Safety Zones in the wrong place

 AS FAR as Canal & River Trust's Safety Zones are concerned they are in the wrong place, writes Nik Lowder.

Mooring nigh impossible

Having them on a wide river is just stupid. All the canals with their overhanging vegetation on the off-side and now vegetation allowed to grow on the towpath side have miles were mooring in nigh impossible, but no 'Safety Zones' there.

Looking back through your site I see many pictures of narrow passages by permanent moorings that would hardly take a moored boat opposite but of course no 'Safety Zone' there.

The ever growing vegetation (for the insects, don't let us forget) makes it so awkward to use what once were decent moorings, but no longer. 

Rocked by passing boats

Only too often we get rocked by passing boats as they cannot get far enough away, what with the undergrowth no longer allowing decent passage.

And if that is not enough, the lack of dredging too now prevents you getting in the side, leaving your boat liable to be scraped.

Mooring aside, there are now so many moored boats on narrow navigations that these too really need a 'Safety Zone' to prevent mooring—not the Lee that is usually so wide.

The Canal & River Trust should 'get real'.