Just how important is upgrading towpaths for "Cyclists"?

[Tuscan]

"I think us boat owners have to start looking at this from the other side of the fence. Boaters only contribute, directly, about a third of the total bill for running the inland waterways. So the person cycling or walking their dog along the towpath might very well take the view that they are actually subsidising the person passing by in their £90,000 narrowboat."

 

All true , boaters are though the only group that contribute more than once to the canal system , through licensing, general taxation and then the support of the many businesses who rely on boaters for their livelihood marinas, chandleries, pubs etc all of whose employees pay tax as well as corporation and VAT tax. Not to mention the tax paid by CRT and its employees engaged in maintenance etc.

 

Having said all that I'm very happy that the canal is there to be shared as a resource for everyone to use as a leisure facility for all as opposed to a cycle way for some.

[Water Rat.]

Quite a lot of money has been spent upgrading the tow path around Watford. There is a lock cottage which always has a lovely garden. I met the owner when I went by last week who said that owing to the towpath improvement the cyclists now go by so fast that it is too dangerous to to the gardening. He clocked one at 29 miles an hour! And yes he has an accurate method of testing the speeds. He also said boaters no longer moor up there for the evenings as the path is so wide they don't have space for chairs etc. and risk being run over!

[MisterDave]

Rings were put in all along the (offside) frontage of the new development at Aylesbury Basin. Then a child tripped over one and fell in. They have now all been cut off.

 

Without actually knowing about any specific incident, that's basically what I assumed was the problem with putting in rings, someone's tripped or cycled into a ring. I've come close to tripping over rings a few times, it's easily done.

 

Perhaps what should be put in is a series of small squares of grass or dirt, level with the hard surface but left soft so that mooring pins can still be hammered in.

 

At one location where we struggled to moor I found the outer shell of a couple of rawl bolts in the stonework well placed about 50 feet apart, a couple of M8 eyebolts would have enabled mooring. I now carry eyebolts, just in case. Don't think I'm cheeky enough to start drilling the edging stones and installing my own though!

[Leo No2]

Is the failure to secure an ongoing repair budget from Sustrans by Surrey County Council an oversight, or do CRT also have to fund ongoing repairs to toepaths upgraded to cycle paths?

 

IIRC the Navigation Authority were rather 'overcome' by the upgrading to the towpath so I think it was an oversight by Surrey.

[peterboat]

Easy answer.

 

Don't take money for "improvements" from people who are intent on improving it for themselves rather than the other users

Greenie sir just so right

 

Peter

[peterboat]

If you cruise to much you will be dealt with.

More than likely for wearing out the canal

 

Peter