thamesS23
Well-Known Member
is there anywhere online that you can look to get up to date info on what boards are out on the river at various locations?
red boards?
- Thread starter thamesS23
- Start date
jecuk
Well-Known Member
teddington lock website is helpful at least for there.
teddington_lock
Well-Known Member
Ummm ...
Not online , but you can get warning board info by calling :-
0845 988 1188 and when prompted, press 1 immediately followed by the quickdial number :-
011131
Although , checking it now , it was last updated on Tuesday 25th and it is saying that the only red boards out are at Marlow. Not sure what the lag on this service is ...
If you are interested in the reach from Teddington to Molesey , we have a 'River Status' page on our website www.teddington-lock.co.uk
We try to update it in real time , certainly within 12 hours of a board change.
Teddington is on Yellows at the moment.
H
Not online , but you can get warning board info by calling :-
0845 988 1188 and when prompted, press 1 immediately followed by the quickdial number :-
011131
Although , checking it now , it was last updated on Tuesday 25th and it is saying that the only red boards out are at Marlow. Not sure what the lag on this service is ...
If you are interested in the reach from Teddington to Molesey , we have a 'River Status' page on our website www.teddington-lock.co.uk
We try to update it in real time , certainly within 12 hours of a board change.
Teddington is on Yellows at the moment.
H
boatone
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Ummm ...
Not online , but you can get warning board info by calling :-
0845 988 1188 and when prompted, press 1 immediately followed by the quickdial number :-
011131
Although , checking it now , it was last updated on Tuesday 25th and it is saying that the only red boards out are at Marlow. Not sure what the lag on this service is ...
[/ QUOTE ]
It really is time the EA got up to date and put this info on an easily accessed webpage. And I mean an easily accessible webpage - something like www.visitthames.co.uk/thamesriverstatus or similar.
£500 for a licence and even the product accessibility info is out of date !!!
Ummm ...
Not online , but you can get warning board info by calling :-
0845 988 1188 and when prompted, press 1 immediately followed by the quickdial number :-
011131
Although , checking it now , it was last updated on Tuesday 25th and it is saying that the only red boards out are at Marlow. Not sure what the lag on this service is ...
[/ QUOTE ]
It really is time the EA got up to date and put this info on an easily accessed webpage. And I mean an easily accessible webpage - something like www.visitthames.co.uk/thamesriverstatus or similar.
£500 for a licence and even the product accessibility info is out of date !!!
teddington_lock
Well-Known Member
I'm just a lowly lock-keeper /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
boatone
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I'm just a lowly lock-keeper /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
[/ QUOTE ]
And probably as frustrated as we are with some of these issues!
Go on guys - click on www.visitthames.co.uk/thamesriverstatus - it will tell you the page is not available so click on 'Give Us Feedback' and tell 'em we want better info. They did set up a mobile message list last summer but havent received any info via that route for months.
I'm just a lowly lock-keeper /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
[/ QUOTE ]
And probably as frustrated as we are with some of these issues!
Go on guys - click on www.visitthames.co.uk/thamesriverstatus - it will tell you the page is not available so click on 'Give Us Feedback' and tell 'em we want better info. They did set up a mobile message list last summer but havent received any info via that route for months.
apollo
...
Done
teddington_lock
Well-Known Member
I have had a chat with one of the other lockies at Teddington about this, and it's easily do-able with a bit of co-operation.
It would need each of the three nav offices on the river to fax down to Tedders after they have done the morning levels which lock is showing which board ( if any ) on their head gates. You could make up a chart to be faxed so that all you would have to do would be to indicate either 'N' for none 'Y' or 'R' ..
Using basically the same software that i run the teddington lock site with , it could be updated ( 99% of the time ) before 12 midday.
The problem with having it part of visit-thames is that it isn't updated every day by the EA web designers ( as far as i know ) , so there would be a lag as i don't think the designers would agree to update every day before 12.
You would need to register a site ( www.thameswarningboards.co.uk for example ) with a company like 123-reg.co.uk , would cost £2.50 a year , and with that you get one free page and a content creator ( this is how i do the teddington lock site ) . Any fool can use it , and no knowledge of HTML or anything is neccessary.
Set up a template on it , and just cut and paste the letters as we would need to . Would take about 10 minutes a day. Winter would be easier to update as it is a bit quieter lock-wise , but flows are up , but then in the summer ( barring weather like last year ) the site wouldn't be needed , so we could get on with our normal lock-keeping duties.
