Victor: Boaters' satisfaction claim not confirmed

Published: Sunday, 04 June 2017

LAST Sunday I asked if any of you out there had taken part in Canal & River Trust's Boat Owners’ Views survey, which had stated that 65% of you trust Cart to look after the waterways, and that 76% were happy with your cruising experiences.

Not one of you told us you had taken part.  Not a single boater confirmed that they were one of the 1,160 that Cart tell had been contacted.

What we did get however was a continuance of your complaining of the terrible state of the waterways and being told that you were most  unhappy with your cruising experience.

It rather makes this survey too look like another of those made-up silly claims like the one about the 360 million visits a year—sorry—it went up last winter to 380 millions!

An extra 20,000,000 encouraged by the cold blustery weather no doubt!

What was the point

Cart's asking boaters to report leaks brought us a few comments, especially as we had included a picture of the leaking locks on the Wigan Flight, with no few of you confirming that they had reported such leaks, received the acknowledgement—sometimes, but the locks still leaked months, and even years after.

Boater Derek Jenson asks what was the point of asking such a question when it only needs someone from Cart 'to get off their backsides and have  look'.  They would then see how locks leak, the bottom gate(s) on some locks so much that you cannot fill the lock to enable the top gate(s) to be opened.

Another in hospital

So there is another poor woman in hospital after being knocked over on the towpath by a speeding cyclist.  And of course, as usual the cyclist made a very hasty retreat, not caring how badly he had injured the woman.

Haven't the people at Cart the sense to realise that a four feet towpath is just not safe for the mixed use of pedestrians and fast cyclists? 

Of course it is pushing its 'green' credentials—taking cyclists off the roads, and no doubt telling those at government, 'forgetting' of course about the dangers of mixed use of such a small space, and no doubt adding the often quote that 'no one had been seriously injured'.  The four in hospital obviously do not count.

Will they still be there?

The enforcement people at Cart have now been told about the total lack of enforcement on the '48 hours' moorings on Sawley Cut that is so upsetting the resident moorers who have to pay.

As we told, one boat has been moored on the lock moorings for eight weeks, and the two with the massive generator arrived back for another month or so at their favourite place opposite the water tap—on the 48 hours mooring of course.

We will visit on Tuesday, but what's the betting all three will still be there, as enforcement is obviously non-existent.

Victor Swift

 


 

 

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