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GuyBarry

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  1. Indeed. From the C&RT's information sheet about volunteer lock keepers: "You need to be happy working outdoors and enjoy working with the public. You will be trained in the operation of locks, however some previous knowledge can be helpful." (My boldface) Gained how? I think I prevented another accident today - the crew were coming down and obviously stoned out of their heads. The steerer had his bow right up underneath the walkway at the lower end. His colleague enthusiastically shoved the paddle up. I did nothing on my side and went back and told the steerer to reverse away from the gates. He went a little way but not far. Eventually his colleague went back and pulled the boat away clear of the gates. No doubt some members of this forum would say that I should have let them get on with it, but I'm not that callous. The nicest thing that happened to me today was that I helped a couple of single-handers (who were travelling together) up through the lock, and then helped someone else back down. I recognized her - she used to work at a pub where I was a regular. She said to me "those guys said you were good". I'd really rather listen to the opinions of people who I actually deal with at the lock rather than random people elsewhere in the country.
  2. Well, if you want to start a campaign against warning of the dangers of swimming below locks, go ahead and do so. I find this whole discussion absolutely baffling. I'm told that it's irresponsible for me to help out at locks because I might endanger the safety of boats, yet I'm also told that being concerned about the safety of the general public is unimportant because they ought to be able to work things out for themselves. Either you're concerned about safety, or you're not. Or is it just your own safety that's important?
  3. It's really up to the C&RT what signs or other safety procedures they put in place. It's not up to members of this forum. I have expressed my concerns via my local councillor, and as far as I'm concerned that's the end of the issue. The C&RT must make their own judgements.
  4. Yeah, I do. As a result of this discussion I'm starting to think that I should be kept out. Make of that what you will. I didn't go to the lock today but sat a little way upstream. I saw a boat coming down that was towing another boat alongside. My heart went out to them and I walked down to the lock, knowing I'd get there before them. They were extremely grateful to me - there was only one woman on the tiller for both of them and a single other crew member. It's very hard not to care. As I've said a few times, I'm very happy to take part next February when they start their training for the new season. I'm looking forward to it.
  5. OK, so I'm really interested now about the nature of C&RT training. Because if the training involves a section about "don't bother about kids swimming below the lock, because they're not at risk", they can shove their training up their arse. I doubt very much whether that's the case though.
  6. None, as far as I'm aware. That's a great attitude - "no accidents so far, so we must be all right!" I hesitate to mention the words "Grenfell Tower", but...
  7. I said I was going to bow out of the discussion but I can't deal with this. I have lived in Bath for over twenty years. I have lived close to the river Avon for the last fifteen or so. I love the river Avon. I don't want to see anyone in danger there. You are seriously telling me that I should go and get some training with the C&RT so that I no longer care about the community in which I live?
  8. Thanks for the sarcasm, Dave. I am of the opinion that the only reason why there hasn't been a serious accident there is a statistical one. Craft come through the lock relatively infrequently. People go swimming in or below the lock pretty rarely. Most of the time there's nothing happening there at all. Anyway, I'm conscious that this thread has now gone off the topic of "general boating", so I shall bow out of it.
  9. What difference will it make to boaters if the C&RT put a sign up warning of the dangers of swimming below the lock? I'm sure you're all experienced people who would look out for hazards such as this. But as I mentioned previously, you get all sorts of people who come through the lock without much of a clue about what they're doing. What if those drunken lads in motorized dinghies had come down at the same time as there were kids swimming below the lock, and no one else was there?
  10. It's most certainly not a wind-up. I have spoken to my local councillor and the C&RT have been informed of my concerns. What they choose to do about it is up to them.
  11. Not that I'm aware of. I'm sure if it happened once there would be a public outcry and demands for the lock to be fenced off. But that's what we tend to do in this country - wait for an accident to happen before doing anything about it.
  12. My understanding is that they were mostly drunk people falling in by accident. If they deliberately choose to go swimming just below the lock they are at risk from the strong currents. I think that stretch of water is very deceptive because it looks safe. Kids jump off the lower lock mooring and swim to the other side. They're not looking up to see if a boat's coming down, and someone coming down through the lock may very well not notice them. What happens if the paddles suddenly open?
  13. On the stretch that's already fenced off, there are gaps in the fence every so often with wire across them to stop people from falling through. I actually wonder how safe this arrangement is as I can imagine someone at night drunkenly hanging on to the top of the fence for support, then suddenly discovering that it isn't there. I think the top of the fence should be continuous with some way of hinging it open if necessary, but I don't know how practical this is. If Weston Lock were to be fenced off, presumably the fence wouldn't be at the water's edge, but at the edge of the towpath, and the emergency services would have access.
  14. There have been ten deaths in the River Avon in Bath since 2009: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-39265505 A few years ago fences were erected all along the water's edge from the city centre all the way to just below Windsor Bridge. There are warning signs at repeated intervals. There are several emergency boxes containing a throwline - you have to phone 999 and get a special code to open them. I gather they were the first to be installed in this country. There's nothing below that stretch of the river, though. Perhaps the council doesn't care if people from that end of town fall in.
  15. You've got a valid point there. If it had been fenced off then I wouldn't have started watching in the first place, wouldn't have learned about lock operation, and wouldn't be considering becoming a volunteer. And yes, it's quite likely I wouldn't be able to help out at Weston Lock at all. But if it's left open to the public, surely there should be signs warning the public of the dangers? There's absolutely nothing at the moment. The general public is educated in road safety but not generally in waterways safety. I'm sure most people know to keep away from the water's edge but are they aware of the strong currents caused by the gate paddles, for instance?
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