Questions for the Customer Meeting

Tony Martin – IWA North Riding

Signage on rivers, especially those prone to flooding, such as the Yorkshire Ouse.

In response to calls for action following vessels stranding on river moorings in York - Canal & River Trust are implementing the following actions.

Lock keepers are now handing out information notes to all craft passing Selby and Naburn Locks. A navigation notice was also issued and put on waterscape containing the same message. A copy of the note is included below.

TheNorth Riding Branch of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) have agreed to include copies of the note in their next publication. In addition CRT are also planning to prepare a series of navigation guides that will provide advice on mooring on the River Ouse in York. The guides will also include other advice on navigational safety specific to the NE waterways. We don’t have a date for the preparation of the guides but are hoping to have them in place before the start of next year’s cruising season.

Canal & River Trust have approached York City Council who own the wharf in York and recommended they install fixed signage at the wharf with a message similar to the above hand-outs. York City Council have agreed to look into this and we have asked for an update. At the time of writing York have not confirmed their plans for signage but CRT remain hopeful they will install signs.

It has been suggested that Canal & River Trust install signage to warn of the dangers of mooring in York at Selby Lock. At this stage we do not intend installing any signs at Selby for the following reasons:-

  • We believe the measures described above will be sufficient
  • York is approximately 30km upstream of Selby Lock. For the sake of consistency if signs were installed at Selby we should also consider signs at other sites including Naburn, Goole, Bank Dole, Barmby Barrage and Linton, plus marinas and other moorings.
  • Signs located at the actual wharf with directions to other more suitable moorings should be sufficient and negate the need for signs at the locations above.

Canal & River Trust will monitor the situation and continue dialogue with York. If necessary we will reconsider our plans but at this stage we believe the above actions will be the most effective option.

Garth Robinson – AWCC North East Region

Please can the Trust explain why the replacement of the unsafelock landing at Fairies Hill has been delayed yet again? We understand thatthe latest "promise" is for completion in May 2014 -if this actually happens, then it will mean that we shall have passed the 4th. anniversary of the serious accident which led to requests for a safer lock landing. I believe we have now lost count of the number of broken promises, and we are still left with only a "safety" ladderfitted by BW tothe present landing-shelf, which some comedian fitted 2 or 3 years ago - uselessly on the UPSTREAM end of the existing shelf.

This is very much a safety issue which has been ignored. Vince Moran suggests that safety issuesare important to CRT.

The scheme has unfortunately been delayed due to unforeseen ground conditions. A solution was identified and our Contractor appointed but when undertaking prep works it was identified that the detailed solution couldn’t work with the ground conditions for the budget we had set aside. As such we have had to go back to the drawing board and find an alternative solution. This has now been designed and is with our Contractor being priced. The works are in our programme for completion this financial year

Floodgates: Following very heavy (but forecast) overnight rain on Saturday August 3rd., members of South Pennine Boat Club, who fortunatelywere staying on their boats over a working weekend, were awakened at about 5am because boats were listing dangerously. They found that the water level in Battyeford Cut had risen by about 500mm, and they had to cut mooring lines on over 20 boats in order to prevent capsize / sinking where the lines were under too much tension to be undone.

A club member despatched to close the floodgates found that theyhad beenpadlocked open -and the BW/ CRT key did not fit thelock. It was 0830 before the CRT team turned up to close the floodgates.To lock floodgates open is virtually as dangerous as locking fire-doors closed.

If CRT feels the need to padlock floodgates open,it should either use a readily-available key carried by all boaters -orit should ensure that boaters mooring in affected sections have access to a suitable key to enable them to close the gates in such desperate and dangerous circumstances.

Would CRT have accepted liability if boats had sunk under these circumstances??

Following on from a phone call by Graham Shuttleworth to Garth Robinson. Garth has agreed to refer this issue back to the member of the club that raised it as he believes the date stated may be incorrect. Once the date has been confirmed, we will undertake a full investigation and communicate what action we will take.

Tinsley Marina: Members of Tinsley Boat Club have serious concerns about the Trust's intentions for the marina and the navigation. Many berths remain empty but the Trust appears to have no interest in filling them.Volunteering by boaters experienced in penning boats up and down the flight, have been turned down by John Cottam, and as a result navigation is severely limited to the times allowedby the duty lock-keeper.Does CRThave a hidden agenda regarding restrictions onnavigation access to this part of the system?

This is a specific moorings issue.The moorings team have had a recent meeting with the Tinsley moorers and this aspect was covered at that meeting.

Regarding volunteering at Tinsley - Following discussions with boat club members we have increased our operating hours to 8.00am – 7.00pm, during the summer. We have two resident lock keepers on site and a further lock keeper to cover holidays and sickness. We believe this gives ample accessibility to the locks for boaters. The water level on the top pound and the back pumping arrangements require careful management which we believe requires full time lock keeping services.

