Enforcement - Speed limit

Alan ashore

Alan ashore

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 Oct 2012
Messages
571
Location
Teddington
Visit site
A tweet from EA yesterday, and subsequent conversation:

1. Environment AgencySE ‏@EnvAgencySE
We are out on the River #Thames making sure #boaters stick to the speed limit, which is 8km/h or 4.9mph. pic.twitter.com/HOEEL0jznV

2. Rob Kemp ‏@SkyDancePhotos
@EnvAgencySE they should hide in bushes in dark clothing then they will get more

3. Thames Sewage ‏@thamessewage
@EnvAgencySE Could you possibly also check the semi-tidal #Thames between Teddington & Richmond plz? #speeding #boaters

4. ThamesAnglers TAC ‏@ThamesAnglers
@thamessewage @EnvAgencySE Agree with that. Like a speedway track sometimes coming out of Teddington. Worst is on a low tide with the wash.

5. Tom Morgan ‏@Morgo06
@EnvAgencySE no speed limit on the tidal thames below Wandsworth bridge

6. Dromio ‏@DromioOf_____
@EnvAgencySE Will you enforce the speed limit on commercial passenger boats?

7. Dromio ‏@DromioOf_____
@EnvAgencySE I think some operators' published timetables are inconsistent with obeying speed limits BTW.

8. Environment AgencySE ‏@EnvAgencySE
@thamessewage Hi, @LondonPortAuth deal with the tidal Thames, they should be able to help.

9. Environment AgencySE ‏@EnvAgencySE
@DromioOf_____ We will enforce the speed limit on all boats. We will be visiting commercial operators during the campaign.

10. Dromio ‏@DromioOf_____
@EnvAgencySE per @ThamesAnglers post, speeds on Your patch between Tedd. lock and the obelisk are crazy. Bring the radar down for a day?
 
Alan ashore said:
1. Environment AgencySE ‏@EnvAgencySE
We are out on the River #Thames making sure #boaters stick to the speed limit, which is 8km/h or 4.9mph. pic.twitter.com/HOEEL0jznV
Click to expand...

8 kilometres is actually 4.970 969 537 9 miles - or for all practical purpose 5 miles, not 4.9 ! I do wonder how much "tolerance" they are exercising when deciding whether to caution or prosecute?

And you would think the message would have got through by now that boat speedos display knots and 8k/hr is actually 4.2 knots !
 
Number 5 from Tom morgan is incorrect too.

Granted its an 'advisory' 12 knot limit from Wandsworth to cherry garden , but I suspect you'd get a talking to if you were going silly , putting up loads of wash.
 
boatone said:
Wonder what happens then?
Click to expand...

In my experience, absolutely nothing. Video evidence, still nothing. Maniacs in a speedboat bombing up and down the Desborough Cut were met by Surrey Police. They were nasty drunks, told the Police to "Go forth and multiply". shrugs from the Policeman, unhappy Lockie, but they went on their way and carried on behaving like idiots until they finally pulled the boat out at Thames Ditton and went on their (drunken) way unhindered.

To sum up.... If you are lairy and abusive and refuse to give a name (and have not registered your boat) nothing happens.

But if you have complied with the regulations and are a normal reasonable person we will be happy to fine you....
 
teddington_lock said:
Number 5 from Tom morgan is incorrect too.

Granted its an 'advisory' 12 knot limit from Wandsworth to cherry garden , but I suspect you'd get a talking to if you were going silly , putting up loads of wash.
Click to expand...

Seriously...have you forgotten all my posts on the subject ;-)

The speed limit is mandatory and has been since July 1st last year. Certain craft may exceed this, but for all intensive purposes not leisure craft (theoretically some can, but its all but impossible to comply with the criteria).
 
On the tidal section at least there are a decent number of PLA and/or Police boats going up and down, whether they enforce the limit or not, I have no idea, but presumably if they wanted to they could and also presumably their presence alone does a decent job of enforcing it, I've not seen any leisure boats planning at all since it came in.
 
prof pat pending said:
Nothing..... Last time I reported a boat on the plane the locky said there was nothing he could do
Click to expand...

Report it via the ICS number , then it gets passed to us on the duty desk , then we will assign it to one of the enforcement team.

But be prepared to give some details , and if need be make a statement . So many of these reports are from anonymous sources which we can't follow up.

If you can , get a picture / video , everyone's phones nowadays are capable of this.

It needs to go via ICS , otherwise it just becomes Chinese whispers.
 
Tried that. Video evidence too.

Nothing happens.

System broken, waste of time, better to hurl abuse at the mongs... :mad:
 
No Regrets said:
Tried that. Video evidence too.

Nothing happens.

System broken, waste of time, better to hurl abuse at the mongs... :mad:
Click to expand...

Awful word mate... Mentally ill child and we hear it incorrectly used alot...
I coach lots of youngsters and it is a seriously taboo word for me... Pricks, tossers, wan#€'re etc. Fine.. But mongs... :-(
 
teddington_lock said:
Report it via the ICS number , then it gets passed to us on the duty desk , then we will assign it to one of the enforcement team.

But be prepared to give some details , and if need be make a statement . So many of these reports are from anonymous sources which we can't follow up.

If you can , get a picture / video , everyone's phones nowadays are capable of this.

It needs to go via ICS , otherwise it just becomes Chinese whispers.
Click to expand...

Saw another this week....backed up the story of a rather respected Thames narrow boater to the locky (before I had seen your post)

I guess plenty of people would be rather nervous of doing the above, this incident was only a few miles from home and not that far from where I keep my boat. Is anonymity assured during this process??
 
I spoke to the two officers in kingston today and they said they need two statements from witnesses about speeding and they can start the process. would help if they could have boat names or descriptions of the eejits on the boats or better still some photo or video evidence. they seemed keen to nick someone to make an example, the older guy with the white beard (is he new, not seen him before?) said he was determined to stop speeding on his patch as it's the biggest complaint he gets from boaters and the property owners on the river
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top