BLUEMOMENT

A survey has been issued for those with an interest in the Crinan Canal. Responses will be passed onto the various organizations including Scottish Canals.

It closes by Monday 21 June2021, so you need to get your comments in.

Personally I think the closing days and shirt hours make the canal, especially with the tide gates at the Crinan end, less of a convenience.

If interested perhaps you can complete the survey.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp ... A/viewform

I saw it and completed it.
they are in the spiral of doom:
make it more expensive, less welcoming and more bureaucratic = less users = close it down

if it were cheaper and more flexible, then there would be a lot more traffic and it would also help businesses along the canal.

a little bit of automation of the bridges along the canal (from an App) would reduce the need for lockeepers to open and close all the time, and increase the hours of movement. the sealocks should still be manned but the rest of the Canal can easily be monitored from there. a bit of imagination and it could be so much better

Great ideas about the automation, or even berth up and push a button. I suggested that they actively welcome motorhomes and charge overnight stays, increase their revenue flow. Folks would pay fora canal view. They also have more room for pontoons sand could increase berth and revenue that way. I made the comment their restricted opening times and tide gates actually restricts canal usage even further for some people.

It is a tourist asset that could be developed significantly to at least offset overhead and reduce grants from taxpayers.

Gardenshed wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:45 pm a little bit of automation of the bridges along the canal (from an App) would reduce the need for lockeepers to open and close all the time, and increase the hours of movement. the sealocks should still be manned but the rest of the Canal can easily be monitored from there. a bit of imagination and it could be so much better

I'm not sure how well having yotties operating the bridges would work - if that is what you mean. The two in Ardrishaig are never opened (closed to traffic) at the same time for safety reasons - mainly to allow emergency vehicles guaranteed passage but also, perhaps, to avoid them both breaking down in the open position and turning Kintyre into an island!
Maybe an App could co-ordinate it...