THE recent problems highlighted in narrowboatworld concerning the plight of the disabled access gates on the towpaths (Little care for the disabled) shows that Canal & River Trust has little concern for the disabled, but it goes much further in CaRT actually allowing the banning of the disabled from its waters, as Mick Fitzgibbons writes:
Reading about problems for the disabled on the canal. I for one am not and never will be surprised at the crass actions of some boaters.
Most people will not be aware that a small group of disabled anglers had frequented Tinsley Marina for many years, fishing from the small area that has easy access and will accommodate four anglers, shown in the photograph above.
There first
They had been fishing the ponds for far longer than the boats had been there. There is a disabled toilet on site and a car park where disabled vehicles can off-load the electrical vehicles used by some of the disabled anglers.
In its infinite wisdom Canal & River Trust gave over control of the fishing rights to a small group of able bodied boat owners, Tinsley Marina Boat Club which is in turn affiliated to the Inland Waterways Association, an august body that represents both boaters and anglers.
Called police to eject disabled
They in turn then banned the disabled anglers from the site. It was such a heartwarming and uplifting experience to see the looks of disappointment on the faces of the disabled anglers, brought about when Tinsley Boat Club called out the police to eject the anglers from the site. They can now only fish from the towpath, with its impossible disabled access shown in the photograph.
Legally its okay for CaRT through the auspices of Tinsley Boat Club to ban the disabled. But the moral dimension says otherwise!