Disabled Boating

[Mary 1]

Not being a very good walker, new knee and caliper, would I be given any concessions in mooring please.

Mary 1

[mrsmelly]

Not being a very good walker, new knee and caliper, would I be given any concessions in mooring please.

Mary 1

 

Hi Mary

 

The answer is Sometimes u will...............where I moor we have a disabled boaters passing thro mooring and at several other places on the system these also exist.u have to pick ur spot.

[Mary 1]

Hi Mary

 

The answer is Sometimes u will...............where I moor we have a disabled boaters passing thro mooring and at several other places on the system these also exist.u have to pick ur spot.

 

Great news, I am also taking my mob cart with me, it comes to bits, so will stow easily

Mary1

[sueb]

Great news, I am also taking my mob cart with me, it comes to bits, so will stow easily

Mary1

nabo.org.uk have a rep for the disabled

Sue

[David Schweizer]

My wife is also a blue card holder, but there are a very limited number of places where moorings for disabled boaters have been provided. On top of this BW seems to have consulted no one about their location (least of all disabled boaters). They are often located on the least pleasant sites, often next to a busy road bridge, or outside a noisy pub, consequently we rarely use them. The best one we have found so far is at Stoke Brerne, but it is very often already occupied by an able bodied boater, whom is either not on board, or unwilling to move, and as it is the last public mooring before the lock, one is left without anywhere to moor if travelling south.

[johnjo]

My wife is also a blue card holder, but there are a very limited number of places where moorings for disabled boaters have been provided. On top of this BW seems to have consulted no one about their location (least of all disabled boaters). They are often located on the least pleasant sites, often next to a busy road bridge, or outside a noisy pub, consequently we rarely use them. The best one we have found so far is at Stoke Brerne, but it is very often already occupied by an able bodied boater, whom is either not on board, or unwilling to move, and as it is the last public mooring before the lock, one is left without anywhere to moor if travelling south.

 

 

We are in the same circumstances, but not yet having to resort to a wheelchair thankfully, but I can understand the frustration.

 

I think that BW 'in their wisdom' may have thought that putting moorings close to road bridges or outside a pub was being helpful, i.e. not having to go along a bumpy towpath to the pub or shops, but not knowing exactly where these are , I'm only guessing.

 

Perhaps asking some of the organisations that are there to help the disabled might be persuaded to cojole[?] BW in to spending a bit more thought as to where they site them and to offer more of them.

 

I'm surprised, or perhaps not, at the attitude of [a very few] abled bodied people in their response to a perfectly resonable request not to use areas designated for the use of the disabled, never have been able to figure that one out when it happens.

[alan_fincher]

The same continuous cruisers have been on the disabled moorings at Bulbourne for several weeks now, (at least a month, I'm sure).

 

It's possible one of the has a disability not easily spotted, but it doesn't seem severe enough to stop them stripping and fully repainting the boat whilst it's on those moorings.

 

A couple of comments on David's posting.....

 

There are some at a not unreasonable location at Braunston, too, (we have looked at iut enviously before going somewhere much less nice . )

 

At Stoke, you can easily turn 50 feet above the lock, so if you do find you can't access them, coming South, you can head back until you do find a slot. At least that way you will be as near to the locks as you can get.

 

Finally, IMO, the way BW have chosen to mark some of these moorings is particularly crap, as only a very small cast, but unpainted, disabled symbol is used inset into the bollard itself, no more than 2 or 3 inches in diameter. It is virtually impossible to tell they are disable spots until the ropes are actually going round the bollards, and I can kind of understand why some people then don't move off again, maybe having already stopped the engine, etc.

[Keeping Up]

... I can kind of understand why some people then don't move off again, maybe having already stopped the engine, etc.

Plus the fact that BW said at the time of their installation, and have repeated many times since, that it is perfectly in order for any boater to moor on the disabled moorings, provided they are prepared to move if a disabled boater should subsequently come along and need to use them.

 

I have had arguments with several able-bodied boaters over this, who have harangued me for using the moorings - but I have never had any disagreement with a disabled boater because on the one occasion (out of many usages) when I have been asked by such a boater if I would move I immediately did so; he then invited me to moor alongside him, and we had an enjoyable evening together.

 

I would add that I would never leave my boat unattended on the mooring; I regard it as my responsibility to be present in order to respond to any request, or indeed to make an offer to move if I see someone who looks as if they might have need of the mooring.

[ditchcrawler]

Not being a very good walker, new knee and caliper, would I be given any concessions in mooring please.

Mary 1

Braunston, Stoke Bruerne, Banbury, Thrupp all have disabled moorings

Edited April 19, 2009 by ditchcrawler

[alan_fincher]

Plus the fact that BW said at the time of their installation, and have repeated many times since, that it is perfectly in order for any boater to moor on the disabled moorings, provided they are prepared to move if a disabled boater should subsequently come along and need to use them.

How is anybody encountering one for the first time supposed to know this, Allan ?

