Another Optimal Spend Of Our Licence Monies ?

[alan_fincher]

We walked the Grand Union from Berkhamsted to Hemel today.

 

Just below Boxmoor Top Lock we encountered five nasty new posts at the lock apron, set back a similar distance to surrounding bollards.

 

The towpath from Old Fishery Bridge up to here serves as a vehicular access to the lock cottage there, and with these posts opposite the exit from the cottage, it seems obvious their intention is to stop someone leaving the cottage driving into the cut.

 

I asked the gentleman who I assumed owns the cottage, and he confirmed their purpose, but said they had nothing to do with him, or any incident that had taken place there.

 

He pointed me to a further set by Old Fishery Bridge, and said he assumed they are being installed anywhere where a track that can be used by vehicles joins the towpath from the side.

 

In my view the posts at the lock apron create a further hazard when working the lock, (but I suppose they will supply something extra for fishermen to sit on).

 

I have not heard anything about this particular 'Elf 'n Safety initiative before, but I suppose it actually makes me very angry that monies are being spent to do this, whilst licence costs soar, and much of the real canal infrastructure is crumbing from neglect.

 

Based on past experience at least a few will say that if it prevents even one driver from propelling themself into the canal, then it will have been money well spent, but personally I'm just steaming.

 

What do you think ?

 

 

 

[sueb]

If we have survived without them for a couple of hundred years BW could have waited until they were flush for funds. But compared to actually fixing a lock they are probably cheap and easy to do. They also look as though BW are doing something so BW can show their masters.

Sue

[GUMPY]

lets see if the ones below the lock are still there after next weekend.

Look ideal to tie the boat to whilst waiting for the lock and far enough back to avoid the draw from the emptying lock.

Bet that lock is empty for once when I get there

[soldthehouse]

Nice firewood for someone, seems like another example of , "we have taken reasonable steps as far as is practical" to cover our backs just in case, where does this stop, it is unsustainable and inneficient to say nothing of the waste of money, who authorises this type of thing it obviously is done on the hoof at some beaurocrats whim in order to justify their existence, must stop there rant over not me at all

[furnessvale]

If we have survived without them for a couple of hundred years BW could have waited until they were flush for funds. But compared to actually fixing a lock they are probably cheap and easy to do. They also look as though BW are doing something so BW can show their masters.

Sue

 

95% of the problem with cars in the cut is caused by so called "joyriders" (not much joy for the innocent victims) deliberately crashing cars into the cut. Bollards like these will do nothing at all to stop this.

 

Just another misguided BW initiative trying to be seen to do something.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[Rick-n-Jo]

A PITA for horse drawn boats, as well

[CanalWalker]

they look fine to me, but shouldnt they have reflective strips on them?

[alan_fincher]

they look fine to me, but shouldnt they have reflective strips on them?

Obviously my photography isn't great.

 

The orange bands around the top look very reflective on the real item - garishly so, actually !

 

I'm just wondering how long it will take them to realise that the track extends for three hundred yards beside the cut, between the two sets of posts I've pictured - it's just as easy to drive in there, so posts or fence are needed the whole way along, surely?

[Lesd]

Obviously my photography isn't great.

 

The orange bands around the top look very reflective on the real item - garishly so, actually !

 

I'm just wondering how long it will take them to realise that the track extends for three hundred yards beside the cut, between the two sets of posts I've pictured - it's just as easy to drive in there, so posts or fence are needed the whole way along, surely?

 

I occasionally moor just above that pound and the whole stretch Alan mentions can become a series of sheets of solid ice in really cold snaps, so if they are really concerned then your right the posts should go the whole way.....not that I've ever seen a car in the canal there mind lol.

Agreed, another waste of our licence money.

[DHutch]

Absolute shite all over again.

 

Im not against considering health and safty at all, even the taking "reasonable steps as far as is practical" where its a sensable thing to do.

 

However, these blanket spendings of money are simply outragiously anapropreate and unhelpfull. I can see there is a potential danger, but having done many a risk assentment form myself, these things are a case of considereding the LIKELYHOOD and the LEVAL OF DANGER. If somthing as very dangour and very likely to happen, action is needed and rightly so. However given the likely hood of a car going in at any one spot (ref to number that have fell in recently) i really dont see we need these bollards.

 

Daniel

[Heffalump]

They look pissing horrible :mad:

[gaggle]

How much is the cost £££,s to bw and how much of a pain is it to boaters when a car goes into the canal and it gets shut until bodies are recovered.

Compared with the cost of these bollards what is the cheapest , never mind the cost to family,s left behind if someone drowned , nbw have lots and lots of stories about bodies being recovered after something looking safe turned out not to be so safe.

[Naughty Cal]

nbw have lots and lots of stories about bodies being recovered

 

They have lots of bullsh*t as well

[mayalld]

How much is the cost £££,s to bw and how much of a pain is it to boaters when a car goes into the canal and it gets shut until bodies are recovered.

Compared with the cost of these bollards what is the cheapest , never mind the cost to family,s left behind if someone drowned , nbw have lots and lots of stories about bodies being recovered after something looking safe turned out not to be so safe.

 

Ah yes, the families!

 

The inevitable quote in the local rag from mummy that he was "a good lad".

 

No, dear, he was a scrote who went round nicking cars. His demise has at least spared society from the burden of continuing to pay for him.

