THE canals have undergone many transformations since their inception and we're now in the midst of another, rather large, shift, writes Gareth Haines.
It is to the canal's, and perhaps more importantly those people involved, great credit that the canals have been able to morph from transport artery and catalyst of the industrial era through dereliction and possible extinction to leisure resource and public space. It won't have escaped canal users, be they boaters, walkers or anglers notice that there is another shift occurring—towards residence.
Rising rapidly
The number of people living on boats on the inland waterways network is rising rapidly year on year. There are no doubt many reasons for this, but social and economic forces are likely the most responsible.
Permanent boat dwellers are as diverse a group as you're likely to meet; everyone from the single person who lives on a boat after marriage breakdown to the professional couple, from young families to retirees. Not only that, but they are living on their boats in all manner of ways—in marinas, on linear moorings and continuously cruising.
Largely ignored
These residential boat owners seem to be largely ignored by the waterways (paper) Press and certainly by the Canal & River Trust, as far as is my experience. CaRT apparently do not want to acknowledge the fact that it is turning into a housing authority, whether it likes it or not. That is understandable on account of the massive can of worms that that admission would open up. Let's face it, if it is unable to even maintain the system at it's current, poor, state of repair, it is clearly totally beyond its means to deal with the ramifications of taking on responsibility for boat dwellers.
There will come a time, one feels, where this acknowledgement of its responsibility as a landlord will be forced upon it. Change is inevitable and can be resisted by no (wo)man. I imagine that CaRT, as well as vast swathes of the leisure boating public, have huge misgivings about the shift toward residency and that is understandable; we all fear the unknown.
Potential positives
However, I would invite CaRT to consider the many potential positives of this transformation. Generally speaking, those who live on boats differ from their landed cousins in that they feel very much a part of their environment and value highly their way of life and community. This in turn leads to an unofficial, voluntary, assuming of responsibility.
Boating folk, especially those who liveaboard in my personal experience, are only too pleased to perform any/all of the following roles/tasks:
First line reporting of faults.
- Monitoring and maintenance of water levels.
- Waterway obstruction clearance.
- Vegetation management.
- Assisting canal visitors, be they holiday boaters, (dog) walkers etc.
- Security.
- Acting as canal historians.
- Wildlife steward.
- Litter picking.
- Etcetera.
Let us also not forget the increase in revenue from licence fees...
Embrace the change!