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Overnight Mooring Fees?

minerva

By minerva
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minerva Community Regular

minerva

Posted
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Playing the devils advocate a little here, I can easily see this happening..

 

Like it is on the Thames...You moor up for the night and at about 5 or 6 pm you get a knock on your boat and there's someone stood there asking for fees, from you, to stay over night..

 

I would bet my bottom dollar that in the not too distant, in Towns and Cities, if you want to stay overnight, it will come to pass that you will have to pay for that priveladge.

 

Mark my words...(I do hope im wrong)

 

(if so- you heard it here first!)..

 

:lol:

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Sir Nibble Veteran II

Sir Nibble

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There is a consultation exercise going on on the K&A on a proposal to charge for the most popular spots (in order to combat SERIOUS overstaying) and even a suggestion of reserving some mooring for hire boats only! I can't imagine who is supposed to enforce this, but if they got them to enforce the existing regulations instead, wouldn't that be easier?

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matt Collaborator

matt

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K&A seemed to have very visible wardens when I was there - certainly in the main areas like Bradford on Avon.

 

They used to bike up and down with dictaphones.

 

Maybe they could fit GPS like they are planning with cars - they could charge per mile, per mooring overnight, per lock quite easily then, extra charges if the view is good like they plan with Council Tax - also they could make sure CC'ers move exactly the right distance every 14 days :lol:

 

Orwell would wet his pants if could have seen what we've evolved to.

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dor Veteran II

dor

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Posted
Mark my words...(I do hope im wrong)

 

(if so- you heard it here first!)..

 

This point was made some time ago when the Llangollen moorings became chargeable.

 

I said at the time that this sets a nasty precedence.

 

I am sure it will become more prevalent, but whether the cost of a mooring warden will be justified by the amount collected remains to be seen. At Llangollen a couple of weeks ago when I was there there were very few boats paying for the overnight stop.

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matt Collaborator

matt

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Posted

well, quite shockingly, if you go camping these days it costs upwards of £10-£15 per night at a site...

 

:lol:

 

So ....

 

Oh dear...lets hope not :lol:

 

Try Dolgam in Snowdonia - a finer campsite (for tents) you will not find - £4.00 per night.

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Stephen Fulcher Contributor

Stephen Fulcher

Posted
Posted (edited)

The main idea with Llangollen was to price people away from using the overnight moorings - of which there were at the time nowhere near enough of. Now they charge, there are always going to be people who object to paying, and would not moor there as a matter of principle.

 

Charging for mooring to overcome the problem of overstaying is not the answer. The answer has to be to do something about that overstaying in the first place. Why should boaters be penalised, which an overnight mooring charge in this context definately is, for the actions of a small minority. As was said earlier in this thread the mooring charges "might" pay for a warden to enforce overstaying rules, but then again, I would guess that it would not. If there is a mooring site a couple of miles away which is not subject to any charge then it is almost certain that the majority of boaters would moor in that place.

Edited by Stephen Fulcher
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minerva Community Regular

minerva

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The main idea with Llangollen was to price people away from using the overnight moorings - of which there were at the time nowhere near enough of. Now they charge, there are always going to be people who object to paying, and would not moor there as a matter of principle.

 

Charging for mooring to overcome the problem of overstaying is not the answer. The answer has to be to do something about that overstaying in the first place. Why should boaters be penalised, which an overnight mooring charge in this context definately is, for the actions of a small minority. As was said earlier in this thread the mooring charges "might" pay for a warden to enforce overstaying rules, but then again, I would guess that it would not. If there is a mooring site a couple of miles away which is not subject to any charge then it is almost certain that the majority of boaters would moor in that place.

 

 

Hi,

 

....we were debating or should I say muting the possible prospect of having to "pay to stay" overnight in town's and cities....

 

I think overstaying is a different issue to one than thats being muted here..I would imagine that if this became so, there would still be a limit to 48 hrs etc...

 

 

 

I know that a lot of marinas used to let visiting boats stay over night FOC... but I have been reliably informed now that to stay overnight at say a BWML marina you will be looking at charges of £10.00 upwards for a night(depending on the location).

 

Can anyone confirm or deny this?

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paranoidmarvin Explorer

paranoidmarvin

Posted
Posted

I know that a lot of marinas used to let visiting boats stay over night FOC... but I have been reliably informed now that to stay overnight at say a BWML marina you will be looking at charges of £10.00 upwards for a night(depending on the location).