 

As well as ones marked with just a symbol on the bollards, I'm sure I've seen ones signed as "Disabled boaters only", (or similar).

 

Does the same apply to those ?

 

What happens if the disabled boat turns up after dark - do you then have to move off in search of an alternate with the tunnel lamp on ?

 

All seems a bit odd TBH.

[Keeping Up]

How is anybody encountering one for the first time supposed to know this, Allan ?

I asked that question of BW myself, and got the fatuous answer that it had been fully explained in the Waterscape magazine which had been sent to all boaters. Eugene Baston stated the policy either here or on urw, I can't remember which, but equally wasn't able to answer the question

 

As well as ones marked with just a symbol on the bollards, I'm sure I've seen ones signed as "Disabled boaters only", (or similar). Does the same apply to those ?

If I saw such a sign I would assume that it meant what it said, and I wouldn't use the mooring

 

What happens if the disabled boat turns up after dark - do you then have to move off in search of an alternate with the tunnel lamp on ?

I assume that would be the case

 

All seems a bit odd TBH.

Only because it IS a bit odd. But as I said, BW have repeated this guidance several times

[johnjo]

All seems a bit odd TBH.

Don't seem odd to me. I'm able bodied and SWMBO is not [not yet anyway] in need of the use of a wheelchair although she cannot walk more than a few hundred yards, so at the moment I have no problem mooring anywhere, but your assumption begs the obvious, would you expect the disabled owner of the craft that arrives after dark to be the one that has to carry on looking for a mooring in the dark?

 

In that scenario, assuming enough width is available, I would offer to let them take the inside and then double park if they agreed, as 'Keeping Up' said.

 

I suppose you could argue that a disabled owner would be well advised to find a mooring well before darkness descends in the first place, I hope I would.

Edited April 19, 2009 by johnjo

[churchward]

How is anybody encountering one for the first time supposed to know this, Allan ?

 

As well as ones marked with just a symbol on the bollards, I'm sure I've seen ones signed as "Disabled boaters only", (or similar).

 

Does the same apply to those ?

 

What happens if the disabled boat turns up after dark - do you then have to move off in search of an alternate with the tunnel lamp on ?

 

All seems a bit odd TBH.

I think the decent thing would be to move and let the disabled boater use the space allocated for them.

Edited April 19, 2009 by churchward

[alan_fincher]

I think the decent thing would be to move and let the diabled boater use the space allocated for them.

Seems simpler to me not to moor on the 'disabled' spot in the first place!

 

I must admit that until Allan added the history on this, my assumption was that able bodied crews should never moor on these bollards.

 

I can't see us using these moorings, except as an absolute last resort.

[churchward]

Seems simpler to me not to moor on the 'disabled' spot in the first place!

 

I must admit that until Allan added the history on this, my assumption was that able bodied crews should never moor on these bollards.

 

I can't see us using these moorings, except as an absolute last resort.

 

Yes I thought that too and like you I would avoid them in the first place.

[Nickhlx]

Yes I thought that too and like you I would avoid them in the first place.

 

My wife too is a blue badge holder and can not walk more than the length of the boat ! Fortunately I am quite able ( all those jerry cans of white diesel ! ) but its painful for her and inelegant if I have to carry her very far ...

 

As a result, the disabled moorings are a blessing, as it is just not possible for her to walk far, so we rely on close-by moorings to facilities etc and even then some are not wheelchair friendly.... It is very frustrating when able-bodied people are able to walk a bit further, but choose not to... she would happily swap her problem for a slighly further away mooring.

 

 

Nick

[roger]

Slightly changing the topic, but still on disabled boating - One disabled boater was told by a BW patrolman that being in reciept of DLA would make one eligible for a reduced BW licence. Despite this word from a BW authority, I have yet to find anyone in BW agreeing that such an arrangement exists.

[David Schweizer]

Slightly changing the topic, but still on disabled boating - One disabled boater was told by a BW patrolman that being in reciept of DLA would make one eligible for a reduced BW licence. Despite this word from a BW authority, I have yet to find anyone in BW agreeing that such an arrangement exists.

I will be writing immediately to BW to enquire. Of course there are two areas of DLA, one for care needs, and one for mobility needs, there are then several levels within those two areas, so any concession could depend on which area and which level the disabled person has been assesed.

[Hairy-Neil]

I must admit that until Allan added the history on this, my assumption was that able bodied crews should never moor on these bollards.

 

When the disabled mooring was installed at Stoke Brurene it included a sign saying 'Please make this mooring available for disabled boaters' (or words to that effect) Have not used it for aproaching 10 years so can't say if the sign is still there. I used it several times on those terms.

 

I can never understand why boaters won't breast up in conjested places on sought after moorings.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Hairy-Neil

[Smelly]

I will be writing immediately to BW to enquire. Of course there are two areas of DLA, one for care needs, and one for mobility needs, there are then several levels within those two areas, so any concession could depend on which area and which level the disabled person has been assesed.

 

David I'd be very interested in any reply you get...