I'm not volunteering though /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
It would need each of the three nav offices on the river to fax down to Tedders after they have done the morning levels which lock is showing which board ( if any ) on their head gates. You could make up a chart to be faxed so that all you would have to do would be to indicate either 'N' for none 'Y' or 'R' ..
Using basically the same software that i run the teddington lock site with , it could be updated ( 99% of the time ) before 12 midday.
The problem with having it part of visit-thames is that it isn't updated every day by the EA web designers ( as far as i know ) , so there would be a lag as i don't think the designers would agree to update every day before 12.
You would need to register a site ( www.thameswarningboards.co.uk for example ) with a company like 123-reg.co.uk , would cost £2.50 a year , and with that you get one free page and a content creator ( this is how i do the teddington lock site ) . Any fool can use it , and no knowledge of HTML or anything is neccessary.
Set up a template on it , and just cut and paste the letters as we would need to . Would take about 10 minutes a day. Winter would be easier to update as it is a bit quieter lock-wise , but flows are up , but then in the summer ( barring weather like last year ) the site wouldn't be needed , so we could get on with our normal lock-keeping duties.
I'm not volunteering though /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
TrueBlue
Well-Known Member
CQ AngelaQ, CQ AngelaQ,
Well said "One".
Hopefully AQ will pick this up - if she still exists, or is allowed to talk to us.
VisitThames is / was a brave effort to spread information about the River. It started off badly, but there have been slow but steady improvements. I suspect through lack of funds.
Time maybe to start juggling the bars politely, so I'll take action as you suggest.
Well said "One".
Hopefully AQ will pick this up - if she still exists, or is allowed to talk to us.
VisitThames is / was a brave effort to spread information about the River. It started off badly, but there have been slow but steady improvements. I suspect through lack of funds.
Time maybe to start juggling the bars politely, so I'll take action as you suggest.
TrueBlue
Well-Known Member
I just rang -
a very nice lady in Reading (10:40 ack emma) who said Caversham was on Yellows; couldn't give any more info as everyone was in a meeting...
Floodline is an attempt to centralise emergency information, but is totally impenetrable if you don't know the codes. A result of trying to have one point of contact for such a huge organization.
Be that as it may, it is rarely up to date; their week seems to end on Thursday afternoons and starts on Tuesdays, so not a whole lot of use of you need to know whether there's too much or too little water at the weekend.
Seems daft to me to have to ring up the local lock - who have better things to do (?), nice though it might be.
As to being a lowly lock keeper, the latter, yes, the former, definitely No, the only web enabled chaps on this ditch!
a very nice lady in Reading (10:40 ack emma) who said Caversham was on Yellows; couldn't give any more info as everyone was in a meeting...
Floodline is an attempt to centralise emergency information, but is totally impenetrable if you don't know the codes. A result of trying to have one point of contact for such a huge organization.
Be that as it may, it is rarely up to date; their week seems to end on Thursday afternoons and starts on Tuesdays, so not a whole lot of use of you need to know whether there's too much or too little water at the weekend.
Seems daft to me to have to ring up the local lock - who have better things to do (?), nice though it might be.
As to being a lowly lock keeper, the latter, yes, the former, definitely No, the only web enabled chaps on this ditch!
angelaquayle
Well-Known Member
Re: CQ AngelaQ, CQ AngelaQ,
Hello - not avoiding you honest, just busy.
We KNOW we should use as many ways as possible to let people find out what the river is up to. It was a strong message that came out of our review of the flooding last summer too. We are working on it but it will take a bit of time. It's not that it's especially difficult but more that if we are going to set up another system to inform customers it needs to be reliably managed. We currently update the Floodline navigation info as and when conditions change and it can ne accessed by whoever is on what we call 'High level standby' - ie: the person who knows the whole picture for the river. They can update it from wherever they are 24 hrs a day. In introducing a web based version, we'd need to be able to offer the same opportunity to ensure the info is correct. We will get there, either using visitthames or the EA site. We're also looking into the text messaging service used by our 'floodline warnings direct' service. In the summer, we were pasting mobile numbers into an email 20 at a time each time we sent a message - this isn't the way to do text messaging properly but was fine for an emergency situation. It's all on my list - it's just a big list at the moment. Visitthames is updated regularly and is getting more and more hits each month. There'll be more info on boating coming soon too.
