Scottish Canals Are Looking for Your Opinion Again

[Burst Boiler]

The canal board see them primarily as (non-boaty) visitor attractions that landlubbers can drive to, pay to park their cars, wander about gawking and then buy coffee and cakes at the visitor centres. The fact that they need to be maintained to navigable standards is an expensive and annoying distraction to those in charge. If they could fill them in and build more of those bloody kelpies, they would.

The Crinan is too far from the majority of the population to fit their ideal profile, although it can be bloody handy occasionally for actual boat users (and potentially a safety aspect too allowing less experienced to avoid a rough rounding if the mok).

The caly also seems to be reasonably well used by skandinavians in bigger, tougher boats. I never understood this - they are missing out the best bits of the west coast and Hebrides. Suppose it keeps them quieter for the likes of us.

Basically, they need a boat owner on the board and probably among the management. Those running the place are the sort of useless twats in high-vis and clipboards that can only get jobs in quangos, not in real companies. The Ardrishaig sealock staff are some of the grumpiest I've ever come across. Crinan end is better.

[Gardenshed]

Fill’em in and cut all the costs……
If not, then upgrade the tech to allow users to open and close bridges (remote monitoring) increase hours of use and months of use and price to dramatically increase / encourage use

Also needed: better public transport links, so that you’d leave a boat in the canal for a few weeks and could get to/from it without your own car

[Burst Boiler]

On upgrading, I was watching something on telly about the French canals. They give you a remote control so you can open the lock before you get there. Shut it again, open the relevant sluices, open the other lock etc, all using the remote without getting off the boat. Problem here is the "heritage" aspect - you cant get grant funding for anything that changes the historical aspects of things, so we are stuck with antiquated technology.

[Gardenshed]

The locks are not the restriction.
Tech for the bridges and sea locks would be a good starting point, eliminating the lunchtime stoppages and allowing evening/night movements
The idea of giving a remote control to use, and returning it after (or an app that has an activation code to only allow use for 1 passage/a few days) would be a good solution

[marisca]

Also needed: better public transport links, so that you’d leave a boat in the canal for a few weeks and could get to/from it without your own car

Buses run the length of the Caledonian from Inverness to Laggan Locks, with a Fort William bus to drop you off at Neptune's Staircase or take the train to Corpach. Glasgow to Campbelltown plus local buses pass through Ardrishaig with only a short (if midge ridden) walk to Crinan or you can take the regular (once a day if I remember right) bus. So, in my mind the links are fine, just a pity about the timetables.
I have happily dumped my boat at Banavie while I popped back to Ed'burg for some messages. Ain't bus passes wonderful?

[marisca]

I suggested they should apply RET to transit charges - I'll not hold my breath!

[marisca]

RET = Road Equivalent Tariff. What has loaded Calmac ferries with camper vans since it started!