Its Great to see that BW can afford some yellow paint to protect the public. However I'm sure more than a few boaters have turned their ankle as they have stepped off the boat to shut the gate behind them. This damage has been there for at least 18 months probably longer.
Bridge Neglect, North Oxford
Bridge 80 on the North Oxford has been damaged for at least 3 years. It has been allowed to deteriorate to a very dangerous state... but at least the swifts will be pleased with their new home over the summer.
Bridge Neglect 2
This is a view of the bridge from the safety of a few yards away.The hole in the pic on the left goes right up to the top and it is only a matter of time before the piece of brickwork and concrete below the join in the fencing crashes down into the canal - hopefully not onto a boat or boater.
Bridge Neglect 3
The approach to the bridge used to have signs by the towpath warning boaters to slow down but these have disappeared over time. There is a very nasty bend just the other side of the bridge making navigation doubley difficult if a boat comes too fast without realising the hazzard and restricted width..
This is just a small snapshot of the canal in general and the work that desperately needs doing... unfortunately it is not isolated. Dredging is going to become a major issue as the lack of rainfall means stoppages, delays and restrictions for boaters.
So why don't BW fix the problems?
BW will claim poverty and say they do not have the money to fix many of the damaged bridges and lock structures, yet somehow have found millions to plough into cosmetic crowd pleasers on the Olympic site. BW have lost another few million on property speculation which has gone horribly wrong. Gloucester Quays has seen a £30,000,000 pound loss of tax payers money, The BW Pub Partnership went bust without making any return on the money ploughed into it as is the case of British Waterways Marinas Ltd who again have made substantial losses. Yet BW refuse to invest money in their core business of the canals. There is £50,000,000 in the pot made availble when BW decided to pull out of the development of Wood Wharf but that is not destined for the canals and will be re-invested in property speculation. As BW makes the transition to a charitable organisation, things look desperate for the canals as the same people who have run BW, paid themslves hefty salaries, bonuses for faliure, comfortable pensions and made all the bad decisions are going to be running the Canal And River Trust.