Marketing the Canal

[cheshire~rose]

When I got home last night I found the local free paper had been delivered complete with all the usual high gloss advertising leaflets. This week 3 supermarkets, an optician and a DIY store......... and British Waterways.................

 

I was amazed to find a colourful booklet that folds out into a large information sheet encouraging me to make more use of my local canal.

 

It would seem that despite the Coventry canal running only ½ a mile from my front door this booklet is encouraging me to visit Birmingham. There is a large map of the area of the canal in central Birmingham. It seems to only show The Birmingham & Fazeley Canal (as far as 13 locks out of Brum), The Birmingham Main Line (to just beyond its link to the Sherbourne Wharf site) and part of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal (to just past the Mailbox).

 

There are no bridge numbers, lock numbers or any other ways which people who are familiar with canals know to identify the area shown on the map but it does show the names of roads in the vicinity. There are inset maps showing Fradley Junction and Hatton Locks.

 

There are pictures: a family taking photos of wild flowers under the heading "Your Local Canal .... It's a wildlife documentary." A couple in business dress carrying suitcases through the paved towpath in central Birmingham with the heading "Your Local Canal ..... It's Commuter heaven." A couple sitting at a canal side restaurant table with plates of good food and beer under the heading "Your Local Canal.... It's a relaxation class" and the last one shows a very athletic couple running in the full lycra kit under the heading "Your Local Canal.... It's an open air gym."

 

I thought oh.... if I open this leaflet up it will tell me about how it can be used for boating as well...........

.......... no............

There is a list of places to visit just off the towpath, shopping, historic places and eateries. I can get a child into the sea life centre free, I can get 10% off the bill at a restaurant and a free bottle of wine on a restaurant boat. There is information on where to fish, disabled access, towpath walks & cycleways and a list of canal events.

 

In a very small section of the guide it suggests a trip on one of two trip boats available in Birmingham and that is the only mention of boats at all anywhere on the leaflet.

 

I found this amazing! This leaflet has obviously been produced to encourage local people to make use of the canal. I suspect it has been distributed over a wide area as to get to Central Birmingham is about a 25-30 minute drive for me (traffic dependent) Whilst I can understand Birmingham City Council encouraging use of the area that has been so beautifully regenerated to encourage business I wonder how this leaflet actually benefits British Waterways?

 

The people they are encouraging to the canal are not going to pay anything into the BW coffers so why have they produced and distributed this leaflet? As a non boat owning member of this forum I do not pay into their coffers anyway but if I was faced with ever increasing licence fees, mooring fees and the feeling the effects of the spending cuts to the facilities available to me as a boat owner I may think differently about this leaflet.

 

Am I being completely blonde here? What do BW gain from encouraging walkers, cycling, fishing and gongoozlers onto the canal?

[Stourbridgeguy]

On the same theme Rose but not a leaflet, an advert in the local newspaper about the sale of 3 canal side properties being sold. Perhaps the sale of the properties will off set the cost of the leaflet

 

Link http://www.bondwolfe.net/docs/BW%20JUNE08%2003.pdf

 

Dave

[cheshire~rose]

Wow that is interesting.........

 

A particularly large and cumbersome file to d/l there for those of you with mobile/slow connections or a steam driven computer.

[Stourbridgeguy]

Wow that is interesting.........

 

A particularly large and cumbersome file to d/l there for those of you with mobile/slow connections or a steam driven computer.

 

Opps sorry Rose

[Tim Lewis]

<Snip>

The people they are encouraging to the canal are not going to pay anything into the BW coffers so why have they produced and distributed this leaflet? As a non boat owning member of this forum I do not pay into their coffers anyway but if I was faced with ever increasing licence fees, mooring fees and the feeling the effects of the spending cuts to the facilities available to me as a boat owner I may think differently about this leaflet.

 

Am I being completely blonde here? What do BW gain from encouraging walkers, cycling, fishing and gongoozlers onto the canal?

 

Boaters only pay a small percentage of keeping the canals open, perhaps the leaflet is encouraging those that pay the bulk, i.e. taxpayers, to use what they are paying for!

 

Tim

[carlt]

Boaters only pay a small percentage of keeping the canals open, perhaps the leaflet is encouraging those that pay the bulk, i.e. taxpayers, to use what they are paying for!

 

Tim

Thank goodness boaters only have to pay the canal taxes, so don't have to be included in the "bulk, ie. taxpayers." I must remember to include that little point, in my next self-assessment form.

 

Surely, if BW want to act like a business (HA!) they should be attracting people to the canals who would add revenue (ie, new boaters), not preach to the captive payer, that have to pay the bulk, whether they like it or not, ie. taxpayers, which, you may be surprised to learn, includes boaters.

[Chris J W]

Sorry - but perhaps I'm missing a point here.

