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C&RT's most useless signs and money wasted


Midnight

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40 minutes ago, tosher said:

Wonder why the visitor mooring signs are being changed from hours to days as in 48 hours changed to 2 days?  How much will that exercise cost.

That's been going on for a couple of years now. Still makes no sense. Does it mean you can stay two full days, which is three nights? At least with 48 hours you could work it out.

27 minutes ago, john6767 said:

How about this one for useless and inaccurate, photo taken while in lock 6 at Atherstone.

 

 

0195755C-1DA0-45BE-8301-EA8AF0A303B8.jpeg

Loads of them about, not usually with a time or distance, so basically useless.

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10 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

That's been going on for a couple of years now. Still makes no sense. Does it mean you can stay two full days, which is three nights? At least with 48 hours you could work it out.

 

In the various waterways laws (look under definitions) you will see that 'a day' is defined as : “day means the period between sunrise and sunset"

 

Therefore if you arrive anytime between sunrise and sunset that is day one. You must then leave before sunrise on day 'three'.

 

Saying 48 hours is much easier for the majority to understand, arrive at midday on day 1, leave by midday on day 3

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Does anyone remember those "Burma Shave" signs they used to have in the states such as..

 

See the source image

 

I think CRT should resurrect the idea, especially as going at under 4mph the helmsman has plenty of time to read them.  What about:

 

 

MOORED BOATS AHEAD

 

KILL YOUR SPEED

 

OR VERBAL ABUSE

 

...IS GUARANTEED! 

 

 

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1 hour ago, PD1964 said:

Why couldn’t they just get some new logo vinyl stickers and place them over the old logo? Total waste of money when the navigation is declining.

They’d still need to angle grind that extra curvy top left corner to fit with the new branding, so extra outlay on tools.

Didn’t they once say, way back when, they’d only deploy the new branding on things like signs when said signs needed replacing? Or did I imagine that bit 🤔

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2 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

There is always a boat moored in the winding there, I believe it is his mooring.

 

He is a member here although rarely posts. 

 

He joined the discussion when this same winding hole was being discussed, along with the boat moored in it, to say it was his official CRT approved mooring. 

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5 hours ago, Midnight said:

This is the ultimate pith take by Parry & Co. Boaters don't need a sign to spot a winding hole, fishermen, walker, joggers and that oh so important user group cyclists don't give a toss. How much did this cost considering design, printing, manufacture, erection and materials. Meanwhile nearby Llangollen locks have broken paddles with yellow bags or tape covering them. (I suspect the bags cost more than the repairs would). Anymore useless wastes of money (apart from Mr Parry) please post.

winding-hole.jpg

Managed to find this pic, which somewhat slightly changes the history? source: Seyella’s Journey

 

image.jpeg.a10f66975071c8006bda9e4f41e18be1.jpeg

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There was a thread about this a few weeks back, talking about the "swing bridge ahead" for paddlers on the L&L. I hope that it at least slowed the epidemic of paddlers paddling full pelt into the bridges?? These signs really are infuriating to see, completely useless being that they are within line of sight of the swing bridge, and since a few of the duly signposted swingbridges are in fact disused. So actually less than useless - inaccurate signage is even worse than useless signage. My pet peeve is shops that have a permanently illuminated "Open", which in my experience make up the larger proportion. It renders all "open" signs redundant because you can never know if it is accurate or not.

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37 minutes ago, jetzi said:

There was a thread about this a few weeks back, talking about the "swing bridge ahead" for paddlers on the L&L. I hope that it at least slowed the epidemic of paddlers paddling full pelt into the bridges?? These signs really are infuriating to see, completely useless being that they are within line of sight of the swing bridge, and since a few of the duly signposted swingbridges are in fact disused. So actually less than useless - inaccurate signage is even worse than useless signage. My pet peeve is shops that have a permanently illuminated "Open", which in my experience make up the larger proportion. It renders all "open" signs redundant because you can never know if it is accurate or not.

 

It certainly seems as though CRT's policy is to plaster the network with as many corporate blue signs as they can find spurious reasons for. 

 

I find myself wondering if CRT keep a close eye on them, and should any of the particularly large and pointless ones accidentally fall down in the night, if they would be replaced or if CRT would simply not notice. 

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On the approach from the north to Foxton Locks there are two identical large blue signs, one on the left and one on the right of the bridge.  Why?  Do we need stereo signs now?  Or are we supposed to travel on the right sometimes through bridges?

 

Its just a daft waste of money.  Parry, wise up man, its ridiculous.

