between increasingly fragmented woodlands and other important wildlife habitat, especially in urban environments.
A flower by the side of the road in Camden“Seeking to increase the amount of biodiversity across the network doesn’t mean letting everything grow; it’s about providing a mix of habitats or trying to improve a section of towpath through a specific management regime. For example, tall grasses suppress lower-growing plants. Keeping them shorter by regular mowing and collecting the clippings to reduce the amount of nutrients available for them encourages wildflowers, which prefer more nutrient-poor soils, to flourish.
“It’s going to be fantastic to further grow the biodiversity across our canals and rivers, but we are aware that we need to review annually to see what is working well and what can be improved further. Ensuring the safety of boaters remains paramount, and the trial has formalised the navigation requirements for grass cutting at moorings, locks and sightlines on bends. It is important that we continue to receive boaters’ feedback, both positive and about where improvements could be made, so people are able to get the most enjoyment out of their time on the water.”
From April 2022 we’re committing to cutting towpath, locks and moorings four times per year between April and July, plus the full width cut between September and December, with the August towpath cut removed as grass growth is limited. Local teams will have the option of carrying out an additional cut if and where needed.
We’ll also seek to bring the full width cut forward in specific areas once the majority of wildflowers have seeded, to help balance the needs of boaters and local wildlife. The early full width cut will also allow for some partial regrowth which will provide habitat cover for water voles and other animals over the winter months.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2022 8:12:21 GMT
Obviously so. I wondered if Police advice had been for you to stay away from your 'attacker' hence your absence ? Rog the question is more around whether I want to be in the “virtual company” of bigots and liars, and those who condone such behaviours. I suppose it's better than being in the company of those with monkeypox.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2022 8:17:05 GMT
When I got my first canal boat in 1994 people on the cut were always saying "BW are trying to get everyone into marinas". It's been an ongoing theme but the reality is many more boats on the towpath.
Maybe if the law was eventually changed to bin the 14 day rule there may be some changes but it seems unlikely.
And would long grass really put people off boating altogether ?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2022 8:18:56 GMT
I don't post over there ... I prefer the 'virtual company of bigots and liars' in this 'cesspit of God's mistakes'
Rog
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Post by Mr Stabby on Jul 4, 2022 8:23:32 GMT
Ah I see. And obviously you decided you do. Rog Game, set and match to Rog there I think.
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Post by JohnV on Jul 4, 2022 8:33:46 GMT
And would long grass really put people off boating altogether ? remembering what the undergrowth was like on the Lea and Stort in about 1960, all I can say is that it didn't put me off
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Post by Jim on Jul 4, 2022 8:45:32 GMT
The safer alternative - especially in wet or frosty weather - to stepping or jumping across the gap to the other side bottom gate on a single lock with two bottom gates is, or rather was, to carry what was known as a "cabin shaft" and use that to open or close the other side bottom gate. A 'cabin shaft' was a shortened version - anywhere from 8' up to about 12' overall length - of the long shafts (15' to 16' boathook) carried on every pair of working boats, and was always kept ready to hand on the side-bed side (righthand side looking ahead) of the motor's cabin top, . . which was how it got its name. I have been trying to get my hands on a suitable pole for a long shaft for ages.
I've got a suitable blacksmith forged head and a wooden pommel but so far have not been able to find a source of good ash poles long enough and also close enough for me to drive to collect.
John Dean Senior got one a couple of months ago for one of his tugs and he gave me the phone number of his source but they didn't have any more long enough at the moment.
One will turn up one day
I see ash plants, saplings, in the woods around me, often grow tall and straight (ish) and about the right diameter. I did use one such myself till I found a hardwood stair handrail left by another boater near my mooring (he had sold his boat.)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2022 8:47:48 GMT
And would long grass really put people off boating altogether ? Of course it could, (and quite obviosly does in some cases). Hence the recent string of complaints to CRT and their rather limp responses. It's not so much the long grass, but the nettles and brambles. Add to that the increasing number of sinkholes lurking beneath, and people just think "why bother". Even the hirers are complaining now, (because obviously they don't carry a strimmer or shears). CRT are constantly seeking to undermine the value of boaters, in their attempt to move away from the navigational responsibilities hanging around it's neck.
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Post by peterboat on Jul 4, 2022 8:52:30 GMT
The reality of today's boating is that lock working is done by oldies (like Jane and I) or kids, not fully fit working men. It seems a bit pointless when Tony Dunkley constantly bangs on about what happened when working boats used the canals, because with very few exceptions they don't any more. In fact when I'm at work I am the closest modern equivalent to an 1800s boatman, the primary difference being that whereas CanalPlanAC schedules a journey from where I am to my home mooring as 46 hours and 29 minutes, the AA Route Planner has it as a journey of 1 hour 21 minutes by car, so add 30% to that to allow for the slower speed of an articulated lorry and we're still at under two hours to move the same tonnage of goods over the same distance. So basically for the canals to survive in any form, it's "Noddy Boaters" or nothing at all. I suspect Dunkley would prefer the latter. Real canals of course can carry a lot more hundreds of tons in fact, so maybe we should make all the narrow canals into big canals to move freight around?
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Post by Telemachus on Jul 4, 2022 8:55:59 GMT
Ah I see. And obviously you decided you do. Rog Still thinking about it. It doesn't have to be a binary decision.
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Post by Jim on Jul 4, 2022 8:58:08 GMT
It seems a bit pointless when Tony Dunkley constantly bangs on about what happened when working boats used the canals, because with very few exceptions they don't any more. In fact when I'm at work I am the closest modern equivalent to an 1800s boatman, the primary difference being that whereas CanalPlanAC schedules a journey from where I am to my home mooring as 46 hours and 29 minutes, the AA Route Planner has it as a journey of 1 hour 21 minutes by car, so add 30% to that to allow for the slower speed of an articulated lorry and we're still at under two hours to move the same tonnage of goods over the same distance. So basically for the canals to survive in any form, it's "Noddy Boaters" or nothing at all. I suspect Dunkley would prefer the latter. Real canals of course can carry a lot more hundreds of tons in fact, so maybe we should make all the narrow canals into big canals to move freight around? Bring back the Contour Canal. It will pass just near my house. Handy.
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Post by Mr Stabby on Jul 4, 2022 9:00:36 GMT
Ah I see. And obviously you decided you do. Rog Still thinking about it. It doesn't have to be a binary decision. Oh pleeeease, we beg you. You have punished us enough by your absence, we promise to repent and change our ways if you would be so gracious as to bless our forum with your transparent superiority and we promise never to disagree with you again.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2022 9:03:58 GMT
Still thinking about it. It doesn't have to be a binary decision. Oh pleeeease, we beg you. You have punished us enough by your absence, we promise to repent and change our ways if you would be so gracious as to bless our forum with your transparent superiority and we promise never to disagree with you again. It wasn't about disagreement though was it, you wanted to gas the fecker, and he was not up for that (not surprisingly).
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Post by Telemachus on Jul 4, 2022 9:17:47 GMT
Still thinking about it. It doesn't have to be a binary decision. Oh pleeeease, we beg you. You have punished us enough by your absence, we promise to repent and change our ways if you would be so gracious as to bless our forum with your transparent superiority and we promise never to disagree with you again. OK you're on. But if you renege (are lying) I will be flouncing again.
So that gives me about 10 seconds on here...
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