WATERWAY FORUM Q&A AUTUMN 2015 Q1/ What rights do cyclists have when using Canal & River towpaths? Cylists have permissive access to towpaths across the UK. The Canal and River Trust’s towpath code encourages cyclists to observe pedestrian priority, especially in areas where the towpath is not very wide and there is low visibility. We would encourage cyclists to drop their pace in busy areas and ring bells to alert other users. CRT launched a national campaign in October to ‘Share the Space’ to encourage considerate use of the towpath by all users. Events have taken place along the towpath to raise awareness in Berkhamsted and Apsley so far. We are keen to work with cycling and community groups to organise more events across the region Q2/ Why are we having so many instances of very low water levels on the pound where Dunstable District Boat Club is located at Cooks Wharf, Pitstone? The primary problem in this area is gate leakage. There are several substantial leaks on gates between Cooks Wharf and Horton. This situation is further exasperated by the unauthorised water running that seems to be taking place. It is apparent that on occasion individuals are filling pounds with little or no regard for anyone who may be mooring in the pound above. This is not to excuse the gate leakage defects that need to be addressed by Canal & River Trust. A stoppage for this area is planned for 11/01/2016 – 26/02/2016 Q3/ I am concerned about the neglect of the 18 locks between Leighton Buzzard and Cowroast. Church lock has the Amazon jungle growing out of the bottom gates and a broken paddle. Slapton lock has several tons of rubble dumped below the bottom gates. On all the locks the side pond rails and gates need painting and properly maintained. I have known the canals since 1960 and have never seen the Marsworth flight look so neglected. It always used to be a show piece. What is planned to smarten up and maintain all these locks? All locks were cleared of vegetation during March & April as part of the lock maintenance programme. There is a season’s growth on the gates and it will be removed as we continue with the next round of PPM. The rubble at Slapton is due to be removed when the dredger and hopper passes through this section within the next few weeks. The rubble was placed at its current location as the inlet to the back pump had become blocked and the priority was to clear the blockage. It is unfortunate that it has taken so long for the right equipment to remove the rubble to be in this area. The inoperable paddle will be repaired in the near future. The ground paddles and one of the top gate paddles are all operable so while it is an inconvenience to users it is a minor inconvenience. Page 2 of 3 Several of the side pond fences are in poor condition. The most obvious is Slapton which has been fenced off with orange fencing to highlight the hazard. A more permanent repair will be programmed. The fence at Leighton has been repaired. The majority of the Marsworth Flight was painted last season but has not been painted this season. There are many locks and side pond fences that have not been painted for several years and are now looking a little tired. It is noticeable that the areas that do look best are the areas that have active volunteer groups. There is a programme/cycle to paint each lock every 5 years. Obviously some have been painted more frequently (generally by volunteers) but none have been painted less frequently. Painting of locks and fencing will always be of a low priority when allocating works. Q4/ What is being done to reduce the serious leak problems on the Aylesbury Arm which have resulted in serious haemorrhaging of a vital resource for any navigation. There is still a least one major leak between Locks 14 & 15 which wasn’t repaired because engineers wouldn’t permit a mini digger to transverse the towpath? This leak has been reviewed by our engineering team and a solution has been put forward for repairs by the construction team. The scheduling of this work has still to be agreed Q5/ what are the staffing arrangements going to be for Foxton over winter, and next season? We have recently had some volunteers express an interest in continuing to lock keep at Foxton over the winter. Our Customer Operations team will include these in the rotas, however where we have any gaps, we will display signs at the top and bottom of the flight giving contact details of our paid CRT staff for anyone in difficulty. We try and plan so that a member of our team is no more than 30 minutes away at any given time during the day. Next season our local team will work in the same successful way (since the absence of seasonal workers), by supporting our volunteers with any gaps/ lone working issues on the rotas - which will continue to be planned in by our team. Q6/ Dredging is urgently required on the Grand Union and South Oxford. What are CRT’s intentions? Overhanging trees are blocking sight lines, are there plans to pollard/clip? The gates on the Buckby and Braunston ocks are too stiff to work safely. The dredging programme is determined nationally based on canal bed profile information. This information is used to identify the priority areas requiring dredging. There is an ongoing vegetation management programme to address the issue of overhanging vegetation and dangerous trees. Any site specific areas that are causing a problem can be reported to our Enquiries south east email address [email protected] and this will help us target problem areas. Page 3 of 3 The lock gate pre planned maintenance for these locks is due to commence soon and this should hopefully address the issue of stiff lock gates and gearings. Q6/ What is CRT's policy on responding to requests from Local Councils to comment on Planning Applications? Particularly when proposed development falls within the Grand Union Conservation Area? The planning application is circulated to the appropriate teams for comment, comments are collated and submitted within the deadline provided. .