Teddington Lock ?

normskib said:
Re Teddington lock just sent an email to the EA enquiring just how much longer we are going to have to wait for Teddington Lock to become operational ? It’s all very well saying that Teddington has no public power but it never has and it’s always been operated by lock keepers 24 hours a day The EA also states that passage is only by appointment and is subject to availability Which might suit some Boaters but certainly not everyone . as My moring is on the tidal Thames I like to use the upper Thames as much as possible and as I have paid over £600 for the privilege it would be nice if the EA stopped hiding behind the self isolating coronavirus excuse as every other lock on the RiverThames is now fully operational what reasoning can there be not to operate Teddington As it is now all fenced off from the public so Boats could easily pass to and throw through the lock with the aid of the lock keeper with no need for him or her to handle ropes or any other contact other than operating the lock gates . Also it will be very interesting to see just how long it takes the EA to respond as they say it could take up to a week because of staff self isolating and coronavirus ?
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Standard response time to queries is 20 working days. I used to use all of those days to prepare a very careful crafted response and send it out at COP on day 20. In the meantime, I just got on with the job on the river on a patrol boat - much more fun than being stuck in the office. ;)
 
If you ring up the 'national' line, they'll give you details of who is on duty and you can 'negotiate' with them. I'm sure the duty officer would be glad of a break..
(I did it earlier today for someone on another forum)
 
Old Crusty said:
Calm down Mike, you'll have a seizure.

Remember, UK plc is short of infrastructure funds for a couple of reasons and automating weirs hasn't gone well in the experiments to date.

I propose a ten fold increase of the registration fee for motor boaters only to fund your ideas.
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Old Crusty said:
Calm down Mike, you'll have a seizure.

Remember, UK plc is short of infrastructure funds for a couple of reasons and automating weirs hasn't gone well in the experiments to date.

I propose a ten fold increase of the registration fee for motor boaters only to fund your ideas.
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I Would second your proposal! That would then rid the river of all income producing boats and just leave the Thames to become a sewer for the effluent from the liveaboards boats and a scrap yard for the poorly maintained boats as they disintegrate.
Quite why the EA should be struggling so much with automation when French canals have been automated for many years, I can only surmise. Could it be something to do with efficiency? Sorry for swearing!!
Having said the above, I do hope Boat1 is correct in thinking there has been a change at the top of EA and I am very pleased to give them a go. Let’s just say that I am not holding my breath.
 
Has the relationship between some boaters and EA staff always been this antagonistic or has it simply got worse over time .
Cannot think of any other waterway where things are quite so grumbly.. Surely not the size of the navigation as canals cover a far larger area and on the smaller navigations EA manage, things seem far more harmonious.
It mainly seems to stem from decline in quality and level of services ?
 
It seems to me that Teddington would be a good lock to upgrade by having the controls in a control room .
Like Brentford Thames lock.

I've never been sure why lock keepers help people with lines. I always find it a bit annoying and much prefer to single hand my boats.

The registration problem is a bit of a thorny issue I suppose.

I was told they currently are not selling V20 licenses at the lock due to the social distancing problem and that you have to do it over the phone but if you don't have a printer then it's not really very practical.
 
Outinthedinghy said:
It seems to me that Teddington would be a good lock to upgrade by having the controls in a control room .
Like Brentford Thames lock.

I've never been sure why lock keepers help people with lines. I always find it a bit annoying and much prefer to single hand my boats.

The registration problem is a bit of a thorny issue I suppose.

I was told they currently are not selling V20 licenses at the lock due to the social distancing problem and that you have to do it over the phone but if you don't have a printer then it's not really very practical.
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they send you a pdf of it so you can have it on your phone at least which is what I did (V20)
 
Outinthedinghy said:
I've never been sure why lock keepers help people with lines. I always find it a bit annoying and much prefer to single hand my boats.
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It has been pointed out to me a number of times in the past that not a few Thames boaters would no longer be able to boat if the lock keepers were either not manning the locks or were not permitted to take up lines .
It does allow a sizable section of the community, at both ends of the boaty experience , to continue to enjoy the Thames.
 
I think the lock keepers are a valuable asset to Thames boating and flood control and management. Their assistance and (usually) cheerful disposition greatly adds to the boating experience.
It was a sad day when they lost their smart uniforms.
I would like to see them given more powers to enforce the EA rulings regarding registration, safety, insurance and moorings.
The current abuse is becoming blatant and will only get worse unless a more stringent application is followed.
.
 
I completely agree with the lock keepers being one of the River's biggest assets but I think Teddington is a special case as it performs a different function to the rest of the locks.

To be fair in normal circumstances it's never a problem but it's a bit agitating not knowing what the deal is if you are coming from or going onto the tideway in the next week or so. Anyway Brentford booked for 0900 in for Teddington next Monday. Slow boat (slower than a narrow boat) so I hope I get there in time.

I guess it will go back to normal pretty soon which will be good.
 
