User experience of lock services this year
- Thread starter boatone
- Start date
TrueBlue
Well-known member
Not that long ago (mebbe three years) "one" expected locks to be shut for lunch and tea breaks (carefully designed to happen at 5 O'clock when they locks close 1 1/2 hours later....) AND you had to wind (some) locks.
Fine, just the joys of boating on the Thames.
Then Summer Assistants started to appear and if you / your lock was lucky you got a service all day.
Then those round topped pedestal locks got electrocuted, so it didn't matter too much ('cept for Culham....)
This year - OK the weather has been poo - once the volunteers got into swing AND
Seasonal Lockkeepers
Temporary reliefs
Some staff clearly employed for other purposes being drafted in,
I for one have been impressed by the service that I have experienced. EA IMO have really tried hard, despite some obvious challenges (upon which I won't elaborate).
My training as a WSOB owner leads me to be self sufficient, to expect nothing and not take up valuable moorings (just a couple of trees the right length apart will do me)..
So there....
oldgit
Well-known member
Well I was going to poll but the loggy in thing thing wiggled at me several times !
Stop me if I get to technical
boatone
Well-known member
Open poll so no need to log in
oldgit
Well-known member
Now may be thick but ?
when i click on the link
and then click on the "HERE" wotsit
it asks me to log in ?
Ramage
Active member
Brayman
Active member
I had to log in, then it also asked me to vote on other polls which I'm sure I had answered previously!
watson1959
New member
Same here....had to reset password too.
boatone
Well-known member
My apologies for the problems some people seem to be experiencing, but I am currently unable to identify exactly why this is happening. IT is possible there is an issue with a recent upgrade to the plugin used for the polling system but it may also be due to my having removed cookie controls (recent legislation banned this ) and logging is now done by IP address. Many broadband users have dynamic IP addresses which means that in the event of a problem with your broadband service you will find your IP address has changed. This happens to me quite regularly.
If the polling system for an open poll cannot match your IP address to the one you were assigned to the last time you voted it will assume you are a new user and allow you to vote in all polls still current. However, I can still analyse votes by registered users only or guests or both so I can certainly detect if a registered user votes more than once in any particular poll.
At the time of this post, I can tell you that all votes so far are from registered users and that non have voted more than once.
Please bear with me while I try to either resolve the situation or adopt a more robust method .
If the polling system for an open poll cannot match your IP address to the one you were assigned to the last time you voted it will assume you are a new user and allow you to vote in all polls still current. However, I can still analyse votes by registered users only or guests or both so I can certainly detect if a registered user votes more than once in any particular poll.
At the time of this post, I can tell you that all votes so far are from registered users and that non have voted more than once.
Please bear with me while I try to either resolve the situation or adopt a more robust method .
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Pump-Out
Active member
Back on topic....
Six locks Friday, no sign of life at any of them!!!
Six locks Friday, no sign of life at any of them!!!
boatone
Well-known member
Which locks? What times?
Did you manage without difficulty?
The TMBA operates a reporting system on its website Information Report Form where river users, whether members of the TMBA or not, can report issues they come across on the river.
I regularly communicate this information to the EA and there have been several instances where we have achieved immediate results ranging from information being posted on VisitThames to actual intervention on the river to investigate complaints or resolve issues..
By all means have a moan here if you feel so inclined but please, please let us have the facts so that we can try and do something about it.
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TrueBlue
Well-known member
For heaven's sake -
It's out of season.
I can see no practical point in having locks staffed (at least in these difficult times), if there is little or no traffic requiring a service. Better to focus services to where they are needed.
OTOH if it's a charter issue then information is needed to keep EA on its toes.
So Pump-out, name and shame.
I suspect you're an experienced boater so the inconvenience you have suffered is one of time?
There is an exception to the rule -CULHAM- that should be staffed 24/7
D ) 'cos the beastly thing takes 20 minutes (yes TWENTY MINUTES) to complete an operation. Daft 'cos ten of those is filling up the last foot of water. something to do with penny pinching the controlling software.
This is not a troll or argumentative, I just want to be realistic.
It's out of season.
I can see no practical point in having locks staffed (at least in these difficult times), if there is little or no traffic requiring a service. Better to focus services to where they are needed.
OTOH if it's a charter issue then information is needed to keep EA on its toes.
So Pump-out, name and shame.
I suspect you're an experienced boater so the inconvenience you have suffered is one of time?
There is an exception to the rule -CULHAM- that should be staffed 24/7
D ) 'cos the beastly thing takes 20 minutes (yes TWENTY MINUTES) to complete an operation. Daft 'cos ten of those is filling up the last foot of water. something to do with penny pinching the controlling software.This is not a troll or argumentative, I just want to be realistic.