C&RT seemed surprised that less than 50% of boaters are 'happy'.

[MtB]

10 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

It's not just the state of the structure that lowers satisfaction, it's the attitude of a fair proportion of the users. Noise after 8pm, ghetto blasters on cabin tops, dumped and abandoned boats on prime mooring spots. I suppose it's the curse of increased popularity, combined with a sense of entitlement that comes with the increased costs.

 

The easier it gets to go canal boating, the more it attracts less resourceful and capable people. And conversely, let the system degrade and it will drive away those who can't cope with a bit of adversity.

 

Some might say that is a good thing. Others might say it is bad, but is what happens.

[Lady M]

Boating back in the 70s, a bit of adversity was expected and generally dealt with.  These days, for some it just seems unacceptable and below the level of service expected.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Lady M said:

Boating back in the 70s, a bit of adversity was expected and generally dealt with.  These days, for some it just seems unacceptable and below the level of service expected.

 

And it doesn't matter how good the service from CRT gets, some will moan about it long and hard.

 

There was a long thread on here a few years back IIRC, moaning that the grass around locks wasn't being cut often enough. And in the same thread others were moaning that when it was cut, the clippings got sprayed onto the sides of their boats.

 

Now CRT have found a solution to the latter. Stop mowing the grass.

[Alan de Enfield]

22 minutes ago, MtB said:

Now CRT have found a solution to the latter. Stop mowing the grass.

 

 

Even better - just tarmac it.

[cuthound]

21 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

And it doesn't matter how good the service from CRT gets, some will moan about it long and hard.

 

There was a long thread on here a few years back IIRC, moaning that the grass around locks wasn't being cut often enough. And in the same thread others were moaning that when it was cut, the clippings got sprayed onto the sides of their boats.

 

Now CRT have found a solution to the latter. Stop mowing the grass.

 

Trent and Mersey near Rugeley last week.

 

[peterboat]

1 hour ago, cuthound said:

 

Trent and Mersey near Rugeley last week.

 

The macclesfield was worse than that! It was impenetrable, only one way though 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮

[MtB]

6 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Trent and Mersey near Rugeley last week.

 

 

Blimey, must have been difficult steering ya boat along that stretch...

 

 

[LadyG]

With respect to grass cutting I am confused as to the strategy.

I am currently on a trail denoted by lovely new metal plaques, but the tall weeds are now allowed to cover them, (the grass has just been cut).

I noted that youtuber "Floating our boat" complained about fairly wide swathes of grass which had wildflowers were being cut even though the towpath was already wide enough for general use, though from my agricultural days, I seem to remember that the best wildflower meadows were cut in June

For my own purposes I want the grass cut to avoid falling in holes when I am mooring up, and enough cutting to prevent trees and bushes establishing, ie mostly strimming height: grass cutting maybe once every six weeks would achieve this.

Cynic that I am, I don't think £3m saved will do anything other than help to balance the overall budget, which I suppose is essential.

I'm not particularly happy that cc are being charged more than those who dont cc, I can see the argument that the liveaboards create more rubbish, and use the facilities, but do they really cost £400 more per annum, sorry, its just a way of turning the screw, selecting one set of boaters to pay more because they are identifiable.

Edited July 2 by LadyG

[gatekrash]

13 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Trent and Mersey near Rugeley last week.

 

And the bottom end of the Droitwich few days ago...

 

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, gatekrash said:

And the bottom end of the Droitwich few days ago...

 

 

Come down to the canal they said.

 

Look at the ducks, swans and moorhens they said... 

 

You can't even see the water!

 

[Grassman]

15 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Trent and Mersey near Rugeley last week.

 

 

They are trying to get volunteers to do the towpath vegetation cutting. The problem is the same as with most other organisations these days in that the amount of potential volunteers is decreasing year on year because many are either getting too old or passing away, and much of the next generation aren't interested in volunteering or have other activities to pursue.

 

Add to that the fact that many volunteers are away on holidays or out boating for the summer, and it's no surprise the towpaths are getting out of hand. I appreciate the financial difficulties CRT have, but relying on volunteers for this just isn't going to work. It needs a regular time structured programme of cutting not the adhoc gathering together of a few volunteers whenever they happen to be available. 

[NarrowboatTor]

I wonder if carrying a battery strimmer/brush cutter and charging it off the solar would be appreciated should I then strim/trim areas I stop at?

I mean it's not going to cost me anything apart from a bit of wear and tear on the equipment and being retired I have the time.

Just wondering on the legal consequences as everyone likes to claim something 🤸

[MtB]

38 minutes ago, NarrowboatTor said:

I wonder if carrying a battery strimmer/brush cutter and charging it off the solar would be appreciated should I then strim/trim areas I stop at?

I mean it's not going to cost me anything apart from a bit of wear and tear on the equipment and being retired I have the time.

Just wondering on the legal consequences as everyone likes to claim something 🤸

 

The way the authorities can be nowadays, you'd probably get charged with criminal damage for doing that!

 

 

[Midnight]

On 01/07/2024 at 09:17, TheBiscuits said:

 

Did they raise the topic or did you?

 

When I meet someone who starts frothing at the mouth about their pet topic, I usually nod and smile and start backing away from them...

 

 

So are you one of the 46%?

[Higgs]

1 hour ago, NarrowboatTor said:

I wonder if carrying a battery strimmer/brush cutter and charging it off the solar would be appreciated should I then strim/trim areas I stop at?

I mean it's not going to cost me anything apart from a bit of wear and tear on the equipment and being retired I have the time.

