Overgrown towpaths!!

[GoodGurl]

i have traveled most of the canal system over the last 2 years and it's one hell of an improvement if you compare it to BW.

[Woodstock]

I don't know what other members think of our 'towpaths' if that is what they're supposed to be now.. but the overgrowth on most of the system is BAD. Even to try and find the 'Armco' to moor is a mission, firstly to find it... and secondly preferably with long sleeves as you run the risk of being stung by nettles... The only places that remotely look like what we were used to by the meaning of 'towpaths' is by bollard at locks.. oh, maybe a bit of clearance at visitor moorings for a couple of boats... I have sent my rant off to C&T but I'm not expecting much of a rely back or excuse as to why it is soooooo bad... Ok rant over ....

It would be interesting to hear what areas you mean by BAD. If CRT have contractors in those areas, then they obviously aren't providing the right service and notifying CRT helps them monitor and improve the service provided by contractors. Personally I haven't seen it worse this year, The towpaths near home where I regulalrly walk and those towpaths where I moor haven't been worse this year. There is also a period in the Spring / Summer where trees and hedges cannot be cut back because of nesting birds.

[craftycarper]

I made the same sort of comments on the 11th July...see under "The Veg Pledge".

and you should both get the same response it's the country side if you don't like it go and sit in an inner city park if it bothers you that much get a strimmer out but as the green and pleasant land slowly gets turned into a concrete jungle lets stop bleating because the grass grows every summer ,I guess you moan about puddles on the towpath in winter as well

[ditchcrawler]

Surely then the company contracted is in breach of contract.

And CRT should cancel the contract, and give it to another company

But he was probably talking to someone who doesn't know the details of the veg cutting contract. I wouldn't expect to find the person with the knowledge of the contact on the tow path but in an office somewhere

[ditchcrawler]

 

 

(My statement does not include offside trees, though - this really does seem to be a problem that is worsening).

I think that depends where you are, CaRT have done some very good work offside in the past 2 years and where they have its quite good, however the Birmingham and Fazeley is quite grim

[sueb]

The growth must be stopping people walking the towpaths. Why walk beside a canal when you can't even see it.

[spud150]

having just come back from a trip the leeds liverpool is very overgrown compard with last year ,needs sortong, the amount of licence that we pay

[BGA]

This must be the thinking behind the 14 day limit on mooring, you moor up and cut back 60 foot of towpath, within 14 days you are off again to clear another 60 feet and so on and no cheating by mooring where someone else has cleared.

[b0atman]

Maybe a condition of the cc'ers licence is that they are responsible for maintaining the towpath vegetation wherever they stop that would soon sort the problem .

Something needs to be done because the contract is not working the men only mow and strim the grass .Trees are taking route and growing with roots breaking bank sides.

[glenvar]

But he was probably talking to someone who doesn't know the details of the veg cutting contract. I wouldn't expect to find the person with the knowledge of the contact on the tow path but in an office somewhere

Last tme I was talking to someone from CaRT I was told that fountains had the whole 2200 miles, feeders/resevoirs/moorings in that situation its near impossible to chuck them off and replace them.

[b0atman]

all eggs in one basket mentality again just like government with G4S

[Daiboy]

Maybe a condition of the cc'ers licence is that they are responsible for maintaining the towpath vegetation wherever they stop that would soon sort the problem .

Something needs to be done because the contract is not working the men only mow and strim the grass .Trees are taking route and growing with roots breaking bank sides.

 

I agree in principle bOatman. I would not be adverse to a bit of cutting or trimming the towpath as I cc and moor up for a "few days" here and there. I would not, however, tackle trees. By the way, did you come through the GU at Uxbridge the other day as I'm sure I saw the name Peace on a boat that past by me?

[MtB]

Considering the budget for vegetation, trees etc is 10 million quid, I'd say someone's on a good earner for very little.

 

Is that really the case?

 

I'm sure I could do it for £9.9m, and have plenty left over to fund my boating.

 

How does one tender for this contract?

