Change To Management of EA Thames Moorings

[Tim Lewis]

From Facebook 

 

 

SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Management of short-stay visitor moorings

As of today, Friday 1 February, and until further notice, our short-stay visitor moorings at selected lock sites and other locations along the non-tidal River Thames will once again be managed by our own River Thames Waterways staff. This is while we finalise arrangements for a long-term solution that we feel provides the best range of benefits for users of our short-stay moorings, and for us, and that draws on the learnings from our trials of using external contractors to support us in providing this service.

We want to implement a long-term solution at the earliest opportunity. While we work towards this, our lock staff will manage all short-stay moorings at the following lock sites where local charges will apply:

• Lechlade
• Eynsham
• Kings
• Osney (East St moorings)
• Iffley
• Culham
• Abingdon
• Goring
• Sonning
• Marlow
• Cookham
 
Off-site visitor moorings will be free but until further notice can only be used for stays of 24 hours.  Usage will be monitored by our patrol launches. These moorings are available at the following locations:
 
• Reading (Scours Lane)
• Wargrave (Lashbrook moorings)
• Towpath opposite Queen’s Eyot
• Boveney (opposite Andrews Boathouse)
• Egham
• Laleham
• Weybridge Towpath
• Tail of Desborough Island
• Walton towpath
• Walton Gridley Miskins
• Hurst Park
• Kingston Rail Wharf (upstream end)
 
The signage currently on display at all sites is in the process of being replaced to ensure users are aware of the change in arrangements.  We are also reviewing the information on gov.uk.

We will provide further updates in due course.

[OldGoat]

54 minutes ago, Tim Lewis said:

From Facebook 

 

 

SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Management of short-stay visitor moorings

As of today, Friday 1 February, and until further notice, our short-stay visitor moorings at selected lock sites and other locations along the non-tidal River Thames will once again be managed by our own River Thames Waterways staff. This is while we finalise arrangements for a long-term solution that we feel provides the best range of benefits for users of our short-stay moorings, and for us, and that draws on the learnings from our trials of using external contractors to support us in providing this service.

We want to implement a long-term solution at the earliest opportunity. While we work towards this, our lock staff will manage all short-stay moorings at the following lock sites where local charges will apply:

• Lechlade
• Eynsham
• Kings
• Osney (East St moorings)
• Iffley
• Culham
• Abingdon
• Goring
• Sonning
• Marlow
• Cookham
 
Off-site visitor moorings will be free but until further notice can only be used for stays of 24 hours.  Usage will be monitored by our patrol launches. These moorings are available at the following locations:
 
• Reading (Scours Lane)
• Wargrave (Lashbrook moorings)
• Towpath opposite Queen’s Eyot
• Boveney (opposite Andrews Boathouse)
• Egham
• Laleham
• Weybridge Towpath
• Tail of Desborough Island
• Walton towpath
• Walton Gridley Miskins
• Hurst Park
• Kingston Rail Wharf (upstream end)
 
The signage currently on display at all sites is in the process of being replaced to ensure users are aware of the change in arrangements.  We are also reviewing the information on gov.uk.

We will provide further updates in due course.

Dunno if that's good or not. IMHO the lockies are the best people to manage 'their' moorings, but only if they are supported by EA, that is sufficient staff to monitor usage.

 

Hover, it doesn't  address the 'car park attendant' outfit who are mis managing the Reading and Hampton Court moorings (these are owned by RDC and the Royal Palaces

[RichLech]

This says local charges will apply at short stay moorings at lock sites ( the first list eg. East St Moorings). These locations have always been free for first 24 hours. Let's hope "local charges" will still be zero for that first 24 hours. 

[john6767]

1 hour ago, RichLech said:

This says local charges will apply at short stay moorings at lock sites ( the first list eg. East St Moorings). These locations have always been free for first 24 hours. Let's hope "local charges" will still be zero for that first 24 hours. 

I think all or most of these sites  have charges after 24 hours already 

[RichLech]

9 hours ago, john6767 said:

I think all or most of these sites  have charges after 24 hours already 

Yes they do indeed, but from the wording above it is not clear these sites will still be free for the first 24 hours. The announcement just says "local charges will apply"

[blackrose]

17 hours ago, OldGoat said:

Dunno if that's good or not. IMHO the lockies are the best people to manage 'their' moorings, but only if they are supported by EA, that is sufficient staff to monitor usage.

