CART appreciation club

[ditchcrawler]

I did notice that the two bridges on the North Oxford between the Barby straight and Willoughby that have been collapsing and surrounded by orange bouys since.....(2006 ????? as early as I recall)...are being repaired.

The surrounding bank has been piled and strengthened, and hopefully, we will be able to cruise through without worry soon.

You may be getting a surprise when you see who is doing the brickwork.

[matty40s]

You may be getting a surprise when you see who is doing the brickwork.

I noticed it is private contractors, not CaRT staff.

I would think that a specialist engineering job like that (sections of the bridge brickwork are being pushed back into place...would be given to a specialist contractor.

However, it's been a long time coming and has only started happening since late July.

[Lady Muck]

I initially thought something similar lol

 

 

I know many are not her fans, but anybody who can reply to work emails at 0300 hrs does show an interest in her job so gets a brownie point from me for dedication

Sally started attending meetings herself when we (Stonebridge Community Enterprise) were having difficulty convincing senior management that we were serious about winning the tender to run the boater services and classroom/meetings space/cafe up here.

When we won the tenancy, she attended our clean up weekend on the Saturday morning and got stuck in with everyone else. This is exactly the change we wish to see.

Edited September 24, 2012 by Lady Muck

[Laurence Hogg]

After reading the many comments praising the work of CRT since inception it was very dis heartening to read Allan Richard's summary of CRT this morning on "Narrowboatworld"

http://www.narrowboatworld.com/index.php/news-flash/4895-bad-start-for-cart

 

Does this stuff really need airing? First the figure iof 600 is wrong, I was member 845 on 3rd March, today the figure is 1230 (plus a few as yet to be processed) and is rising at around a 100 per week.

 

Frankly I dont like "fat cat" salaries but do I really care if the people getting them are producing results? Its the results that matter and reading the previous posts here on this thread reinforces the fact that improvemnet is happening.

 

And when it comes to salaries is Robin Evans overpaid? Network Rail's Sir David Higgins is on £560.000!

[jenlyn]

After reading the many comments praising the work of CRT since inception it was very dis heartening to read Allan Richard's summary of CRT this morning on "Narrowboatworld"

http://www.narrowboatworld.com/index.php/news-flash/4895-bad-start-for-cart

 

Does this stuff really need airing? First the figure iof 600 is wrong, I was member 845 on 3rd March, today the figure is 1230 (plus a few as yet to be processed) and is rising at around a 100 per week.

 

Frankly I dont like "fat cat" salaries but do I really care if the people getting them are producing results? Its the results that matter and reading the previous posts here on this thread reinforces the fact that improvemnet is happening.

 

And when it comes to salaries is Robin Evans overpaid? Network Rail's Sir David Higgins is on £560.000!

I don't think you can relate network rails workload to CRT's. a tad extreme.

[Laurie Booth]

CaRT solved this problem for us within an hour.

 

[magpie patrick]

At the risk of sounding a discordant voice, I was appalled when I walked from Juno to Avoncliff Station to find that, after a two and a half mile walk the station was on the wrong side of the canal. I had to walk over Avoncliff Aqueduct, cross under the canal and walk across the aqueduct again on the other side. Despite my protestations nothing has been done about this dreadful state of affairs

 

Getting back to the real world. We went through Seend Locks in June, knowing they would close behind us due to gate failure (the gate in question had a scaffold to stop it collapsing, so narrow beam only). This would trap us on the Devizes side with our home mooring on the Bath side. I think joint praise is due here, as the repair was started by BW but finished by CRT, and having been scheduled to reopen on the 7th of July, the canal reopened on the 4th, with the gates possibly being the first to have plaques saying "C&RT Bradely Workshops" on them

[luctor et emergo]

I know, I know...

 

But, I think thyat many of the major (maintenace) jobs are scheduled, well in advance. So most of the jobs now being done, where likely planned, and tendered, by BW?

And before we get carried away, I think that BW used to do a pretty good job when it came to emergency repairs, drained ponds etc. I seem to remember, that is was projected maintenance, and corporate carreering in the asset market, that where the main problems with BW. Not the bods on the ground, sorting out the day to day problems.

 

Let's see where we are next year.

 

 

 

As you were...

[Naughty Cal]

Must say we have been pretty impressed so far.

 

Licence ordered on Thursday and on the doormat this morning.

 

The weed cutter has been doing a great job on the Witham and the river/canal are both being kept pretty neat and tidy. They also seem to have been pretty successful at moving on a minority of "problem" boaters who had set up camp on the visitor moorings although how this pans out in the coming months is anybodies guess I suppose.

 

All in all we have yet to find any real problems.

[Laurie Booth]

Last week on the Stratford Canal I got stuck in lock 24 on the Lapworth flight. Phoned CaRT and they didn't know where I was. Luckily for us a rented boat came to our rescue.

[Guest]

Last week on the Stratford Canal I got stuck in lock 24 on the Lapworth flight. Phoned CaRT and they didn't know where I was. Luckily for us a rented boat came to our rescue.

 

This will be a carry over from BW days when all calls to customer services are routed to a central call centre type facility. It is one thing Cart could improve on. Thank god they didn.t outsource to Mumbai...

[Laurie Booth]

This will be a carry over from BW days when all calls to customer services are routed to a central call centre type facility. It is one thing Cart could improve on. Thank god they didn.t outsource to Mumbai...

[Ronniesonic]

as it's Monday & positivity is normally for Sunny Friday evening's only, I wonder this.........