 

 

MtB

[b0atman]

Daiboy no I am on my penultimate day at Marple top lock pound between L15 & L16 .Amazingly I think that there are only a few boats with the name Peace.

Grass is nicely cut here .

[LEO]

Last tme I was talking to someone from CaRT I was told that fountains had the whole 2200 miles, feeders/resevoirs/moorings in that situation its near impossible to chuck them off and replace them.

 

 

This is interesting --- we had a tree down on the moorings at Cowroast and Fountains arranged the removal, another tree came down within weeks, again Fountains organised clearance work, both times their workforce were Polish (presumably self employed).

 

More recently some small holes developed between the piling and the bank. CRt agreed to make them good and duly 2 workers appeared on site. The job probably took 45 mins (mostly spent barrowing materials along the long access path).

 

They had one other job to do 20 miles away.

 

They had travelled up from MAIDSTONE - a 2.5 hour journey at the best of times and they were not from Fountains.....

 

It's our licence/mooring money CRT are spending!

 

L

[b0atman]

Nothing wrong with polish labour they are workmen the same as anyone else BUT long term this country will have a major problem .The new pension system when it comes in says pay N.I for 10 years and get a full pension at retirement age .These workers will have gone home by then and future residents of Britain will have to fund this payment to pensioners of other nationalities.

[phill]

.The new pension system when it comes in says pay N.I for 10 years and get a full pension at retirement age .

 

Really? Reference please.

[Delta9]

 

 

This is interesting --- we had a tree down on the moorings at Cowroast and Fountains arranged the removal, another tree came down within weeks, again Fountains organised clearance work, both times their workforce were Polish (presumably self employed).

 

More recently some small holes developed between the piling and the bank. CRt agreed to make them good and duly 2 workers appeared on site. The job probably took 45 mins (mostly spent barrowing materials along the long access path).

 

They had one other job to do 20 miles away.

 

They had travelled up from MAIDSTONE - a 2.5 hour journey at the best of times and they were not from Fountains.....

 

It's our licence/mooring money CRT are spending!

 

L

This should be posted in the thread about licence evaders. No wonder some people don't want to pay for a licence when they see their money being spent so wastefully.

[LEO]

This should be posted in the thread about licence evaders. No wonder some people don't want to pay for a licence when they see their money being spent so wastefully.

 

Good Lord!!

 

A sane posting - yes I agree with you.

 

I have no problems with Polish people working in a GB environment - but let's all start playing to the same H&S rules - the Polish guys that I have come across have no regard to them.

 

Sending guys on a 5 hour (minimum) round trip is amazing - as was the local mooring Manager to agreeing in filling in two small holes.

 

Shame on you CRT.

 

L

Edited July 22, 2014 by LEO

[bigcol]

The fact is

 

Anyone that pays their licence fee, CRT cannot surely not spending the trust money wisely.

Everyday these beautiful canals and resource are not being long term maintained or protected.

Years to come these will not be navigable nor the foot paths either.

 

We all see this every time we use these beautiful waterways.

Bit by bit this resource in the future will be forgotten.

 

Boaters will not be able to boat, possibly fisherman won't be able to fish!

 

As long as we have folks with holes in their bums, at the top, with spagettee for brains,on high salarys, bonuses ,Dreaming about their foreign holiday or what company car they should order.

 

The canal needs true custodians, People that can't or won't be corrupted by power or money

It should be part of their job description, if they love what they do, holidays to be taken on the canals, Maybe boat owners that already know and appreciate the canal, wide life and users needs.

 

 

We will be continuing posting, and crusing, till it's all just volunteers , trying to put things right, just like it was in the early 1930s.

 

We're were given another chance.

hey ho just coming up from Gifford park today, you can see it for ourselves,trees covering 1/2 the waterway,

Tow path overgrown,trees broken, breaking with the weight of damaged branches, side bank wall barriers collapsed.no long term dredging.

We all see this every day, we do see and enjoy the beauty, peace, tranquility

But our licence fees are collected, and spent,flittered wastefully away.

