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CathyC

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    Hecate

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  1. Dear Richard, Thank you very much for taking the time to reply to me and for all the information. I understand all the financial constraints CRT must be under and how helpful the Sustrans involvement must seem. I am delighted to hear that there are no plans to spoil the fields around Tyle Mill, which are particularly special. However most of the towpaths are special to some degree. Before going into my own views I must address the issue of consultation. CRT is usually very good at conducting surveys of boaters. However in this instance consultation has been notable by its absence. Despite the drastic difference this work makes to the appearance of the towpath and the implications for cyclists in relation to everyone else, I have not once been asked for my views on these initiatives and I have seen nothing on the boating forums from CRT on this. I'm guessing that other users - namely walkers, runners, anglers and cyclists - can say the same. Interestingly, the people who have expressed the most upset about potential alterations are the cyclists I've talked to. Of course they are the types of cyclists who stop long enough to be communicated with. Again I'm asking you to please put any further tarmacking on hold until the projects are properly discussed with interested parties, and you can't get much more 'interested' than the people who live and holiday here. Regarding only using tarmac in towns and cities, Aldermaston is a small village with no shops, in a rural area, and Perivale is in outer, not central, London, with Horsenden Hill enjoying a distinctly rural feel. The surface at Aldermaston was perfectly good. It was quite wide and covered in a pale, sandy material over stone. The tarmac that has replaced it looks, to my mind, ugly and has an urbanising affect. The guys installing this told me that some sort of material had been laid on top to make it appear more 'natural', but this, which they assured me is the finished product, is in no way natural. It is a narrow road. And especially going through the picturesque Aldermaston Wharf, which they hadn't done yet when I was there, will look quite horrible. As a cyclist myself, I can assure you, this stretch was absolutely fine before the work. Likewise, the towpath around Perivale, which I often moored on during winter months, was fine. One February, during the 'Beast from the East', to avoid frostbite, I zoomed along it on my bike, with my dog alongside, during a blizzard, over a mile to Perivale Sainsbury's, with no trouble whatsoever. The tarmac totally changed the place, and they even concreted over the edges of the bank. As for people falling off bikes, in my 14 years on the cut I've witnessed this only about four times (excluding drunken boaters) and one of those had taken fright at my dog. Then we come to the issue of speeding bikes. You say tarmacking can reduce accidents and upsets. I say it sends a message to cyclists: "This is yours and you have right of way." And no number of well-meaning signs asking people to 'share the space' and 'slow down' will change that. If people want to hurtle along seeing nothing around them or yelling to each other about share prices, there is a perfectly good road running along most of the length of many canals, and they can do what I usually do when I cycle to the supermarket, and use that. This is to say nothing of the gangs of teenagers on scramblers who will see it as an open invitation to career along the towpath at top speed. Of course this hugely upsets boaters and walkers, especially ones with dogs and cats, and will increase stress and conflict, not reduce it. Once this tarmac has been laid it cannot be removed, so please, please consult us, who live here properly before doing any more. As boaters, walkers, anglers and, yes, many cyclists themselves, we mostly come here to escape 'civilization', not to get closer to tarmac and speeding cyclists. It would be good if someone could keep the paths we do have clear of overhanging nettles and thorns etc. But I would rather have the responsibility of doing that work myself with my garden shears than see another inch of towpath concreted over. As you may have seen, I've introduced this topic on Canal World Forum, K&A Boaters and K&A East, and it is attracting a great deal of comment, which proves my point about consultation. Anyway I'm glad we've been able at least to make some sort of start on this process. All the best. Cathy Top: The new tarmack bike lane, covering about a mile of towpath at Aldermaston. Bottom: The old surface at Aldermaston Wharf before tarmacking. Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android Show more
  2. Dear Cathy, Many thanks for your email. I understand that you have already had a response from our local team which explains that there are no plans to put tarmac (or any other surface) on the towpath at Tyle Mill, but I thought I should let you know a bit more about this from a national perspective. To be clear, the Trust does not, or ever has, had a plan to tarmac all towpaths. We do, of course, want to do what we can to make our towpaths as usable and accessible as possible, but we only ever do that within the character and local context of the canal itself. This means that working with local stakeholders, we choose the right materials for the location. Of course, in some places this might mean using tarmac (such as we have on busy, urban sections of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, for example) but in most places, especially more rural ones, we’re much more likely to use a crush stone or self-binding surface - and that’s even if we would make any changes at all. Whilst over the past 10 years we have undertaken improvements to around 25% of the network, as a charity we are absolutely reliant on 3rd party