ALTHOUGH I am no longer a regular columnist for narrowboatworld, I do still take a great interest in all things canal related; after all my livelihood still depends on them. However the more I see and hear of today's canal society and infrastructure in general, the more depressed it makes me, writes Orph Mable.
The Falkirk Wheel
The very thought of closing, to both commercial and leisure traffic, this fantastic piece of canal engineering that was designed, built and paid for to promote the linking of the two lowland canals of Scotland for BOATS, is beyond belief. I well remember visiting the site as it was being built, and following avidly the restoration of the canals at either side, being very impressed with the bravery and fore-sightedness of all those involved.
To reduce it to little more than a theme-park ride is disgusting and I feel it is holding two fingers up to all those who promoted, worked for and donated to the implementation of the scheme.
Whilst being able to understand that visitor numbers to the Wheel will increase revenue to the Wheel operators, the actual operators of other canal operations and businesses will suffer, also reduced use of the canals themselves will quickly return them to a pre-restoration state. Why maintain something that is being under-utilised?
Is the Anderton Lift or the Bingley Five Rise next? I wonder!
The something for nothing brigade
Having been a canal boat owner since 1992 and a boatyard operator since 2004, and having been involved in restoration throughout that time, I am now sickened by the attitude that so many have adopted.
The idea that they can acquire a boat (often unsafe and decrepit), moor up anywhere they like, stay there as long as they like and avoid being answerable to anyone, is proliferating like a plague. I don't care if they have to work, put kids into school, be close to shops and road access. It was their choice!
If ‘Travellers' move onto a council car-park, foul the immediate area, pay no rates and generally cause a nuisance, local councils quickly act and move them on. When CaRT attempts to do this, it causes amazement!
Towpath motorways
Much scarce funding has been spent on making towpaths flat, even and puddle-free to 'Open up the canal environment to all with good conditions and easy access'.
What it has done in addition to this laudable ideal, has been to make it a virtual no-go area for boaters who get abused and injured while mooring and getting on/off boats, dangerous for walkers, be they very young or more elderly—with or without dogs, a super place for cycle time-trials and a great place for riding noisy and illegal, uninsured, motorbikes.
Maintenance free zone
When I first was able to take interest in the canals and river navigations of the UK, I was constantly reading about the maintenance shortfall and how it was growing. The IWA and other organisations were constantly berating the then British Waterways for allowing this to grow year-on-year. Then we saw a 'time of plenty', during the time of Dr. David Fletcher and subsequently during the run-up to the formation of CaRT we saw the backlog slowly being reduced with idealistic figures being quoted to enable its total eradication.
Since then we have entered an era of ‘only fix it if it breaks or becomes unusable'. Please note that if it becomes ‘unusable' then by definition it can't be used; if it can't be used, it won't be used; if it is not used then we might as well close it!
I see very little from the popular press and the likes of the IWA about reducing maintenance backlogs anymore. In my humble opinion, I can see the time coming that canals will decline again and become the muddy ditches that we all hoped never to see return.