 

If BW want more people walking along the towpath then that means nicer, cleaner, safer towpaths going through nicer, cleaner, safer areas for us to boat through. This should (!?) lead on to decent mooring areas for us to use - and, hopefully, less crap being thrown in the cut to foul the prop.

 

If getting more of Joe and Josie Public (and off-spring) along the towpath means nicer places for us - that's fine by me!

[carlt]

If getting more of Joe and Josie Public (and off-spring) along the towpath means nicer places for us - that's fine by me!

Only problem with that is, for example, the towpath through Leamington was safe, if a bit run down and muddy, before it was "sanitised" with concrete paths and lights. Now it is a well lit popular route home from the pubs an is a lot less pleasant for boaters to moor up at.

 

Making the canal more accessible for Joe public can have an adverse effect.

[Chris J W]

Only problem with that is, for example, the towpath through Leamington was safe, if a bit run down and muddy, before it was "sanitised" with concrete paths and lights. Now it is a well lit popular route home from the pubs an is a lot less pleasant for boaters to moor up at.

 

Making the canal more accessible for Joe public can have an adverse effect.

 

Fair enough, but how about trying to look on the positive side and at least give the benefit of the doubt before condeming them before they've even started. (That's not aimed purely at you, BTW)

[Gary Peacock]

I suppose it begs the question where should the money come from to pay for the inland waterways infrastructure?

 

In the past when canals became unprofitable with the demise of commercial traffic they were simply abandoned, now again without any commercially realistic way of making them self funding could the same option occur again in the future?

[carlt]

In the past when canals became unprofitable with the demise of commercial traffic they were simply abandoned, now again without any commercially realistic way of making them self funding could the same option occur again in the future?

It depends on whether it is seen as a national asset and an important part of our heritage, so should be preserved, for all to enjoy, or a rich man's playground, to be thrown away when he's finished with it.

 

 

 

Fair enough, but how about trying to look on the positive side and at least give the benefit of the doubt before condeming them before they've even started. (That's not aimed purely at you, BTW)

I wasn't condemning BW (though I think they could be helping canalside businesses more, by promoting the boating, along with the other activities.

 

I was criticising the attitude that boaters aren't taxpayers.

 

I believe the general infrastructure of the waterways should be centrally funded, with boaters paying the extra tax, if they choose to do extra activities. I suppose maintain the status quo, though I think the boaters contribution is too high, at present.

 

 

On the same theme Rose but not a leaflet, an advert in the local newspaper about the sale of 3 canal side properties being sold. Perhaps the sale of the properties will off set the cost of the leaflet

 

Link http://www.bondwolfe.net/docs/BW%20JUNE08%2003.pdf

 

Dave

I liked the look of lot 39, until I ggooglemapped the address:

 

clickymap

[Chris J W]

I wasn't condemning BW (though I think they could be helping canalside businesses more, by promoting the boating, along with the other activities.

 

I was criticising the attitude that boaters aren't taxpayers.

 

Sorry. My miss-reading. Guilty of a knee-jerk reaction as what I read as a knee-jerk reaction!

[John Orentas]

I suppose it begs the question where should the money come from to pay for the inland waterways infrastructure?

In the past when canals became unprofitable with the demise of commercial traffic they were simply abandoned, now again without any commercially realistic way of making them self funding could the same option occur again in the future?

 

 

The one aspect of the canal system that has preserved it for the past fifty or more years is the very fact that it has always been cheaper to simply leave it alone than to attempt a demolition job, given that the canals became part of the national drainage system as soon as they were built.. Whoever acquired them would need to make arrangements for the replacement of the drainage.

 

Compare this with the railways, within a decade of Dr Beeching completing his vandalism every clue to what had been there before had disappeared into the countryside never to be seen again.

[cheshire~rose]

I liked the look of lot 39, until I ggooglemapped the address:

 

clickymap

 

That saved me a job!

 

It is boxed in on all sides by industry!

[NB Teila]

The way it was explained to me , this attracting people to the inland waterways is....

 

The more people who use the inland waterways.

 

The more pressure BW has with the goverment.

 

 

Public pressure can be a mighty weapon.

 

 

Get more people interested and all will be well and while we are at it,

 

 

Lets not forget the hedge fairys and their treasure troves of empty gas bottles, full bin bags, empty beer cans, batteries and anything else that they thieve off boats and hide in the hedges, enough public pressure and we can hunt them down, once and for all getting rid of this menace.

[alan_fincher]

Compare this with the railways, within a decade of Dr Beeching completing his vandalism every clue to what had been there before had disappeared into the countryside never to be seen again.

Often true, I'll admit.

 

But equally, in many cases, they have found a new life as cycleways cum footpaths. If you are not used to seeking them out, you would probably be amazed how may survive more or less in tact in this guise.