 

Can anyone confirm or deny this?

 

In the last few years we've overnighted at Stenson Marina (and got p*ssed in the Bubble) a number of times for the princely sum of £5 per night including an electric hook up.

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John Orentas Veteran II

John Orentas

Posted
Posted (edited)

Overnight mooring fees. Are we all going mad, honestly some of you people deserve to be ripped off. For 200 years nighttime mooring by the towpath whilst on a trip or cruise has never been charged for, nor would anyone have attempeted to caherge.

 

If someone sidles up to you with a money bag and a receipt book you should be saying NO NO sod off, not a penny. What is all this about an overnight stay in a marina, why would anyone want to stay in a marina for a single night. What is wrong with simply mooring up on the towpath that is what I have done for 30 years and others have done for two hundred years.

 

The only time I have paid a mooring fee was twice on the Thames this year, I resented paying as I had already shelled out eighty pounds for two weeks on the river but I thought, well 'this seems to be the convention down here so I won't spoil the holiday with a brawl on the towpath'.

Edited by John Orentas
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blokman14 Gongoozler

blokman14

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Posted

Well said, my last experience on the canals was some twenty five years ago and my have they changed.

 

My perception seems to indicate that BW and their paymasters are waking up to the fact that they have a cash cow in the canal system and the associated infrastructure, my reawakened interest in the canals and boating has made me realise that big changes are afoot what with all the proposed canalside developments etc that keep being mentioned in the press.

 

I for one hope that overnight mooring fees don't rear their ugly head, surely that is why we have a licence fee?

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Pirate Community Regular

Pirate

Posted
Posted

well as with everything in this world.....they change the rules to fit with their agenda dont they? (sometimes)...

 

maybe they will put up "Pay and Dispaly" terminals! where you buy a ticket to stick in your window......

 

sigh...

 

I bet they`re already working on it, it`s greed, if they make so much this year, next year they just have to have more.

 

I bet they`re scouring forums like this for ideas like this :lol: hehehe Yes we heard it here first lol

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Bones Veteran

Bones

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I'm too drunk to read the whole topic so forgive me. I can see the point of charging overnight mooring fee's but I think there are several reasonable ways of doing it. At Hampton court (on the thames) you can stay for the first 24hrs for free then you have to pay. I find this reasonable, especially as the Thames is a 24hr cruising river and rules such as these keep the traffic moving. HOWEVER, as far as I can tell, the fee's are collected by the local landowners/councils - not by EA (who run the Thames) staff (at least not where I have moored).

 

BW is a different kettle of fish - the majority of the waterways moorings are owned by BW, if they were to instigate an overnight mooring fee they would have to employ lengthsmen, and IF they employed lengthsmen they would be able to find the overstayers. Surely they would make more money by tracking down the overstayers/ license dodgers than they would be charging visitors? The canals (I only speak of the Oxford as its the only one I know extensively) are 14days, sometimes 7 days, and in popular locations it is 48rs etc... and I like that system particularly. It enables one to remain in an area for a reasonable period of time. The question one has to ask, is that if there fee's to stay overnight - will this be for the length of the system, or only in particularly popular/populated areas?

 

If the license is going up by 30% (see mins other thread, which I am sure you all have), I would expect this to include the benfits of being able to stay in areas for 48hrs/7days/14days etc for free. If it doesn't what are the increases for? there are some canals that are well looked after and others that aren't. The tow path on the Oxford is particularly bad in some places, and the stretch didn't seem to be as well maintained as say the stratford or the grandunion (which I have only flirted by). I know that I wouldn't have minded paying more if the money was going into the waterways I was on, but it doesn't work like that.

 

Gosh... I do witter... more wine anyone?

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minerva Community Regular

minerva

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I bet they`re already working on it, it`s greed, if they make so much this year, next year they just have to have more.

 

I bet they`re scouring forums like this for ideas like this :lol: hehehe Yes we heard it here first lol

 

indeed............pay and display.........way to go yey!