 

If C&RT have got less money, how can this proactivity be financed?

Does this mean that BW, with their extra funds just shaffed Maintenace etc? Isn't the Senior Management the same under C&RT?

 

I am not trying to be negative, just pleased but slightly worried this is just a 'launch honeymoon thingamebob' attempt to show willing.

 

I also am becoming impressed with Sally Ash. Nothing but good comments from peeps who have met her 1st hand.

 

I hope the positive start continues.

 

BTW, It's just stopped raining in Coventry @ 15.12.

[carlt]

If C&RT have got less money, how can this proactivity be financed?

Does this mean that BW, with their extra funds just shaffed Maintenace etc? Isn't the Senior Management the same under C&RT?

Well I have been banging on about how inefficient BW were and that their cost per km for maintaining the canals to be so much higher than the cost per km for maintaining the public highway is almost beyond belief

 

If charitable status makes the management, new or old, a bit more careful about how money is spent then this can only be a good thing.

Edited September 24, 2012 by carlt

[jenlyn]

as it's Monday & positivity is normally for Sunny Friday evening's only, I wonder this.........

 

If C&RT have got less money, how can this proactivity be financed?

Does this mean that BW, with their extra funds just shaffed Maintenace etc? Isn't the Senior Management the same under C&RT?

 

I am not trying to be negative, just pleased but slightly worried this is just a 'launch honeymoon thingamebob' attempt to show willing.

 

I also am becoming impressed with Sally Ash. Nothing but good comments from peeps who have met her 1st hand.

 

I hope the positive start continues.

 

BTW, It's just stopped raining in Coventry @ 15.12.

I just hope they don't turn to us in a couple of months and inform us that, "although we promised no great increase in license fees".....................

[Naughty Cal]

I just hope they don't turn to us in a couple of months and inform us that, "although we promised no great increase in license fees".....................

 

From memory our licence fee went up 6.4% when compared with last years fee. (literally just renewed)

 

As an aside Im not keen on the colour of this years "discs" but I suppose we will have to live with them for 12 months

[jenlyn]

From memory our licence fee went up 6.4% when compared with last years fee. (literally just renewed)

 

As an aside Im not keen on the colour of this years "discs" but I suppose we will have to live with them for 12 months

Photocopy it and put your own colour scheme....

[BruceinSanity]

 

As an aside Im not keen on the colour of this years "discs" but I suppose we will have to live with them for 12 months

 

I thought that they were giving up on colouring the discs, now that the towpath patrols have their handhelds to check on the licence. I'm sure that this year's were a mixture of colours, as they used up old stock.

[Naughty Cal]

I thought that they were giving up on colouring the discs, now that the towpath patrols have their handhelds to check on the licence. I'm sure that this year's were a mixture of colours, as they used up old stock.

 

Well we seem to have been landed with a vile shade of green. Not happy

[cotswoldsman]

 

First the figure iof 600 is wrong, I was member 845 on 3rd March, today the figure is 1230 (plus a few as yet to be processed) and is rising at around a 100 per week.

 

Frankly I dont like "fat cat" salaries but do I really care if the people getting them are producing results? Its the results that matter and reading the previous posts here on this thread reinforces the fact that improvemnet is happening.

 

 

 

Well just checked with my mother her number is 1,657 that means nearly £600,000 a year after year one if all 1,657 are for only £3 per month.

[jenlyn]

Well just checked with my mother her number is 1,657 that means nearly £600,000 a year after year one if all 1,657 are for only £3 per month.

Could be some were chugged and pulled out in the cooling off period?

Although I cannot see a 1057 people pulling out.

[carlt]

Could be some were chugged and pulled out in the cooling off period?

Sounds like the rhythm method of charitable donation.

 

"Yes I gave a donation but pulled out just in time."

[JamesWoolcock]

Whos bunged you??

 

Collapsed moorings repaired at Lane Head Wyrley & Essington, parts of BCN so tidy now theres nothing for us volunteers to do!! CRT very responsive in our area, all down to the superb leadership shown by the manager Dean Davies and his immediate team.

Dredging scheduled for Daw End next year too.

 

I arrived at Merry Hill yesterday and emailed Dean Davies asking if it was helpful to CRT's enforcement team for his workboats to be on a visitor mooring here. First thing this morning he responded:

 

"Thank you for writing in and bringing this to my attention, I take this sort of matter very seriously. As such I have contacted the maintenance team to investigate your concern. The location that Cloverly was moored is in fact an operational mooring for our workboat, and has been for over ten years, however it would appear that the sign (to this effect) has been vandalised and not replaced. I have therefore asked the local team to resolve this as quickly as possible to avoid any further confusion."

 

Yes and the new sign was there by the time I took the dog out. Wow, beat that! A truly excellent response from a Waterways Manager who rather shows up some of his colleagues.

 

James

[cotswoldsman]

I arrived at Merry Hill yesterday and emailed Dean Davies asking if it was helpful to CRT's enforcement team for his workboats to be on a visitor mooring here. First thing this morning he responded:

 

 

James

 

Wow you really sent an email about that!!!!!

[ditchcrawler]

This will be a carry over from BW days when all calls to customer services are routed to a central call centre type facility. It is one thing Cart could improve on. Thank god they didn.t outsource to Mumbai...

The only alternative would be to have their own call centre that is open 24/7/365 At the moment they buy time with one of the emergency services.

 

Wow you really sent an email about that!!!!!

I email them if I come across one of their boats left on lock moorings and have received similar responses