funds and working with local authorities and other partners (such as the Department of Transport and Sustrans). This means that improvements are generally born from a local need, such as a preexisting poor state of maintenance or a change to the local use through population growth, for example. It also means that they are not funded from our government grant or boaters licence fees. The towpath you have mentioned at Horseden Hill in Ealing is a good example of this. Before the improvements, the towpath in this area, which was funded by Transport for London, was often not usable during the winter months. In the summer, when towpaths are more popular, conflict between users and accidents such as trips and falls were much more unlikely, due to the lack of usable space and number of pot holes. Now this towpath is part of a 13-mile section of the Grand Union Paddington Arm, on which one could push a wheel-chair the whole length, all year round. It connects millions of people to Europe’s biggest industrial park (Park Royal) and London’s West End, providing low-cost routes to employment and access to nature in some of the most green space deficient areas of the county. It’s also worth noting that this project also included works which allowed us to improve the waterway wall (ensuring that the navigation itself will be in better condition for decades to come) and whilst the surface is tarmacked, in places, it’s also been given a tar spray and chip dressing which matches the character of the area, makes it more durable, non-slip and creates some tactile feedback that encourages those on bikes to take it easy. It is, inevitable, of course, that some people will act in an anti-social way, and ride too fast or in an inconsiderate way, which is why we also promote our Towpath Code and run our Stay Kind Slow Down campaign to remind cyclists that pedestrians have priority on the towpath. As an overview, all of this work was consulted on and endorsed by 16 national bodies through the Better Towpaths for Everyone policy. It’s also worth noting that this document was shared and discussed with the Trust’s council, which includes 4 elected boaters representatives, but please, rest assured when we do make changes locally, we also work with local stakeholders, including (and especially!) boaters, to ensure we’re getting the balance right. Our towpaths are for everyone to enjoy and it’s our aim to improve them in a way that is sensitive and supports local communities to get the most out of them, now and into the future. With regards to the towpath at Tyle Mill specifically, to reiterate what we’ve already said, we do not have any plans to make any changes here and it’s certainly not a place we’d consider tarmac, in any way. We’ve asked the local team about the engineers that you say you have seen on site and as far as we can tell none of the Trusts engineers have been in the area recently, so perhaps they were working on behalf of the local authority or, perhaps, a neighbouring landowner? In any event, even if someone wants to work with us and provide funds to improve the towpath in this area, we’d welcome it and work with them, but it will absolutely be up to the Trust to choose the materials … and tarmac certainly wouldn’t be on our list. Hopefully, this goes some way to allaying your concerns, but if you need more information, please don’t hesitate to contact myself or the local team, who will be more than happy to help you further. Regards, Richard Parry Chief Executive Canal & River Trust Richard.parry-at-canalrivertrust-dot-org-dot-uk
  3. See pics Hi all, I've just added a couple of pics. Top one is new bike road and one below obviously towpath through 'cow field' in Tyle Mill.
  4. Following my post in the early hours of Friday, I was very relieved to get a short email from CaRT's Wales and South West office saying they were not planning to tarmac over the towpath in the beautiful fields around Tyle Mill, near Aldermaston to create a bike lane, as they have just east of here. However there is still the issue of what appears to be an inclination, or even plan, on CRT's part to hive off swathes of our towpaths to bike charity Sustrans for tarmacking. The result, if you haven't seen it, is a black tarmac road over a metre wide where the towpath used to be. I've never been consulted or even informed about this, the tracks just appear suddenly. I'm posting this to pose a question: How would people feel about calling on CaRT to impose a moratorium on any further tarmacking work under the Sustrans initiative until proper consultations have taken place with users? This means boaters, walkers, runners anglers, locals and, of course, cyclists. I am not offering myself up to set up petitions and contact the likes of the IWA (I nearly called them NWA 😆), NBTA, and all that's in between. I am simply not up to it. I am putting it out there to gauge peoples' feelings so that then maybe action can be taken. If you do have concerns about this and feel 'called upon' then please take action, because I won't be doing this. Canal and River Trust is the custodian of this country's canals and towpaths. The paths are not theirs to hive off to a charity representing a particular cohort of users. I apologise in advance for not getting as involved in this conversation I am starting as I would like to under different circumstances. Thanks everybody for your kind words, help and support on my last post. 🤞
  5. I have seen engineers surveying and marking the fields, in 2021, and a guy driving through to assess them yesterday. So it needs keeping an eye on and I'd like to see the IWA, NABO, NBTA etc pressuring for greater consultation and perhaps a moratorium on further work to allow time for this.
  6. I don't know how to answer individual posts. It's in 'cow field' above Tyle Mill Lock and is obviously on the towpath side and well known. Regional CaRT has sent me the following email, which is good but the issue with consultation remains.