 

Indeed, since the EA has been laying off full-time lock-keepers and replacing them with part-timers, volunteers and just leaving locks semi-permanently on self-service, then I'm not sure how it would work.

[OldGoat]

2 hours ago, RichLech said:

Yes they do indeed, but from the wording above it is not clear these sites will still be free for the first 24 hours. The announcement just says "local charges will apply"

The "announcement" is about who runs / administers the moorings that are owned by EA and not - as yet -  any changes in how long you can stay and for how much. Thus the first night is free and a fiver thereafter up to the limit. Those moorings which are "adjacent" to the lock ( for example Teddington, Goring, Osney) will be run by the lockie, those further away (e.g. Runnemede, Shiplake) will be monitored  by EA launch crews....

 

For folks who are not familiar with the Thames, unlike CaRT who own the track, EA only own the locks and some other structures. Everything else is owned by others who can do as they please over moorings and charges.

Fro the boaters' point of view it's a complete muddle.....

[OldGoat]

6 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Indeed, since the EA has been laying off full-time lock-keepers and replacing them with part-timers, volunteers and just leaving locks semi-permanently on self-service, then I'm not sure how it would work.

Your correct in the last statement, but I would take issue of the rest.

The lockie is there primary for flow control who works a five day week. Reliefs and seasonal staff fill the gaps of rest days and so on. To assist the lockie, volunteers are recruited and trained, but they are a welcome bonus during busy time (the Union doesn't see it that way)

[Dave123]

Just wondering if anyone has an update for the situation with Thames visitor moorings? Both the parking fee websites that were in use to register and pay for additional time beyond the first 24hs are still live (where2moor and TVM) despite the notice from the EA that they are taking over running moorings...

[MoominPapa]

16 minutes ago, Dave123 said:

Just wondering if anyone has an update for the situation with Thames visitor moorings? Both the parking fee websites that were in use to register and pay for additional time beyond the first 24hs are still live (where2moor and TVM) despite the notice from the EA that they are taking over running moorings...

We stopped in the meadow upstream of Eynsham, which has the signs, and tried to register on the parkonomy website but failed. Parkonomy replied to a support ticket with the following.

 

We can see that the Location Operator for this location has set Swinford Reach - Mooring to inactive, 
therefore you cannot pay for any Mooring sessions at this location via our service and will 
need to contact the Location Operator to discuss paying for your mooring session.

 

At that point I gave up.

 

MP.

 

Edited May 1, 2019 by MoominPapa
Add line breaks in quoted text.

[Dave123]

Thanks...that was the first spot I'll get to I think so will just see what happens I guess?

[Mike on the Wey]

We went to Reading and back from Pyrford at Easter, so we saw a few TVM sites. All TVM signs have been removed.

 

Sadly, I could not see any obvious monitoring or encouragement to move on by the EA. The boats on the Marlow Park moorings had not moved by the time we went back downstream. Dorney was full going upstream, but only one of those boats was still there on our return journey.

 

Apart from the usual squatters, Reading Tesco was almost devoid of boats. Christchurch Meadow used to have a healthy throughput of varied boats staying for a night or two; it was sad to see none there at all.

[ditchcrawler]

10 minutes ago, Mike on the Wey said:

 

 

Apart from the usual squatters, Reading Tesco was almost devoid of boats. Christchurch Meadow used to have a healthy throughput of varied boats staying for a night or two; it was sad to see none there at all.

Isn't that managed separately 

[OldGoat]

It's a blurry mess....

EA cancelled TVM's contract and stated that it would monitor its moorings itself  returning to monitoring / collecting fees from the local lock keepers where appropriate.

I believe that the owner of TVM will / may keep his site active - but I don't know for how long (it's quite a useful site with other information on it - but it costs him to retain - with no other income...)

 

Reading and Hampton Court Palace are still under the control of That Parking Company  - but for how long I don't know. I suspect the Eynsham mooring will fail if nobody patrols it.