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Discussion Topic: Comparison between BA and BW Tolls
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roya |
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Mudplug Juggler
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James, fair point lets throw it open to all our members to respond.
roya
Site GRUMP.
So There.
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VetChugger |
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You are quite right James, the BW "Lengthsmen" are very friendly and go out of their way to help whenever they can.
Two quick examples....
Trying to start my engine one morning and the battery is as flat as any proverbial. BW bod wanders past and notices. Ten minutes later he is huffing and puffing down the towpath pushing a wheel barrow loaded with an industrial jump starter.
When i moved my boat down to the Broads in December I had to move it from my mooring to the boatyard where there was a slipway. The waterway I was moored on is the Calder & Hebble which is a river and canal navigation. All the canal lengths are protected by flood gates for when the river levels are high due to weather conditions. December is not the best month to begin with but, as my arranged date of transport to Norfolk approached it became abundantly clear that the weather was not going to play the game and all the flood gates were closed. That means no navigation! I spoke to BW who told me that there was little chance of the gates being opened until after my moving date the way the weather was. I was grumbling how I was going to lose my transport slot and some money and the local BW man on the towpath heard me. He asked for my mobile number. Sunday morning, the day before my transport, my phone rang at 7am. "Go and get your boat moving". "what about the flood locks"? "They will be sorted" was the answer.
Bear in mind that the lengths between flood locks or "pounds" as they are called are about 3/4 of a mile long and imagine the time needed to get a level in order to open the gates?
When we got to the first flood lock the gates were open and two BW men were there waving us through. Exactly the same story at the next two. It was sunday morning and it must have taken at least four or five staff to do this. Saved me a whole load of bother and that's what I call "Good service".
Trevor
www.normanboats.co.uk
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VetChugger |
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This is not an attempt to suggest that BW towpath staff are any better or any worse than BA Bank staff. I said initially its not a fair comparison.
Over the years its become very clear to me that the very nature of boating wherever you are produces lots of helpful and friendly people and this shows both on the Broads and the canals, in fact on all the waterways I've been on. Its not a competition or a "ours are better than yours so ner ner " topic.
Trevor
www.normanboats.co.uk
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Jonzo |
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I was on the Caledonian Canal last week, and I'd agree with James that the staff (ie lockkeepers) are helpful people. Most of the system's traffic is hire cruisers and they help make things nice and easy particularly for the inexperienced. There's quite a lot of them too - all locks on that system are fully mechanised and manned with at least one keeper.
The general facilities are also good - Fort Augustus for example has two modern shower / toilet / washing machine blocks (one at either end of the moorings for the flight of 5 locks) which are only for use by boaters. There are other such facilities dotted about the canal. Of course the higher tolls pay for that, but these are useful facilities.
This message was edited by Jonzo on May-31-07 @ 11:20 PM
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A.J.B. |
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I think BW get millions more from Government than we do, 
Andy
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Captain-Joshie |
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Hi
This wasn't meant to be a go at the BW or it's staff!! All the Waterways and Broads staff do a grand job and are most helpful and friendly.
I thought you the Forum members would like a direct and upto date price comparison for BA to BW cost of tolls for the same boat.
Yes the BW has more to up keep, thank goodness we don't have locks on the Broads, I'd be kna***d  but they do have more boats to raise funds from and I doubt that any given boat uses more water (distance that is) than a boat on the Broads.
This post was also a thanks to the office staff at the Broads Authority for their help and understanding on the transfer of the Toll from Blue Skies to L'Ondine, even though in the 'book' it says it can't be done, sense and fair play prevailed.
John, a happy little Broads Cruiser, who'ed be happy to have a go on the Canals to
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B17 |
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Hi All,
BA and BW are an unfair comparison.
BW's income from tolls makes up just 10% of their overall income.
Yes they do get government grants but the vast majority of their income comes from their extensive property portfoilio.
Rod
You mean the other Starboard then...
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mardler |
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The comparison of tolls BA v. BW stacks up extremely poorly against the former.
Do the arithmetic. Compare the miles of waterway, staff employed and consider the useful works done for waterway maintenance and you will be left gawping at just how inefficient and unwilling the BA really is.
I wonder, had BW been given an additional £1.5m to spend on "maintenance of the waterways" would they have immediately bagged and spent 50% elsewhere instead (without telling its stakeholders at the right time)?
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May-31-2007 @ 10:19 PM
