Time to get off the pot ?

[boatone]

Not going to get into any discussion re the legality of the new charging regime, been there, done that, but perhaps its time we started seriously discussing where the additional funding can come from to both compensate for the expected reductions in government grant funding and also the extra money that would be needed for any major improvements over and above current inadequate levels.

What are our priorities?

Number one on the list, I would suggest, is the maintenance of fully QUALIFIED professional look keeper service during all prime customer useage demand times. These times are, I would suggest, Friday thru Monday every weekend from April to September (including an extra day either side of any Bank Holiday days. (Easter Weekend would therefore be fully manned from Thursday to Tuesday). Midweek days -Tuesday to Thursday - are much lower demand days and reliance on customer self service with lock keeper assistance when available would probably be acceptable. SImilarly, there is much less boat traffic around from October to March and are likely to be people who know what they are doing and could also easily cope with customer self service routines.

So, to emphasise my point, I am saying that whatever reductions in service may need to apply we should fight tooth and nail, boathook and rivet, to try and make sure the lock keepers remain as the focus of our requirements. They ARE the public face of the river and they ARE needed during main customer movement periods.

THis approach would also need the lockies to be on-side and realise that the working week during the season would be prioritised from Friday to Monday - 4 days - with days off and other work routines on the other three days.

May be time to rejuvenate the SOS campaign - it worked to great effect over the lock houses issue but, make no mistake, we are faced with a much greater threat now and it really does need EVERYBODY to get involved.

Oh, AND WE NEED TO START DOING IT NOW !!!!!

Comments? And what will be our second priority?

 

[oldgit]

Treason ?

It would be a good idea to get a lockie or two to go round all the clubs and give a brief talk/ demo on how to use the locks(both using gates and packing lock) in order to encourage use of the locks when lockkeepers are not(for whatever reason)available.This could relieve pressure during peak times if manning becomes an issue.
A club organised morning out to a busy lock could move things in this direction.

 

[apollo]

What are our priorities?

Broken record time....

AFTER Tonys number one - Lockies

The basics...

1. Locks maintained so they work (whether we are operating them or the lockie)
2. Water to float in (dredging)
3. Not hitting low hanging trees.

 

[captain tomas]

A very valid post from boatone.

Now is the time to reserect S O S.

I am led to believe that the E.A are now going down the road of
removing the lockies from their houses and letting the properties
as short term holiday lets.

Should this come to pass you may as well remove your boat from the
Thames.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Just home after a truly superb weekend in Windsor. An eight hour trip from Sunbury which seemd mostly because a keeper had, completely reasonably, gone for his lunch, but had no relief or assistant. On Good Friday with the temperature in the 70s that seemed to be no better than poor managemant and planning. The lock pontoons appeared to have been well stocked with hire craft who did not know what the blue disk meant. Can't speak for others but we stood off in the river for almost an hour before getting as far as the lock itself. That made a "block" of boats using subsequent locks and made for a tedious passage (a few glasses helped the tedium!)