  7. Can anyone here please help us. Contractors for CaRT, or maybe Sustrans, are on the brink of bringing the bulldozers in and tarmacking over the towpath in one of the the most special areas of natural beauty I have ever had the privilege to moor in. They've already laid down a stretch of the stuff right up to the bridge for a few hundred yards just before this field. It's insane. CaRT seems to have handed control of the towpath over to this cycling organisation so they can turn it into a tarmac cycle lane, regardless of how it affects the look and feel of different places, without a word of consultation, or even warning, to the boaters who live and holiday on these canals, let alone other stakeholders. I need help, the boaters here on the K&A near Aldermaston need help; those of us who love these fields. I cannot get too involved in this for personal, health reasons. This is already making me ill. Can anyone who can help us stop them ruining this area, especially this field, where cows can come right up to the boats, please come onto K&A Boaters East on Facebook and tell people what is going on and how we might oppose this. I've come back onto CWF after many years away, at 4am, when I should be asleep, to put out this distress flare. The new 'road' would not only traverse the beautiful 'cow field' it would also run right through the middle of the residential boaters' garden areas that lie to the east of it. I've messaged Nick Brown of the NBTA and the IWA and CaRT themselves. I've even emailed Richard Parry. I asked him to please put this scheme on hold nationally so that a proper consultation period can be instigated with boaters, walkers, anglers and cyclists. I pointed out that people did not get into boating in order to be closer to tarmac and speeding cyclists. I feel overwhelmed and don't know who to turn to. They're telling people that it's not a road and that they're putting a 'natural-looking' surface material over it, but it's nonsense. It's about a metre wide and it's black tarmac with a slightly 'cracked' looking texture for grip. I'm not going to be able to comment on this thread and am now avoiding the FB page as it's all getting me so upset. But I will probably return to the FB page at some point. And I do want people to discuss this and would much appreciate anyone already campaigning against this to come onto our FB site and help us out. Apparently some opposition is building locally too, on a local community page, so I hope people will get together before it's too late. Thank you for reading this. See pic
  8. I'd like to remind people that these are not 'laws', but already existing articles of good practice, which some boaters may be unaware of. Each point is framed as a request, ie not an order. I delayed it a long time before coming on this site to make this request. In any community you need some rules of behavior to allow people to live comfortably together and none of these is unreasonable.
  9. Thanks Alan, you're quite right about the paddles. I should have put in brackets: "except where indicated". However, whichever way it is worded, something must be done about the speed that boats are now travelling past moored vessels. For those who live on their boats this is a particular bane during the summer. Likewise, people increasingly dumping large bags of rubbish on the towpath and at locks and running gennes whenever they feel like it, etc. As for boaters "slavishly" following any rule, I don't think there'll ever be much danger of that ?
  10. - Please do not throw oil or diesel into the canal.
  11. Dear CaRT, With the boating season upon us, I, and maybe a few other people, would be very grateful if you could include a note with all new licenses to boaters for the next 12 months making the following requests, in line with good practice: - Please slow right down (tickover) when going past moored boats, especially when you are driving a large boat, such as a widebeam. - Please do not run engines, including generators, between 8pm and 8am unless in an emergency. - Please do not dump your rubbish on the towpath or at locks, as we do not collect it from there. Please keep it on your boat until you reach the next CRT facility. - Please close all paddles when exiting the lock, and do not use paddles to close lock gates, unless this is absolutely necessary, when it should be done gently so as not to damage the gates. - Please do not treat the towpath like your back garden and allow your dog to roam unsupervised. Thanks (please feel free, people, to add anything I've missed out).
  12. Net curtains and rolls of instant window frosting. I had a problem because I've got Worcester Marine windows where the whole pane leans in when I open it. I got around that by buying 'cafe nets' from a great website, which are much shorter than regular nets, and then placing them a few inches below the top of the window. The plastic fixings stick v well to wood even though they're meant for pvc. I also found a nice little net for my middle doors. For some of my portholes I used the stick-on frosting, which works a treat. When the towpath changes sides I just swap the curtains and porthole windows (which come right out) round. You still need to close the curtains in the evening. Don't black the windows, you'll lose all the light.
  13. Btw Alan, surely CaRT was never going to end up imposing these restrictions in the winter and lose out on all that lovely winter mooring income?
  14. THANK YOU so much to Alan, 'Jenlyn', John, Peter, Allan, Lou, and everyone else who has worked so hard and so tirelessly on our behalf. Even John Dodwell and Sally. It does and it doesn't surprise me that only 50% of respondents were opposed. Although as CCs we are outnumbered by 'shiny' boaters (not all of whom are in favour of this), you'd think that CCs would be making the biggest noise because it's us who will be most affected. Indeed it may make life impossible for many of us - the 'compliant' CCs most of all. But there's the rub: Because CaRT hasn't been imposing its existing regs properly there is still an extraordinary degree of ignorance and complacency among my fellow CCs about all this. I mean, where are all the hordes of CCs who will be affected by this and any resulting roll-out, on this and other websites? It's all the same old people, on CWF, Narrowboatworld and BM. Thank god many of you care anyway. Ironically, maybe these changes will provide the kick up the stern many of them need to get up and start getting political. Then Alan and Jen can have a break and get back to their petunias.
  15. I've travelled canals from Middlewich to Little Venice, and I've never seen anything, remotely, to match up to the sea of junk I've come across over the last few days while journeying from Kensal Green, in west London, to Cowley, near Slough. There's loads in the canal and on the edge, with refuse sacks full of the stuff on the bank waiting to spill out into the canal. Some businesses on industrial estates really warrant complaining about to the council. Much of this stretch, despite proximity to London, is an attractive wilderness, and it's a terrible shame. If anyone wants to organise anything around this area I would definitely be interested in participating, though for now I'm having to head northward towards Ricky.
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