Comment—British Waterways has failed

Published: Sunday, 06 June 2010

MANY year ago, after nearly 30 years of writing newspaper editorials, sometimes—as other such editors will surely testify—with a struggle, I promised I would never write another editorial again  as long as I lived!

However the situation concerning the waterways at the moment has prompted me that promises must be broken, for it is time to attempt to try and clarify the ridiculous situation that is British Waterways today.

As editor of narrowboatworld for over 10 years,  I have been the recipient of more information concerning the waterways, surely than anyone, as well as even more years of practical experience on virtually all of them, so perhaps in an ideal position to comment.

The problem

The problem is that British Waterways has failed.  It is no longer able to complete the purpose of its existence—maintaining the waterways, but wastes it limited resources on schemes that have little to do with its primary objective—navigation.

I shall not attempt to list its many questionable schemes, all of you who read the more enlightened waterways Press, individual blogs and particularly narrowboatworld, know of them.

Though most of these scheme are self  inflicted by very suspect decisions, other are purely to impress  certain bodies that it is doing something for those bodies for their general good, be it in the interests of navigation or not.

Sorrow

The great sorrow however is that it does not seem to accept  that it is failing in its duty to the waterways, even feeding the various authorities—and particularly the Press—with continuing misleading information and statistics, easily exposed by our contributors.

It's latest attempt to cover its failures with its obviously manipulated survey, pronouncing that half of boaters believe the state of the waterways are excellent to good, is absolutely ridiculous, and shows it has little concept of the state of its waterways.

The photographs that are now appearing in the State of the waterways category in our Gallery must show even the most brainwashed that the waterways are falling apart.

Underspent £30 million a year

British Waterways' own admission that it underspent by £30 million a year on maintenance whilst at the same time stating that the canals are in the best state ever, is absolutely ludicrous.

I have recently completed two weeks on the waterways, the same waterways I had formerly travelled, and 'excellent to good' in describing their condition would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic.

It is now obviously incapable of change, seemingly intent upon frittering away its resources whilst the waterways crumble, and the new Government should heed this, taking the necessary action starting at the top, then, and only then, can we hope to see some resemblance of sanity back on our waterways.

Tom Crossley