Suspect statistics to get Greater Manchester

BRITISH Waterways is attempting to get Greater Manchester into doing 'more to exploit the benefits of canals and rivers to the local economy', but using suspect statistics.

It is a new report by British Waterways that calls on councils in Greater Manchester to do more to exploit the benefits of canals and rivers, and that they  'should make more of natural assets'.

Outrageous

However the  report blatantly states that 13.7 millions visits were made to the canals in Greater Manchester in 2009, [2009 was quoted as visitors numbers fell in 2010] yet it had to admit to a parliamentary committee, it had a mere 3.8 millions for the year for the whole of the waterways. Even using 'visits' instead of 'visitors', this figure, for just a very small section of the waterways is outrageous.

Also, the British Waterways report goes on to state that all these visitors produced '£39m gross direct spend in the local economy, rising to £50m if indirect visitor spend through the supply chain is taken into account!

Contributions

The report continues 'Over the coming months British Waterways intend to engage all existing and potential partners with a view to integrating the canals and rivers within the strategic planning for Greater Manchester to ensure they maximise their contribution to its future growth'.

The priorities being put forward by British Waterways are:

• Regeneration of waterways to be fully integrated in strategic planning across the Greater Manchester Combined Authority
• New canal-side developments to maximise the interaction with waterways and an improved canal corridor environment
• Policy makers to use Policy Advice Note: Inland Waterways, for guidance on how waterways contribute to the economic, social and environmental agendas
• Identify priority stretches of waterway where investment will support economic growth and Greater Manchester's transition to a low carbon economy
• Demonstrate the value of waterways to Local Transport Plan and Local Sustainable Transport Fund priorities, working with Transport for Greater Manchester
• Market waterways of Greater Manchester to maximise visitor potential, including currently underused and unmanaged water space.

In other words a scheme to raise money, that in itself is to be applauded, but not by using such outrageous and  unquantifiable statistics, that will surely be contested.

The facts

Having cruised all the waterways in Greater Manchester, we are in a position to verify the number of visitors, and there is no way there would be over 13 millions.

The most 'visited' canal side site is in Manchester itself—Canal Street, known as the homosexual centre of the city, but is fenced off from the waterway!  And people certainly do not visit it to see the canal, but to drink in and outside the many bars as the picture shows.  Does British Waterways count these?

We came down the Rochdale Canal through the city one afternoon and only saw the odd man, obviously looking out for a companion and two cyclists.

Bare bottoms

Setting out from Castlefield in the centre of Manchester one bright Sunday morning, the only people we saw were a group of men showing their bare bottoms, accompanied by 'keepers'. Then through the conurbation of Stretford and Sale, (pictured) with only the odd dog walker—not even an angler.

On a later cruise, but this time from Castlefield up the Rochdale Nine, it was virtually deserted except for one part where people were coming onto the towpath then up onto a bridge, obviously on their way to work—hardly visitors in the true sense.

Cruising the Ashton Canal on a summers day, we did see a group of women and anglers around a supermarket, but little else until later in the day when children were using part of the towpath to get home. Are they visitors?  They obviously had no interest in the canal.

Deserted

Not sure if Stalybridge is part of Greater Manchester, but even in the middle of the day, the towpaths are deserted by the Tesco supermarket.

Our columnists have often remarked about the lack of visitors, mentioning the occasional dog walker, decrying British Waterways' exaggerated claims, that do little more than show sheer incompetence.