Proposed Winter Stoppages 2015-16

[nine9feet]

Finally had the time to look at the proposed stoppage list for the winter. Any one else studied it yet?

 

I note that for most of January there will be no through route between the midlands and the south, as the Oxford, which is otherwise open, is closed 4th to 29th to allow automation of Bridge 205 which is Mill Lift Bridge. This is the only planned stoppage on the Oxford.

 

I thought it used to be the case that the stoppages were arranged to keep one route open but that was not true (iirc) last winter. Can we expect this every winter now?

 

Cheers

[GoodGurl]

well if they don't do it in winter your summer trips would be very limited. i don't think it's really too much of a set back seeing as most don't move far in winter or take a winter mooring.

[Guest]

Finally had the time to look at the proposed stoppage list for the winter. Any one else studied it yet?

 

I note that for most of January there will be no through route between the midlands and the south, as the Oxford, which is otherwise open, is closed 4th to 29th to allow automation of Bridge 205 which is Mill Lift Bridge. This is the only planned stoppage on the Oxford.

 

I thought it used to be the case that the stoppages were arranged to keep one route open but that was not true (iirc) last winter. Can we expect this every winter now?

 

Cheers

Let me see,

 

CRT give six months notice that a three week stoppage is to take place, and somebody is crying about it on the Internet.....

 

Christ on a bike, they moan when they fix it and they moan when they don't......

Edited May 30, 2015 by MJG

[nine9feet]

Let me see,

 

CRT give six months notice that a three week stoppage is to take place, and somebody is crying about it on the Internet.....

 

Christ on a bike, they moan when they fix it and they moan when they don't......

 

Oh dear, Martin! No one is "crying about it on the internet". I am merely interested in whether it is generally expected for there to be no through route.

 

I appreciate that this issue would rarely (if ever) have affected you in the past and won't be a bother for you now that you are no longer boating. However, it may affect my boating as I cruise all year round and move most days.

 

Cheers

Edited May 30, 2015 by nine9feet

[Guest]

Oh dear, Martin! No one is "crying about it on the internet". I am merely interested in whether it is generally expected for there to be no through route.

 

I appreciate that this issue would rarely (if ever) have affected you in the past and won't be a bother for you now that you are no longer boating. However, it may affect my boating as I cruise all year round and move most days.

 

Cheers

Yes I have heard the tripe before about me 'no longer boating' and it still cuts no ice, sorry. I may soon not own a boat but that does not mean I won't be boating nor does it mean I'm not allowed an opinion on here.

 

Ok now that bit of pointless trivia is dealt with....

 

Ok then if you had to replace a bridge control on the Oxford requiring a stoppage how would you do it?

 

Given you have had six months notice surely you can avoid it? Even if as you say you 'move most days', or do you plan to head towards the stoppage just to make some sort of point? If you move 'most days' there is one heck of a big waterway system to explore, big enough to avoid a stoppage you know about well in advance....don't you think.

[GoodGurl]

We had a months stoppage on 3 consecutive locks last winter on the T&M, people knew about it so avoided it, i had a winter mooring there and there was only one boat that arrived during the stoppage.

[Scholar Gypsy]

I am guessing, but I would have thought that with that particular stoppage it would be quite possible (if you ask nicely) to arrange to get through, the bridge with it being opened manually under supervision - say a slot once a week?

[Mrs Trackman]

I'm very sorry if you feel we are just moaners. Some of us love winter boating and since whether genuine continuous cruisers or those who have a home mooring but are away from it are supposed to keep moving, we try to comply. We dont expect it to be easy but When we were first on our boat we studied the stoppages carefully to find routes through.In the last few years the principle of keeping a route open seems to have been abandoned. I thought the idea of publishing the proposals was so that we could point out potential problems.

We find it disappointing not to have been able to get to the centre of Birmingham whichever way we went for the last few winters but for others, boat movers etc it can be a real problem.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Mrs Trackman

[Naughty Cal]

I'm glad to see that they are doing works to Stamp End Lock this winter. It is becoming exceptionally troublesome at the moment. There is an engineer there more often then not so far this summer as there seems to be a fault with one or more of the sensors which stops the guillotine gate operating. Hopefully they can find a fix for it in the six weeks they plan to have it shut.