[twocvbloke]

Looks like free firewood to me...

[alan_fincher]

We walked the Grand Union from Berkhamsted to Hemel today.

 

Just below Boxmoor Top Lock we encountered five nasty new posts at the lock apron, set back a similar distance to surrounding bollards.

 

The towpath from Old Fishery Bridge up to here serves as a vehicular access to the lock cottage there, and with these posts opposite the exit from the cottage, it seems obvious their intention is to stop someone leaving the cottage driving into the cut.

 

I asked the gentleman who I assumed owns the cottage, and he confirmed their purpose, but said they had nothing to do with him, or any incident that had taken place there.

 

In my view the posts at the lock apron create a further hazard when working the lock, (but I suppose they will supply something extra for fishermen to sit on).

 

I have not heard anything about this particular 'Elf 'n Safety initiative before, but I suppose it actually makes me very angry that monies are being spent to do this, whilst licence costs soar, and much of the real canal infrastructure is crumbing from neglect.

 

Based on past experience at least a few will say that if it prevents even one driver from propelling themself into the canal, then it will have been money well spent, but personally I'm just steaming.

 

What do you think ?

 

 

Well as I guessed, after less than a year, of the 5 posts pictured newly installed in the original photo, we are down to just two remaining.

 

The others have gone, and the holes in-filled.

 

Like most of these installed anywhere here abouts the remaining two are loose, and could be kicked out at any time.

 

Another completely pointless waste of our licence money, I still insist......

 

[casper ghost]

On the llangollen, BW have built steps and fences down to every culvert. This must have used up vast resources, not just the cost but men working on these and no doubt an inspector to plan them out first. I walked past one the other day and already the weeds are growing through the steps, on one step a weed some 4 feet high is thriving. It will cost BW even more now to maintain them.. And the sign BW have put on them all is written wrong!

Casp'

[luctor et emergo]

ohh, I don't know. They look ugly, I grant you that, but at least they provide something to more against. Some lock moorings same to have been designed for 20' boats. With a crew... .

 

Back to the K&A , some lock approaches are madness. Barely enough length to moor my 68'6'' boat and step of the stern. And after that I have to push the bow out across the gates, and try too line up again. I'm just glad that the K&A is so low at the moment, because it means that the usual strong weirs and bywash currents are not there.

[gaggle]

Ah yes, the families!

 

The inevitable quote in the local rag from mummy that he was "a good lad".

 

No, dear, he was a scrote who went round nicking cars. His demise has at least spared society from the burden of continuing to pay for him.

 

 

The scrote stole a car to get to his canalside property where these posts are going did he , maybe it was not a scrote in the water but some doddery miserable old boater leaving his moorings.

The canals need to be in good order for all who use them not just boaters.

[luctor et emergo]

The scrote stole a car to get to his canalside property where these posts are going did he , maybe it was not a scrote in the water but some doddery miserable old boater leaving his moorings.

The canals need to be in good order for all who use them not just boaters.

 

I think a lot of continues moo.... live aboards would agree, and like a properly widened towpath, with adjacent parking space to their choosen bridge hole mooring spot...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**gets his tin hat and ducks...***

[alan_fincher]

The scrote stole a car to get to his canalside property where these posts are going did he................

 

Without revisiting what has been said before, I would point out that the owner of the property next to these posts had no idea why they had been installed there, and saw no need for them to protect either his family or his guests.

 

Only one house uses the tow-path for access at this point.

 

If you can't convince the only household they might benefit of their usefulness, you can't convince me.

 

Of course, as they have not been set into anything solid, they might actually give a false feeling of security, because if you drove a vehicle at them, you would still be going in to the cut.

 

My point has nothing to do with "scrotes", it's about the total pointlessness of the money being spent on this.

[magpie patrick]

The scrote stole a car to get to his canalside property where these posts are going did he , maybe it was not a scrote in the water but some doddery miserable old boater leaving his moorings.

The canals need to be in good order for all who use them not just boaters.

 

 

Can't you read...

 

In the original post Alan says he spoke to the gentleman living in the cottage who confirmed he didn't ask for them and that there had been no incident to prompt their being fitted.

[RLWP]

I think a lot of continues moo.... live aboards would agree, and like a properly widened towpath, with adjacent parking space to their choosen bridge hole mooring spot...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**gets his tin hat and ducks...***

 

 

[gaggle]

The man at that cottage or any other location where these are being installed would probably be advised by his brief in the event of an accident that he has a case against bw because they did not act with due care to prevent him and his car ending upside down in the cut. If bw have been advised that they should carry these works out then they are duty bound to do so , much the same outcry about the bollards at locks yet when i look at many of the old locks they can have 3 bollards between the lock gates and one before top and bottom gates , again bw must have been advised these MUST be installed.

 

The canals and the money ,lots and lots of everybody,s money are not just for boaters and boaters need to wake up to that fact .

 

I dont care if the man wanted them or not ,he has them.

[Liam]

I'm wondering whether this is something to do with what happened at Saltersford/Barnton on the T&M a few years ago?

 

I think a car drove off the road down the canal bank to go back to their house, but ended up going in off the towpath, which trapped either one of them or them both. Since then similar posts have been put up where an access road comes off onto the canal towpath for houses.

 

The better ones are the big coping stones which are impossible to move without equipment outside the tunnel, they could just do with having mooring rings fitted onto them as they're sat on top of the old ones!