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We're moored, well have got our nose in, on the Cannock Extension. Ahead is an old bridge, now used purely as a footbridge with a 'making life better by water', how I detest this slogan, blue and white sign attached on each end of the crumbling brick work. In the middle of the countryside these are no better than graffiti.

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56 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I find myself wondering if CRT keep a close eye on them, and should any of the particularly large and pointless ones accidentally fall down in the night, if they would be replaced or if CRT would simply not notice. 

 

Well this particularly large and pointless blue sign disappeared and has never been replaced.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

In the various waterways laws (look under definitions) you will see that 'a day' is defined as : “day means the period between sunrise and sunset"

 

Therefore if you arrive anytime between sunrise and sunset that is day one. You must then leave before sunrise on day 'three'.

 

Saying 48 hours is much easier for the majority to understand, arrive at midday on day 1, leave by midday on day 3

Not necessarily. If a day is as per the definition: if I arrive at 10am, I am not there for a day, as that is the sunrise-sunset period, so my first day is the second day, and the third day is the second day, and that's my two days. I can then leave any time before sunset on the fourth day, as that isn't a day until it's sunset, so if I leave at 4pm on the fourth day I've only been there two days.

48 hours made a lot more sense, but then there would have been no need for new signs, consultancy fees and management.

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I absolutely agree that 48 hours makes more sense to visiting boaters and I think everyone understood what it means.  CRT, having decided to change the definition, would have been well advised to go for 'two nights'.  However, as their checkers visit during the day, they set it as two days.  I don't know exactly what two days means; I think it might mean if you are still there on the fourth consecutive day, you have overstayed.  When I have to calculate short term mooring fees for my boat club, I always count the number of nights spent there.

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8 hours ago, dmr said:

 

or even a "turning place for boats", not sure of exact wording but at the Devizes winding hole.

 

I have also noticed a few "winding hole ahead" signs in addition to the actual winding hole signs. It is clear that CRT want to erect signs and are just looking for any excuse to do so. Maybe the forum could help and have a little competition to invent new signs.........

 

"Beware of the Blue Signs"

"Take Care Shallow Canal Ahead"

"Do Not obstruct the Cyclists"

"Rubbish Bins Full, Please do Not Use"

 

You missed the obvious one:

 

DANGER

-

DEEP WATER

 

 

 

Oh, hang on a sec.... 

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36 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

You missed the obvious one:

 

DANGER

-

DEEP WATER

 

 

 

Oh, hang on a sec.... 

 

I've seen quite a few signs at the side of the canal saying "Danger Deep Mud" 😀.

 

Currently in Stone, cleaning injectors so I can get thru' the big tunnel without dying of smoke. Borehole selling really good beer at £3.20.

There is a blue sign here saying "Pedestrian Priority".

 

 

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37 minutes ago, AndrewIC said:

Grrrr, Bark, Woof.

 

We have a dog who everyday surprises me about just how clever she is, she has lived all her entire 11 years on the canal system, she shows zero interest in that silly CRT sign.

Maybe dogs can't read, maybe they don't like blue, or maybe they are just above that sort of silliness. 😀

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13 hours ago, Midnight said:

This is the ultimate pith take by Parry & Co. Boaters don't need a sign to spot a winding hole, fishermen, walker, joggers and that oh so important user group cyclists don't give a toss. How much did this cost considering design, printing, manufacture, erection and materials. Meanwhile nearby Llangollen locks have broken paddles with yellow bags or tape covering them. (I suspect the bags cost more than the repairs would). Anymore useless wastes of money (apart from Mr Parry) please post.

winding-hole.jpg

Wasn't that something to do with joint funding? Now the signs they are fitting today 50 yards before the winding hole telling you there is one, 

 

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6 hours ago, MtB said:

 

I find myself wondering if CRT keep a close eye on them, and should any of the particularly large and pointless ones accidentally fall down in the night, if they would be replaced or if CRT would simply not notice. 

Funnily enough we pointed out to a C&RT employee that someone had wrenched the old black and white Dunhampstead tunnel warning sign out of the ground and chucked it about 500m further up the towpath, still attached to its wooden legs. Possibly it was C&RT themselves as there was a nice new blue one by the tunnel entrance.

 

He wasn't very interested in it !

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We went up the Ashby a few weeks ago, first time ever as we've always been told its too shallow, very nice canal. I came to a tunnel, I wanted to know just one crucial thing, one way or two way working?, the blue sign had all sorts of "icons" on it suggesting life jackets and naked flames etc etc, but told me nothing of help. At the last moment I spotted an old black sign in the undergrowth that had the essential navigation information 😀

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