[Guest]

I'm very sorry if you feel we are just moaners. Some of us love winter boating and since whether genuine continuous cruisers or those who have a home mooring but are away from it are supposed to keep moving, we try to comply. We dont expect it to be easy but When we were first on our boat we studied the stoppages carefully to find routes through.In the last few years the principle of keeping a route open seems to have been abandoned. I thought the idea of

 

What transpired subsequent to those posts being made was that the Southern GU is seemingly to be closed too at the same time. Though I haven't checked if this is the case. (The posts in question were lost in the forum outage) so it does seem a bit daft to close both routes to the most southerly part of the system at the same time. So whilst the OP made no mention of this being the case if this is correct then those affected should feed into the consultation and seek that at least one route remains open.

 

We too used to like boating in the winter but we just had to do it within the stoppage program and always managed but then I cant recall them ever completely cutting one part of the Northern system off with stoppages (but I may be wrong and we just never encountered it)

[bassplayer]

We got trapped in between the Marsworth and Milton Keynes stoppage last winter. There was still plenty to enjoy (and nice pubs). I'm just glad CRT are still maintaining the infrastructure otherwise we're all,going nowhere....

[Guest]

I thought the idea of publishing the proposals was so that we could point out potential problems.

 

It is and this point was also made (by Cotswoldsman) in the posts that were lost in the outage.

 

It does seem strange however that CRT themselves cant see the problems of closing both routes to the South at the same time without needing boaters to point it out. (if indeed both routes are to be closed)

[ValandPete]

I totally agree with your post Mrs Trackman. We do the same. We had a bit of a dash to get up Hatton at the beginning of Jan before it shut so we could get to Birmingham. We had been held up by ice. We did find a route through but only by travelling over Christmas/New Year period.

 

I will have a look at the proposals when I get a chance.

[Scholar Gypsy]

I totally agree with your post Mrs Trackman. We do the same. We had a bit of a dash to get up Hatton at the beginning of Jan before it shut so we could get to Birmingham. We had been held up by ice. We did find a route through but only by travelling over Christmas/New Year period.

 

I will have a look at the proposals when I get a chance.

 

and NB the Environment Agency tend to have some very long stoppages over the Winter on the Thames locks - I don't think I've seen one yet for 15-16.

[Maffi]

 

Oh dear, Martin! No one is "crying about it on the internet". I am merely interested in whether it is generally expected for there to be no through route.

 

I appreciate that this issue would rarely (if ever) have affected you in the past and won't be a bother for you now that you are no longer boating. However, it may affect my boating as I cruise all year round and move most days.

 

Cheers

 

Are you saying the GU is closed during that period?

Edited June 2, 2015 by Maffi

[matty40s]

 

It is and this point was also made (by Cotswoldsman) in the posts that were lost in the outage.

 

It does seem strange however that CRT themselves cant see the problems of closing both routes to the South at the same time without needing boaters to point it out. (if indeed both routes are to be closed)

It was pointed out to them last year in the "consultation", and they took little or no notice. Made boat moving almost impossible for the majority of the period.

CRT releases keep talking about the "cruising season", I think they may have decided that it isn't cost or labour effective to bother keeping a through route open.

[Maffi]

One has to wonder how the people in the mill house are going to be affected by this stoppage?

It was pointed out to them last year in the "consultation", and they took little or no notice. Made boat moving almost impossible for the majority of the period.

CRT releases keep talking about the "cruising season", I think they may have decided that it isn't cost or labour effective to bother keeping a through route open.

 

I pointed out to RP a couple of years ago that I couldn't get north from Braunston because the three routes were closed and he was adamant he had told them to leave a through route from Braunston north.

[Paul C]

It was pointed out to them last year in the "consultation", and they took little or no notice. Made boat moving almost impossible for the majority of the period.

CRT releases keep talking about the "cruising season", I think they may have decided that it isn't cost or labour effective to bother keeping a through route open.

 

That's probably spot on true, unfair as it seems. They've probably weighed up the handful of complaints by not keeping a through route open vs the ease of just scheduling/doing the stoppage work without the requirement to keep it open.

[billS]

Oh great - another simple, manually operated bridge replaced with something which can and will break down.

 

(Having said that - that one is a heavy sod when it is wet.)

[Guest]

 

Are you saying the GU is closed during that period?

 

That is the implication posed by the original post. Otherwise it would seem strange to suggest the single closure on the Oxford is such a big problem, they do after all have to fix or 'improve' things for boaters otherwise they get stick for not doing that as well.

 

I personally haven't checked but there was a suggestion in one of the posts that disappeared on 'Black Sunday' that there was indeed a stoppage on the Southern GU at the same time.

[GUMPY]

Lock 69a Kings Langley is scheduled to be closed 4 Jan - 11 March

that's from memory as I CBA to go and look it up again........