Midnight

A Greenie for you if I could

A while back I seem to remember CaRT or was it BW announcing there were 80,000 dangerous trees around the system. I wonder how many of them have been removed or made safe?

Okay I won't be rude but here's a critique of your video which prompted me to post The lighting, video and audio are poor quality The shakey pan around Fradley Pool forced me look away People like me have no interest in newcomers telling how wonderful canal life is - we already know. Rude could be regarded as coming on this forum peddling a poor quality Vlog to people who have much more experience of these things than yourself. If you think I was rude think yourself lucky it wasn't one of the heavyweight hitters on here. I spent 3 days in intensive care after disagreeing with the world's leading bite's yer neck bluntist - Not Naming anyone! ???

Yes but I would get banned

There is a God - praise the Lord

Jon Horsfall, head of customer service support at the Canal & River Trust, comments: “The Trust’s core purpose is maintaining the 2,000 miles of canals and rivers we look after and making the experience of using them as good as we can. Boaters play a central role in helping to fund the work with around 10% of our income coming from boat licences. ................." Of course you are.

Broadcut like Elland, Mirfield, Battyeford, Brighouse etc isn't a river mooring. The issue is the nearby River Calder floods 5 metres plus above normal in the worst conditions. It then overflows the poorly maintained and inadequate wash walls, flood banks etc and fills the canal which can flow like a spate river. The recently installed flood alleviation schemes higher up the valley have made it worse for the lower valley. A logical but costly solution would be to bolster defenses downstream. If that's not done it's likely February's devastation of Figure of Three locks will be repeated. If flood defenses at Figure of Three are increased it would be certain help protect Broadcut Moorings as that's where the river entered the cut in February.

Whilst I have every sympathy with the Broadcut moorers and have signed the petition I fear this is one fight that can't be won. CaRT will use the H&S argument and the lack of funds to protect the boats. As I said elsewhere, IMO Broadcut is no more at risk than anywhere else along the Calder Valley. Even if the petition succeeds as Alan points out if CaRT say the moorings are not safe will insurance cover potential loss or flood damage? One argument that could be used is that CaRT still advertise these moorings on their Waterside Moorings website. Seems some departments in CaRT still think they're safe? https://www.watersidemooring.com/331-broad-cut-l1 A bit thin but good luck RonnieF1967 - you know where you will be welcome if your petition fails.

From NBW AFTER the publicity regarding boats having to book to use the broad Grand Union tunnels, CaRT has amended its advice. Kevin McNiff tells us he has just received confirmation from Matthew Symonds at CaRT that the booking system being brought in is to allow online booking for widebeam only passage through Braunston and Blisworth tunnels. The death knell! There’s no agenda for all boats to book. That would indeed spell the death knell for us all! With Harecastle becoming volunteer run, are Staffordshire Fire and Rescue aware? I would like to see the written protocols on this one.

Sorry I have very little sympathy here. Easily avoided by just doing what the rest of us do. CaRT IMO are crap but it's their game and the courts seem to back them up. Both Tony Dunkley & Geoff Mayers did their best to constantly challenge the system and they lost. Life is too short who needs that kind of pressure.

Not well thought out schemes. Years ago I watched as the EA ripped out all the willows along the Yorkshire Ouse tributaries and drained the moors. Their reasoning was the newly built flood defenses at York could cope with the water so move it as quickly as possible down there. It worked reasonably well until they had trouble with the Foss barrage. The flood defense works in the upper Calder Valley move the water quickly to the lower valley where there is no additional flood management. Broadcut does indeed flood which is why the berth holders installed their own rise & fall system after Boxing Day 2015 - although I did hear CaRT weren't too happy about that at the time.

... and then his mam said "wake up son it's time to go to school."

I understand your point but Broadcut is at no greater threat than anywhere else along the Calder Navigation. The 2015 Boxing Day flood devastated Elland. Since the EA added the flood defences at Todmorden, Hebden Bridge & Mytholmroyd the water moves quickly downstream to areas below Brighouse. I've been studying floods in the area for 5 years and have noticed the changing pattern. In February this year not one flood monitoring station above Brighouse recorded a new record level - every monitoring station below recorded levels of around 11" higher than the previous 2015 records.

Bad news for the Broadcut boaters who added their own rise & fall poles to keep boats off the towpath. There's been at least 3 boats marooned on the towpath following floods which may have influenced CarRT's decision but these were on the visitor moorings. I also heard through the towpath telegraph that CaRT are closing moorings at Horbury Basin for the same reason.

It wasn't that funny anyway.

"Atherstone's canal gate ends up in water after inexperienced contractors drop it in, then the CaRT blame yobs so the stoppage doesn't count toward their KPI's"

Yes and with Figure of Three long term closed and the Rochdale closed since August ain't it just great being on the Calder Navigation.

It usually is but you never had to book from Easter to November just turn up it can be quite busy with sometimes longish waiting times

Has any of those ever made CaRT change course? Seem pretty tame compared to NBTA IWA? seems more concerned about continuous cruisers and seems to be losing members NABO? lists their top achievement as writing a column in Towpath Talk and wants to be CaRt's friend AWCC? more concerned with mutually sharing boat club facilities & insurance

Does it though or as Alan de Enfield said "thin end of the wedge"? Why would widebeams need to book Bingley, Kirkstall etc if not narrowboats?

With the news from CaRT that we boaters are now 'able to' book tunnels like Braunston & Saddington is this code for soon 'will have to' book? Seems a bit odd that unmanned tunnels where narrowboats can pass require booking, unless the booking system applies only to wide-beams (it doesn't say) or these tunnels are now manned - been awhile since I was there. Foulridge tunnel works well enough with traffic lights (apart from colour-blind canoeists) as does Preston Brook with a a timed system. CaRT's Jon Horsfall is quoted as saying “We hope that, by reducing the admin, ...................." surely these booking systems will increase admin especially if they are planning on placing vollies at each end of tunnels. Surely traffic light systems or timed systems are preferable for tunnels if booking becomes mandatory?

Depends on the service you get. If it's above and beyond £20 wouldn't go amiss.

And why is the canal closed at lock 36 (Longlees) immediately before the only winding hole after lock 30 and preventing access to the summit pound? Looking at the photo and then comparing it to some bridges with huge cracks in the brickwork or landing stages that are sinking into the canal I would say the risk here is relatively low. If given the chance who on here would rather be stuck for weeks than take a risk. Wouldn't slinging a net or similar under unsafe part reduce the risk to acceptable? Wouldn't assisted passage or roping through reduce the risk to acceptable? Considering boats cannot get to or from the Calder region because of long stoppages or those who don't fit the Standedge Tunnel gauge, and the imminent winter stoppage programme I think CaRT could do something here.

.... showing the doubters that it's been impossible to transit the Rochdale since 27/08/20

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices?waterway[]=RD&start-date=01%2F08%2F2020&start-date_submit=01%2F08%2F2020&end-date=31%2F10%2F2020&end-date_submit=31%2F10%2F2020&type[]=1&order-field=startDateTime&order-direction=descending#form