Hello - not avoiding you honest, just busy.
We KNOW we should use as many ways as possible to let people find out what the river is up to. It was a strong message that came out of our review of the flooding last summer too. We are working on it but it will take a bit of time. It's not that it's especially difficult but more that if we are going to set up another system to inform customers it needs to be reliably managed. We currently update the Floodline navigation info as and when conditions change and it can ne accessed by whoever is on what we call 'High level standby' - ie: the person who knows the whole picture for the river. They can update it from wherever they are 24 hrs a day. In introducing a web based version, we'd need to be able to offer the same opportunity to ensure the info is correct. We will get there, either using visitthames or the EA site. We're also looking into the text messaging service used by our 'floodline warnings direct' service. In the summer, we were pasting mobile numbers into an email 20 at a time each time we sent a message - this isn't the way to do text messaging properly but was fine for an emergency situation. It's all on my list - it's just a big list at the moment. Visitthames is updated regularly and is getting more and more hits each month. There'll be more info on boating coming soon too.
ianc1200
Well-Known Member
Re: CQ AngelaQ, CQ AngelaQ,
You know the signs around our suburban towns telling us how many spaces there are in the various multi-storeys, could we expand that to visitors moorings; I want to know if the are any at Medmendham Meadows, go on line as I leave Hurley Lock and hey presto, three moorings left if you hurry!
IanC /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
You know the signs around our suburban towns telling us how many spaces there are in the various multi-storeys, could we expand that to visitors moorings; I want to know if the are any at Medmendham Meadows, go on line as I leave Hurley Lock and hey presto, three moorings left if you hurry!
IanC /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
TrueBlue
Well-Known Member
Re: CQ AngelaQ, CQ AngelaQ,
Cor! Poor old EA - not their problem, though a nice idea for 1984+40! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Of course you could get onto COPAS - who I think own the site??
Cor! Poor old EA - not their problem, though a nice idea for 1984+40! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Of course you could get onto COPAS - who I think own the site??
TrueBlue
Well-Known Member
How lovely to hear from you again,
I for one was fearing for your wellbeing...
It's easy for folks to snipe away from the outside.
From within, I suppose you want to get it right from the beginning; budgets are limited and someone will "get in trouble" if it goes belly up.
The difficulty with all encompassing systems is that they take forever to get off the ground if at all - National ID database, NHS patient records - or are disaster on day one - Terminal 5.
In another lifetime when the Thames was not EA, but the conservancy, things could perhaps be done quicker as there weren't layers of hierarchy, but then they didn't have the technology.
It's just a suggestion - but what about having some of blog or message forum attached / linked from VT, (with a "EA has no responsibility for these bunch of boaters" message on exit).
If it doesn't work - then not "our" fault, but if it does then someone can claim the brownie points. A win-win situation, and more importantly the info gets distributed?
Anyone at Reading / Bristol like to run with it?
I for one was fearing for your wellbeing...
It's easy for folks to snipe away from the outside.
From within, I suppose you want to get it right from the beginning; budgets are limited and someone will "get in trouble" if it goes belly up.
The difficulty with all encompassing systems is that they take forever to get off the ground if at all - National ID database, NHS patient records - or are disaster on day one - Terminal 5.
In another lifetime when the Thames was not EA, but the conservancy, things could perhaps be done quicker as there weren't layers of hierarchy, but then they didn't have the technology.
It's just a suggestion - but what about having some of blog or message forum attached / linked from VT, (with a "EA has no responsibility for these bunch of boaters" message on exit).
If it doesn't work - then not "our" fault, but if it does then someone can claim the brownie points. A win-win situation, and more importantly the info gets distributed?
Anyone at Reading / Bristol like to run with it?
angelaquayle
Well-Known Member
Re: How lovely to hear from you again,
I'd like to link this forum from the visitthames site. Will add that to the list too.
I'm not worried about getting in trouble about something as doing something right/once. It's also going to add another bit of work to my team who are pushed at the moment (not expecting any sympathy here but it's true!). We will sort it.
I'd like to link this forum from the visitthames site. Will add that to the list too.
I'm not worried about getting in trouble about something as doing something right/once. It's also going to add another bit of work to my team who are pushed at the moment (not expecting any sympathy here but it's true!). We will sort it.