 

Seen on another post,10,000,0000 budget for vegetation, equating to £5000 per mile,

I think we all could do better than that, but CRT our custodians of our fantastic waterway,reward a third party company the whole bloody contract, and the MDs have super big mansions mercs places in the sun fat cat salarys, which of course no tax will be paid anyway!

 

Wasting and mis spending taxpayers money, blaming problems within the system on financial cuts.

But will result in fees going up the following year after year. Paying vast stupid amounts of money for the simplest jobs, guys walking up and down cutting grass at breakneck speed, not tackling the over grown bushes, trees, just paid to cover as much distance as fast as possible, with a guy revving up a strimmer, and then 5 mins later another with a petrol blower. Work it mile by mile, do the job properly.

 

I love our boating, our waterways, our wide life, everyday a blessing, everyday is a untold life beginning

For the waterways, a fresh start, new life, let's hope though somehow, that goverment, charity whatever wakes up, and help to make it flourish, not just patch it up, make it a outstanding success.

 

Here and now CRT can't even be bothered with notifying owner of their craft sinking, up in the office, it's just like always just a job, low paid office staff, with the folks at the top, out playing golf, or out for lunch and the everyday meetings.

 

It's human Greed. That's all, Greed and stupidity at its highest

 

Mini rant over

 

Before some spark says if I don't like it don't use it, I do! We love it, it's what makes us tick like us all!!

 

Anyway family young children outside boat told shouted at tonight, by bloke other side outside house in Peartree bridge not to feed the ducks, or swans, their sick of em on the canal bank, and making their noise!!, he's also informed us all,his a policeman, and then disappeared inside. It was peaceful feeding the birds, fish,in fact wanted to feed anything, the guy never come outside again.

 

Life ! I loved that song by Mary poppins, Aparently she mustn't have fed the birds either then??

 

Yep did go on last night, edited for lots of spelling. Apologies

Edited July 23, 2014 by bigcol

[NickF]

I was out on the Birmingham and Worcester, The Droitwich and that Stratford a few weeks ago, and everything was really well cut back and tidy ... I wonder if it's a different story if you get away from the midlands?

[larryjc]

Well we've just done the lower part of the S&W which is a disgrace and been told by some contractors that they can't do the towpath because of the 'environmentalist'. When I contact CRT they said that was rubbish and they were trying to get the contractors to fulfil their obligations. Yet we turn up the Shroppie and its all been cut - all of it!! What is going on? Mind you my gripe is the non towpath side. I could live with narrow sections - if you can see down them but the number of blind bends that are caused by overhanging trees is ridiculous. How about someone from CRT actually getting a boat and trying to navigate their own damned waterways and seeing how dangerous some place are!!

[Athy]

The growth must be stopping people walking the towpaths. Why walk beside a canal when you can't even see it.

If you can't see it you are indeed unlikely to walk along beside it. You are much more likely to walk straight into it.

Mind you my gripe is the non towpath side. I could live with narrow sections - if you can see down them but the number of blind bends that are caused by overhanging trees is ridiculous. How about someone from CRT actually getting a boat and trying to navigate their own damned waterways and seeing how dangerous some place are!!

How about more boaters carrying clippers/ secateurs/ saws and removing the overhanging parts which annoy them, rather than just moaning about them?

 

 

 

As long as we have folks with holes in their bums, at the top,

 

 

 

 

 

 

This conjures up an extraordinary mental picture, unless they are Australians.

[jenlyn]

How about more boaters carrying clippers/ secateurs/ saws and removing the overhanging parts which annoy them, rather than just moaning about them?

.

That's a really good idea, perhaps they will give us all buttys to tow along behind enabling us to carry the spoil. Then perhaps arrange pick up points for wagons with hi abs to unload us.

Loving it, really.

[Athy]

That's a really good idea, perhaps they will give us all buttys to tow along behind enabling us to carry the spoil. Then perhaps arrange pick up points for wagons with hi abs to unload us.

Loving it, really.

It's not like you to be sarky.

A butty would be nice but a hedge bottom will suffice. That's where we generally throw our cuttings.