While we all may prefer this to be done differently - surely this is a positive development? One has to think that they have considered some of the issues raised in this thread before deciding to use this dredging method.
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....In as much as I applaud the council for coming along and stamping some tarmac into the potholes in my street rather than fixing it properly.
Problem is the next time it rains, it all washes out again! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
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Sorry Mr whoever you are, need to raise your council taxes again cos need more money to fix the pothole outside your mansion /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
No what they need to do is prioritise the spending based on what the poor suckers that actually use the river want rather than the pen pushing tossers in Reading.
Broken Record Time....
Why rebuild the moorings at Bray Lock to EXACLTY the same length and same height (ie prone to flood) as before, costing millions of pounds. What possible benefit is there to me the boater?
Same at Cookham, all the moorings widened to 1M so that I can get a wheelchair down there.
This money was WASTED when it could have been spent on the old chestnut .....Dredging.
And that my friend IS DOWN TO THE EA, not their small budget.
If you've ever tried getting EA at Frimley to get their finger out and do their bit of consultation on a Planning Application you'll understand those adverts. (grrr!!!)
But again it shows they spend a lot of money on things nothing to do with navigation.
I sat for several years on the River User Group when the ramblers etc got on to the EA to build toilets at Hambleden Lock. I couldn't believe the EA took this seriously but they did.
Eilleen McKever came along a couple of times and promised to create more temporary moorings, the barge site below the Basildon railway bridge was mentioned several times, but again (as far as I'm aware) nothing happened on that front.
Given that much of the shallow moorings problem is the responsibility of others - local authorities, private owners etc - is there any possibility that the suckybklowythingy approach could be made available to them at the same time as the EA have it on the river?
Would be one way of helping them with a more economical route to a bit of timely moorings maintenance?