Wakefield flood-lock. On a recent trip we found the flood-gates nearly closed, so had to stop on the river to open them. The upstream lock landing is in a state of considerable disrepair with missing deck boards, andCRT red plastic material preventing landing. Having tied up to the wall downstream of the lock, we found that theelegant new timber and glass bridge over the canal, built 2 or 3 years ago - ends with a fixed section of fencing, and a 6-foot drop where the bridge has not been completed.

To gain access to the upstream gate to allow it to be opened to allow navigation, I had to leap over the fixed fence as well as a further steel railing,Fine for a fit boater, but a nightmare for many others.

Please can the lock landing be made safe, and the bridge completed?

The delays are due to on-going discussions with the developer who owns the land immediately above the landing and who owns the footbridge. We will carry out a temporary repair to the existing landing to make safe for customer use whilst these discussions and a long term solution is agreed and moved forward.

Condition of lock gates and paddle gear between Fall Ings and Sowerby Bridge. Many AWCC Club members have commented adversely on the immense difficulties they encountered when trying to navigate this section of the Calder & Hebble. It is virtually impossible for a single boater or for elderly boaters to operate the locks in this section without assistance. Boaters experienced in navigating the rest of the waterways system describe this section as by far the most difficult they have come across.

I have a detailed list of problems and failures,and will be happy to go through the detail with you to see what steps are in hand to rectify the many faults.

Lock gate replacement for the Calder & Hebble will be discussed in the meeting

I recentlywrote to express concern at the suggestion that tidal locks in the region are being considered for remote operation, without lock-keepersYou advised that there would be afull consultation and safety assessment before any actions are taken.

Please can you advise if there has been any further discussion within CRT on this matter? We have many adverse comments from AWCC Clubs nationwide concernedabout the potential removal of knowledgeable lock-keepers.

There are no further developments at this time.

Howard Anguish – NABO/ Garth Robinson – AWCC North East Region

Lack of visitor moorings in Leeds

A group has been set up to look at the moorings situation in Leeds City Centre.

72 hour moorings have been allocated to the pontoon on the river outside Canal & River Trust offices in Leeds. Other potential moorings space is half of the lock landing downstream from Leeds Lock could be used and also some space on the water point pontoon.No charge for mooring on the main line on the north side at Granary wharf (but they do charge for mooring in the arms), also lock landings at River and Office locksare controlled by CRT. On the opposite (south) side it is currently a 14 day mooring from Kirkstall Flyboat to the warehouse.

Ian Barton – FulfordMoorers

What are the findings from the national lock ladder inspection surveys?

Of the 2515 ladders surveyed we identified 348 lock ladder sites for improvement work across the network, or 14% of the ladders. The improvement work is to bring all lock ladders to a minimum 100mm tread depth standard, by a variety of methods dependant on the lock and ladder situation and construction. It is anticipated that the project will last about 4 years but will be prioritised to match the budget available in each year and the most efficient way of dealing with them.

There were only 2 ladders identified by NE waterway,BramwithKeadby

If the survey on lock ladders is not yet complete, what are the interim findings?

The surveys were a means of gathering more detailed data to allow the solution selection and detailed design, and have been essential for working up the designs for this year’s programme of ladder improvement works. The surveys are now complete, the trials looking at various improvement methods are continuing. We will be analysing the data from the surveys over the coming months and be utilising them to identify the next priority locations

What are the terms of reference for the lock ladder surveys?

As a result of customer feedback our surveys focused on tread depth as being the highest potential risk defect and the quickest win in improving safety for customers using the ladders during locking. Tread depth was measured on all lock ladders identifying those where there was less than 100mm from the rear of the rung to the lock wall.There is not a specific CRT policy on single-handed boating and it is one of a variety of ways in using our river and canal system. Many improvements have been made with single-handed boaters in mind – the lift bridges on the South Oxford Canal for instance where under our minimum safety standards the lift bridges were altered to key operation and the bridge at Thrupp was automated. With regards to using a lock then the most common methods used by single-handed boaters are either bow hauling or lock ladders and we do not condone or advocate either method – whatever suits the boater. Our single handed boaters are an important element of our network and they often spot and comment on issues that may have been otherwise overlooked and long may this continue.

Mike Cadoux – IWA

Can we have an update on the latest survey monitoring of Linton Lock?

The current monitoring regime at Linton Lock was established in May 2010 and the previous survey was undertaken in March 2011. The results of the September 2013 survey indicate that movement in the lock is small but on going and we will continue with another survey during winter 2013/14 to see if there are any indications of seasonal movement. The bulged area in the lock house side wall upstream of the lock ladder has moved 6mm since March 2011: pointed mortar joints in this area remain in good condition providing a further indicator that change is small. It is this bulged area that has moved the most since 2010 with a maximum change of 25mm. The next monitoring survey will be brought forward if visible change is reported during length inspections. The results of the survey will be compared to deflections predicted during the design of the strengthening works undertaken during the 1990s.

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