Just wondering on the legal consequences as everyone likes to claim something 🤸

 

If I stopped at an overgrown mooring, it would get the skinhead look. Got tired of using the shears. It's quicker with the electric hedge cutters. Keeping the vegetation down keeps some of the bugs off the boat. 

 

 

Edited July 2 by Higgs

[Midnight]

1 hour ago, NarrowboatTor said:

I wonder if carrying a battery strimmer/brush cutter and charging it off the solar would be appreciated should I then strim/trim areas I stop at?

I mean it's not going to cost me anything apart from a bit of wear and tear on the equipment and being retired I have the time.

Just wondering on the legal consequences as everyone likes to claim something 🤸

I believe there's at least one forumite who carries a strimmer and I'm now in the market for one as soon as the nettle rash heals.

[Jon57]

7 minutes ago, Midnight said:

I believe there's at least one forumite who carries a strimmer and I'm now in the market for one as soon as the nettle rash heals.

Thought you would be in long trousers by now 😁

We just thro the deck matt over the growth on the towpath to flatten the growth. No small animals of bugs harmed in the process. 🤣

[MtB]

7 minutes ago, Midnight said:

I believe there's at least one forumite who carries a strimmer and I'm now in the market for one as soon as the nettle rash heals.

 

I've been experimenting with strimmers and my battery strimmer is hopelessly inadequate. So I tried with my main powered Bosch strimmer (described as a brute of a strimmer in the reviews on Amazon) plugged into my 2.5kW inverter. Still struggles with elbow-high towpath vegetation. I think a petrol strimmer will be necessary to actually clear any decent area of towpath to make a mooring space.

[Jon57]

3 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I've been experimenting with strimmers and my battery strimmer is hopelessly inadequate. So I tried with my main powered Bosch strimmer (described as a brute of a strimmer in the reviews on Amazon) plugged into my 2.5kW inverter. Still struggles with elbow-high towpath vegetation. I think a petrol strimmer will be necessary to actually clear any decent area of towpath to make a mooring space.

Why would you want to clear all the length or the boat? We just do the important bits. Stops the gongoozeling saves bunging up the potholes 😁

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, NarrowboatTor said:

I wonder if carrying a battery strimmer/brush cutter and charging it off the solar would be appreciated should I then strim/trim areas I stop at?

I mean it's not going to cost me anything apart from a bit of wear and tear on the equipment and being retired I have the time.

Just wondering on the legal consequences as everyone likes to claim something 🤸

I have heard in the past of householders alongside the towpath who used to keep the adjacent section of towpath mown being stopped from doing so by BW/CRT on the grounds that they weren't trained/risk assessed/PPE'd for the job, and that BW/CRT would be legally liable in the event of an accident. So once tidy mown lawn up to the waters edge is now rough grass subject to the vagaries of the current vegetation management policy.

[Ronaldo47]

1 hour ago, Higgs said:

 

If I stopped at an overgrown mooring, it would get the skinhead look. Got tired of using the shears. It's quicker with the electric hedge cutters. Keeping the vegetation down keeps some of the bugs off the boat. 

 

 

Never mind bugs, the last time we moored at a very heavily overgrown towpath where the vegetation was higher than the tops of the windows, we acquired a stowaway in the form of a field mouse. I found it munching its way into a pack of instant mash and dispatched it using a handy tin of baked beans. 

 

The only tool I had was my swiss army knife, and I used the wood saw blade to convert some of the plentiful saplings into fishing rods and bows & arrows for my young children. 

Edited July 2 by Ronaldo47

[Arthur Marshall]

2 hours ago, Midnight said:

I believe there's at least one forumite who carries a strimmer and I'm now in the market for one as soon as the nettle rash heals.

I do these days.

[peterboat]

31 minutes ago, Ronaldo47 said:

Never mind bugs, the last time we moored at a very heavily overgrown towpath where the vegetation was higher than the tops of the windows, we acquired a stowaway in the form of a field mouse. I found it munching its way into a pack of instant mash and dispatched it using a handy tin of baked beans. 

 

The only tool I had was my swiss army knife, and I used the wood saw blade to convert some of the plentiful saplings into fishing rods and bows & arrows for my young children. 

I would have evicted the field mouse no killed it

[Midnight]

50 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I do these days.

Which one Arthur?

[SLC]

I guess that if you took a survey of anything these days it would be hard to find positive things as the mood generally is a little bleak. I feel for the CRT because Government (and the next one!) will do anything to ensure that they are not getting the blame or are distanced from difficult decisions. We live near and walk along a canal as well as travel the waterways with Moose and all I see near us is deterioration and frankly indifference shown by "the general public". Hardly CRT's fault here but what I see is so frustrating. Litter, dog mess, vandalism, graffiti. Two overbridges are reaching the point where they need repair work. Once vandalism removes 1 brick, another one goes and it suddenly becomes an avalanche but the decay is entirely due to indifference, disrespect for our heritage etc.

Some local parish councils have removed waste bins - not our responsibility (in their opinion) so guess what? Litter builds up. Dog poo bags are piled up etc.

And I will call it as it is, a huge amount of the litter near us is dumped by people of foreign origin in areas where they frequent - this is evidence of my own eyes. 

I noted around us how many new C&RT signs have gone up - not one exhorts people to take litter home, clear up after their dogs properly. Sometimes we need to tell people how to behave but we cannot for fear of shaming them or disrespecting them. If only people would show more respect and consideration for others.