Portland Billy said:
I think the lock keepers are a valuable asset to Thames boating and flood control and management. Their assistance and (usually) cheerful disposition greatly adds to the boating experience.
It was a sad day when they lost their smart uniforms.
I would like to see them given more powers to enforce the EA rulings regarding registration, safety, insurance and moorings.
The current abuse is becoming blatant and will only get worse unless a more stringent application is followed.
.
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All the permanent keepers have a level 1 warrant so can conduct cautioned interviews with miscreants.
 
It would be difficult to find anything comparable funded by the public purse in any other hobby or pastime.

Municiple golf courses and the like are all closing due to lack of funding, usually sold off for housing.
The locals will be up in arms about it, corse none of them actually used the course.

It is going to need some " give" by few boaters if you want to keep even what you have, push to hard and you could lose the lot ?
 
Have long believed the future of the river lies in a lock-centric management model - lock keepers empowered to manage their stretch and encouraged to build relationships and support from the local community. EA managers, staff and river users need to work together.
The river will still be there in 100 years time - what state it will be in depends on how we get our act together. Stop knocking what we've got and help navigate into calmer waters - there is a magnificent recreational waterway to be had.
 
Agreed.

What would be rather good would be if lock keepers all had patrol boats and did a morning and evening patrol of theit reach (from below their lock to above the next one) and note any issues.

That would be an excellent way to run it. Not sure anyone would want Benson lock however ! Maybe that reach could be shared with the keeper at Cleeve.
 
45 locks.
45 launches
Lets say £75k per launch. ( A jetski with an ice breaker bow might not cut the mustard in mid January )
Lets say 10% maintainance, spares and fuel £7.5 K PA
5 year annual slip and overhaul. £ ??????
Might move twice a week in summer, in peak August weeks (no staff) all busy.
Who is going to (wo)man the lock while the lockie is away patrolling the river ?
Might move once a week in winter. ?
Far quicker to walk the lock pound than to uncover boat and get underway.

Capital cost £3,375.000 M
Running costs £560,000. PA.

Reductio ad absurdum ...probably :).
Wheres the money coming from , motorboat owners once again seem extremely keen to spend money , perhaps they will stump up the cash.
Not sure all/any of the other river users will be so enthusiastic .

Google reckons £4M divided by 8000 Thames users equals £500 per user and this is in addition the money the navigation already costs to run.
 
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Once upon a time, all locks had a lock dinghy and a few had a Hampshire punt. A 5hp outboard would power these craft up the average length reach and back in just over an hour.
 
Portland Billy said:
An excellent suggestion.
Has it been discussed by EA?
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Final paragraph from first paper I wrote for TMBA in October 2011
”We would like to see the river managed according to a lock-centric model. A resident lock keeper at every lock providing both service to river users and reassurance to local residents and visitors. How close we can get to realising that objective depends entirely on a single issue – the availability of funding. The shortfall is not that great – just a few million pounds out of a current EA budget of over £1 billion – and there are many opportunities for increasing revenue to be explored.”

Pleased to say that resident lock staff are now back in the cottages that were temporarily rented out - I like to think we influenced this. Still battling away to promote change and possible that new pressures arising from the pandemic may actually lead to more urgent consideration of the way ahead. Not sure if I can wait for another ten years before we see progress !
 
oldgit said:
45 locks.
45 launches
Lets say £75k per launch. ( A jetski with an ice breaker bow might not cut the mustard in mid January )
Lets say 10% maintainance, spares and fuel £7.5 K PA
5 year annual slip and overhaul. £ ??????
Might move twice a week in summer, in peak August weeks (no staff) all busy.
Who is going to (wo)man the lock while the lockie is away patrolling the river ?
Might move once a week in winter. ?
Far quicker to walk the lock pound than to uncover boat and get underway.
Capital cost £3,375.000 M
Running costs £560,000. PA.
Reductio ad absurdum ...probably :).
Wheres the money coming from , motorboat owners once again seem extremely keen to spend money , perhaps they will stump up the cash.
Not sure all/any of the other river users will be so enthusiastic .
Google reckons £4M divided by 8000 Thames users equals £500 per user and this is in addition the money the navigation already costs to run.
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Don’t be so downbeat and negative Fred. Much could be done to move towards the lock-centric approach within current budgets and resources. I’m working on it !
 
Pardon my cynicism but again regarding the opening of Teddington Lock to Boaters the EA has responded to me stating the reasons for keeping the lock closed until further notice mainly the fact that there is no public power and also the health and safety of the lock keepers social distancing etc Sorry but I still think in the circumstances this is still a lame excuse living on the Tidal Thames I sometimes pass through the lock onto the opera terms several times in the course of the day And in my experience I have never come anywhere near 2meters of the lock keeper they operate the lock gates from a very safe distance either end of the lock and apart from a chat now and again that’s the only contact where my cynicism Comes into play Could this be far more to do with the fact that they cannot collect REVENUE from Boats that do not have a license entering the upper Thames from the Tidal without making physical contact . Just saying
 
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