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Mooring at EA sites on the Thames


Mike Adams

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I don't know if it is common knowledge that a new private company is now manageing EA 24hr moorings on the Thames. On arrival you now have a duty to register and report your arrival by phone (assuming you have some signal) otherwise you are deemed to have been there 24 hours and have to pay a penalty charge. Details are on this site www.thamesvisitormoorings.co.uk

So you now have big brother monitoring your every move as well as huge registration charges for a small length of waterway and a deficit of lock keepers as well.

Boating on the Thames is declining and it's no wonder. I have never abused the 24hour mooring in over 40 years of boating but I go boating to get away from all this we need to ensure CART don't follow suit! So 24hr moorings are no longer free you have to pay the phone charges!

Mike Adams

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From the site FAQs:

 

What happens if I don’t register my arrival?

Our Terms and Conditions say: Any vessel found on a mooring without having registered on the TVM site will be deemed to have been present for 24 hours and charged accordingly.

 

I can't see anywhere what "charged accordingly" means. Another bit of the site says a penalty charge will apply but no information seems to exist about what any of these charges are.

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I don't know if it is common knowledge that a new private company is now manageing EA 24hr moorings on the Thames. On arrival you now have a duty to register and report your arrival by phone (assuming you have some signal) otherwise you are deemed to have been there 24 hours and have to pay a penalty charge. Details are on this site www.thamesvisitormoorings.co.uk

So you now have big brother monitoring your every move as well as huge registration charges for a small length of waterway and a deficit of lock keepers as well.

Boating on the Thames is declining and it's no wonder. I have never abused the 24hour mooring in over 40 years of boating but I go boating to get away from all this we need to ensure CART don't follow suit! So 24hr moorings are no longer free you have to pay the phone charges!

Mike Adams

It's a pilot - and the initial info is somewhat impractical / rough around the edges. You never know it might (!!) settle down to something that works - see below

 

Somehow I feel it might be a price worth paying to keep the 24hr visitor moorings clear of CMers.

 

Presumably there was a problem with this. Or have they introduced it for no apparent reason?

There is a general problem - and complaints - about some 24H moorings. There aren't enough lockies to monitor them and abuse from some boaters causes problems because any lockie who stands up to a stroppy boater is on a 'fizzer' with dire results. The local user groups have complained - with the result of this pilot scheme

 

From the site FAQs:

 

What happens if I don’t register my arrival?

Our Terms and Conditions say: Any vessel found on a mooring without having registered on the TVM site will be deemed to have been present for 24 hours and charged accordingly.

 

I can't see anywhere what "charged accordingly" means. Another bit of the site says a penalty charge will apply but no information seems to exist about what any of these charges are.

Probably not a problem for those who stay overnight.

One irritation is that there's no easy way to contact whoever is really in charge of the scheme. IMO the EA have been seduced by someone who wanted to run the scheme. I'll ask around over the holiday period....

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I really cannot see how this will generate enough revenue to pay for the registering process, the enforcement (21 mooring locations so far I think) and still generate increased revenue for EA - which is one of its goals.

 

You can register online but I don't use the internet while boating. So I have to use a mobile. What happens if my signal is weak or the number is engaged? There is no mobile mumber to text.

 

I tend to agree that EA have been persuaded to go along with it on the promise of increased revenue.

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It's a pilot - and the initial info is somewhat impractical / rough around the edges. You never know it might (!!) settle down to something that works - see below

 

There is a general problem - and complaints - about some 24H moorings. There aren't enough lockies to monitor them and abuse from some boaters causes problems because any lockie who stands up to a stroppy boater is on a 'fizzer' with dire results. The local user groups have complained - with the result of this pilot scheme

 

Probably not a problem for those who stay overnight.

One irritation is that there's no easy way to contact whoever is really in charge of the scheme. IMO the EA have been seduced by someone who wanted to run the scheme. I'll ask around over the holiday period....

 

What's a 'fizzer' then?

 

And I was looking for the penalties to see if they had any teeth. I'm now wondering if there actually are none, given they are not stated on the website.

