Missing the point

THE Floating Bookshop row is set to escalate with even the BBC now reporting the story (CaRT to close floating bookshop), writes Allan Richards.

However, National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) Simon Robbins, has asked if people are missing the point.

Mooring auctions

Simon has pointed out that what people are complaining about is the unfairness of a large organisation being able to use its unlimited resources to outbid a small business thus gaining a long term mooring.

He asks, quite rightly, why people are surprised. For years British Waterways and now CaRT has auctioned moorings to the highest bidder and doing so for a 'trade' permanent mooring is little different.

Better Relationships Group

Simon also reveals that CaRT consulted with the Better Relationships Group (BRG) and roving traders on the provision of trade moorings but has gone against the advice of the group on the matter.

BRG advised against the use of long term mooring for trade use, the preference being for one or two moorings being reserved for short term trade use.

A moments thought shows this to be a sensible approach. Many roving traders in the London area have difficulty finding suitable temporary moorings from which to trade due to congestion. It is not just a problem for the bookshop Word on the Water. A number of temporary moorings reserved for traders at several locations in London, perhaps with extended stay times, would allow roving traders to move between them.

It would not solve congestion problems in London but would at least alleviate some of the problems congestion causes for roving traders.

Making it worse

By removing visitor moorings and making them long term trade moorings, CaRT is simply making the congestion problems in London worse rather than better.

However, it is the injustice to Word on the Water, who appear to have been promised a permanent mooring only to have it snatched away from them that has caught the public's imagination.

Perhaps the promise should not have been made.

[Simon Robbins' blog can be found at:
http://liveaboard-forum.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/book-barge-row-missing-point.html

The minutes of BRG meeting in May this year, indicate that that the group was overwhelming against turning visitor moorings at Paddington into long term moorings.]