 

Even more surprising is that not only do most of the original bridges survive, so to sometimes do platforms, signals, signalboxes, etc.

 

A wonderful resource, where it has been done sympathetically.

 

Also a surprisingly large number have had tracks relaid over part of their route, for preserved railway schemes.

 

Often the railway preservationists, and the cycling organisations are at loggerheads lest a scheme for one defeats plans for the other. The best option is both parallelling each other, as can be found, for example, on part of the Welsh Highland Railway, and all of the Bure Valley Railway. It's easier to achieve where a narrow gauge railway has been established on what was formerly a standard gauge route - the different land requirements for each usually provides enough free space to add the cycleway.

 

Sorry, a bit off topic, I'll admit!

[FadeToScarlet]

The leaflet is a targetted example of blue-sky thinking to encourage a greater, indeed enhanced, useification of the underused and underutilised network of GreenResourceNatureParkOpenAirGymFreeTaiChiWondrousGreenLovelyHappySuperMultiuse

Canals for a greater appreciation of the urban spaces and the possible redevelopment of this blue-ribbon thinking to tie communities together and increase their visual and cultural enjoyment of the resource.

 

[NB Teila]

The leaflet is a targetted example of blue-sky thinking to encourage a greater, indeed enhanced, useification of the underused and underutilised network of GreenResourceNatureParkOpenAirGymFreeTaiChiWondrousGreenLovelyHappySuperMultiuse

Canals for a greater appreciation of the urban spaces and the possible redevelopment of this blue-ribbon thinking to tie communities together and increase their visual and cultural enjoyment of the resource.

 

 

 

 

But the hedge fairies can`t read

[Malarky]

Possibly Just blagging their ownership of the land arround; and the water traffic is not in need of such propaganda. Or trying to compensate for the lack of use so they can get some more grants. After haveing been robbed and menaced by them, I now think they could be up to anything,

and fail to understand how they are allowed any support at all!

[carlt]

hedge fairies

This some new, pathetic insult, that you're trying to get into general use?

[Ray]

We had a similar leaflet in our local paper in Milton Keynes.

 

Perhaps BW's thinking is to attract people to the canal where they'll see boats and (hopefully) think about buying or hiring one. That brings trade to the canal businesses and BW take a cut of the business's income.

 

On that topic, I do think it is a cheek that BW also take a cut from canal side businesses for trade they get that doesn't come from the canal i.e. sales of lpg to local residents dring the winter when the canal is all but closed.

 

My understanding is that (say) a hire boat company has to pay a portion of income to BW, that's even for the income that comes off the street. Does an icecream parlour, in an old lock cottage, on the towpath face the same regime?

[JohnEW2912]

This is BW's vision statement, taken from their website: -

Our Vision

Our ambition is that by 2012 we will have created an expanded, vibrant, largely self-sufficient waterway network used by twice as many people as in 2002. It will be regarded as one of the nation's most important and valued national assets. Visitors will be delighted with the quality of the experience and as a consequence many will become active participants.

 

Clearly their remit is to encourage use of the waterways. The more people that use the canal network, the more will have their interest awakened to take a boat trip, hire a boat or even buy one. More people will encourage more businesses to invest in waterside operations from chandlers to pubs and ice cream vans. That will help generate more money for BW and therefore less from the taxpayer.

 

Of course it's not in the interest of anyone who wants to keep a nice quiet waterway network for themselves to enjoy in peace.

[Gary Peacock]

This is BW's vision statement, taken from their website: -

Our Vision

Our ambition is that by 2012 we will have created an expanded, vibrant, largely self-sufficient waterway network used by twice as many people as in 2002. It will be regarded as one of the nation's most important and valued national assets. Visitors will be delighted with the quality of the experience and as a consequence many will become active participants.

 

Clearly their remit is to encourage use of the waterways. The more people that use the canal network, the more will have their interest awakened to take a boat trip, hire a boat or even buy one. More people will encourage more businesses to invest in waterside operations from chandlers to pubs and ice cream vans. That will help generate more money for BW and therefore less from the taxpayer.

 

Of course it's not in the interest of anyone who wants to keep a nice quiet waterway network for themselves to enjoy in peace.

 

The marketing approach does make sense but I aren't sure the reality is really the same, the economy at the moment will not support a lot of the ventures that it would be really nice to see that would be beneficial to all who could use all elements of the waterways.

 

Having to deal with quite a few various waterways related businesses nearly all have seen a rapidly escalating downturn over the last three years or so.

[NB Teila]

This some new, pathetic insult, that you're trying to get into general use?

 

 

 

 

No insult intended, seems to me that nobody ever throws stuff into the hedge rows, sooo must be the hedge faries.

 

Just light hearted banter.

 

Be more serious in future.

[carlt]

Be more serious in future.

No don't do that! I'll try to be less serious