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Curiouser and curiouser.

 

Googling the address for "Thames Visitor Moorings 2016" (Wey House, 15 Church Street, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8NA) , it appears to be the address of a mailing forwarding company.


Going out of their way to avoid being traced, it seems!

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Curiouser and curiouser.

 

Googling the address for "Thames Visitor Moorings 2016" (Wey House, 15 Church Street, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8NA) , it appears to be the address of a mailing forwarding company.

Going out of their way to avoid being traced, it seems!

Have heard that the man that is running this scheme is a boat owner,maybe a Dutch Barge?

 

The main worry is that visitor moorings will get Pre booked for Club events,the 24 hour Moorings have always been on a "First come,first Moored "basis

 

All caused by lack of EA staff Methinks

 

CT

Edited by cereal tiller
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What would happen if you do not have phone or internet access how would you be able to register.

 

It is explained on the website. You will be assumed to have already been there 24 hours and the relevant charges/penalties applied.

 

So if you don't have a phone or internet access you can't moor on those EA sites, it would seem.

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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Have heard that the man that is running this scheme is a boat owner,maybe a Dutch Barge?

 

The main worry is that visitor moorings will get Pre booked for Club events,the 24 hour Moorings have always been on a "First come,first Moored "basis

 

All caused by lack of EA staff Methinks

 

CT

I don't believe this is a "book a space in advance scheme"...you arrive and notify via the website that you have moored. If you stay over 24hours you then notify and pay.

 

Edited to add, I have no connection with this scheme. But I do know Rex Walden who is a former chair of the RBOA and a canalboat owner.

Edited by Paringa
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Yes it looks as though the only way to discover the charges is to moor on one and overstay, and wait for the penalty notice.

 

Hardly supportable in a court of law I would have imagined, so I think we may surmise there are NO penalty charges otherwise they would be paraded across the website and used as a reason to register in the fist place.

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Yes it looks as though the only way to discover the charges is to moor on one and overstay, and wait for the penalty notice.

 

Hardly supportable in a court of law I would have imagined, so I think we may surmise there are NO penalty charges otherwise they would be paraded across the website and used as a reason to register in the fist place.

On the EA 24 hour moorings there are signs indicating of fines imposed after 72 hours stay

The signs have been there for several years

 

It is best that the Moorings stay under the direct control of EA Staff and not a detached organisation

 

CT

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On the EA 24 hour moorings there are signs indicating of fines imposed after 72 hours stay

The signs have been there for several years

 

 

 

So the only way to discover the charges is to actually go to a mooring and read the sign there?

 

That's pathetic!

 

There is no reason I can think of not to put the charges on the website.

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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Yes it looks as though the only way to discover the charges is to moor on one and overstay, and wait for the penalty notice.

 

Hardly supportable in a court of law I would have imagined, so I think we may surmise there are NO penalty charges otherwise they would be paraded across the website and used as a reason to register in the fist place.

Sounds like a very amateurish organisation.

 

When I was working on the Isle of Wight, putting the accursed Stirling engines into a supermarket there, I had to park in a car park run by "Ringo" (no not the Beatles drummer).

 

You had to set up an account with "Ringo", then text them when you parked up, stating the car park number, your registration number and how long you wanted to park for. They debited your card and sent you a text nearing the end of your parking to remind d you a don't allow an extension if necessary.

 

The car park had signs detailing charges and penalties anndnd pointing out no parking without having to up a "Ringo" account.

 

The EA would have done better to use them, organised, professional and effective.

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It says on the second link that the man (Rex Walden) resigned on 11 Feb 2016

You have to follow lots of other links to find out who is doing what, I did look at the time but can't be bothered again, he has also been involved in some other interesting schemes.

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Aldi are doing away with the parking eye system where you put your registration in a device in store after checkout to stop you getting charged for parking.

They had more complaints, risked losing more customers and lost staff time in store dealing with people who didn't know, pressed a wrong digit or letter, or forgot to do it than was worth the hassle.

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