 

joking.... :lol:

 

 

I'm too drunk to read the whole topic so forgive me. I can see the point of charging overnight mooring fee's but I think there are several reasonable ways of doing it. At Hampton court (on the thames) you can stay for the first 24hrs for free then you have to pay. I find this reasonable, especially as the Thames is a 24hr cruising river and rules such as these keep the traffic moving. HOWEVER, as far as I can tell, the fee's are collected by the local landowners/councils - not by EA (who run the Thames) staff (at least not where I have moored).

 

BW is a different kettle of fish - the majority of the waterways moorings are owned by BW, if they were to instigate an overnight mooring fee they would have to employ lengthsmen, and IF they employed lengthsmen they would be able to find the overstayers. Surely they would make more money by tracking down the overstayers/ license dodgers than they would be charging visitors? The canals (I only speak of the Oxford as its the only one I know extensively) are 14days, sometimes 7 days, and in popular locations it is 48rs etc... and I like that system particularly. It enables one to remain in an area for a reasonable period of time. The question one has to ask, is that if there fee's to stay overnight - will this be for the length of the system, or only in particularly popular/populated areas?

 

If the license is going up by 30% (see mins other thread, which I am sure you all have), I would expect this to include the benfits of being able to stay in areas for 48hrs/7days/14days etc for free. If it doesn't what are the increases for? there are some canals that are well looked after and others that aren't. The tow path on the Oxford is particularly bad in some places, and the stretch didn't seem to be as well maintained as say the stratford or the grandunion (which I have only flirted by). I know that I wouldn't have minded paying more if the money was going into the waterways I was on, but it doesn't work like that.

 

Gosh... I do witter... more wine anyone?

 

 

 

 

well, all they have to say to us is "well, its the upkeep innit"? takes a lot more money than you think......

 

blah blah.....

 

how can we argue with that?

 

"costs of new canal restorations" etc etc .....new moorings etc etc...facilities...blah blah...dredging....da-di -da...

 

they have already told us yonks ago that subsidies from the government keep BW going cos revenue from boaters hardly touches base....if you follow..

 

im just airing worst case scenario's really.......

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Bones Veteran

Bones

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true - but who is going to check? We will be in the same situation as we are now. No-one paying.

 

I did hear once that BW only send the order for money owed when the 'parking fines' reach a certain amount. The boaters would keep an eye on how much they owed, and then move whereupon their files were wiped clean. They would move back, and the whole process starts again.

 

I am not sure which side of the fence I am on. However, it does seem clear that boating is becoming more and more expensive as you say. I can see the point of a limiting factor on the waterways, but I see that being the lack of moorings. In which case, what are BW trying to acheive - it will be hard for them to get support when so many people observe the money they are wasteing. One thing I am pleased about is that BW do change their minds (CC licencs for one - Bones ducks)...

 

I wouldn't mind paying a bit more if the money was going back into the canals, I would struggle to do so, but if it was for the benefit of the system I would seriously consider it, or go and live in a yurt on land. However, it is hard to behind these increases when so much money is being lost by BW - a bit like Thames water around here!!!!!

 

I am, I must point out, a fan of BW - I have found them to be nothing but supportive, helpful and human.

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minerva Community Regular

minerva

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indeed....

 

As I say, at this time, this is pure supposition & speculation, but judging by the way things are going.....it might not be supposition or speculation for much longer..... and if they start throwing statistics at us of overheads not being met etc etc etc., I can't really see a way we can object to whatever they want to do with us... what really can we do except brace ourselves for some hefty increases to our way of life?....

 

I reckon BW is probably like all other service providers in this country, constantly striving to find more ways of getting more spondoolies from us.... and probably like all other service providers, will succeed in doing exactly that.

 

Im sat here thinking that theres a lot of people who got involved, like myself, when the going was good, and now well, im sat thinking how much are we going to end up paying for this??? Will we be priced off the canals?....will we have to moor at a lesser mooring(thats if you can get one!!!).... :lol:

 

In three years time, it will be a very different animal, than the one it is now.

 

Sadly.

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matt Collaborator

matt

Posted
Posted (edited)

"Pay and Display"

 

I'd be all for having pay and display on the official town/city centre moorings with rings etc. It would stop overstayers and ensure good turnover of boats making it easier to stop.

 

You could still moor in the weeds if you don't want to pay it - I moor in the weeds most of the time anyway as town centre wharfs are usually full when I pass - I'd usually only moor on them for an hour for shopping anyway.

Edited by matt
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