The Government today (13th April 2020) announced that the coronavirus lockdown would not be lifted when it is reviewed later this week. This will have implications for boat movements. Due to the earlier Government announcement that the lockdown will continue until at least 18th April 2020, CRT has extended its suspension of the 14-day rule until 18th April and has advised boaters to only move their boats if it is essential.
CRT’s winter visitor mooring time limits of 14 days unless signed otherwise are extended until the end of April 2020. No boat sightings will be taken during the period that boat movements are suspended. The temporary extension to boat safety certificates for boats that need an examination is now extended to 30th April 2020.
CRT has now issued amended guidance on the use of towpaths telling the public to limit their use of towpaths, including a new poster.
See CRT’s boaters’ updates of 3rd and 9th April and Coronavirus FAQs for boaters here:
Many liveaboard boaters have continued to complain to CRT (and to the police) of overcrowded towpaths where people are not observing social distancing, potentially putting those in lockdown on their boats at risk.
CRT Council member Dave Mendes da Costa, who is one of the private boater representatives said on 10th April:
“There have been a lot of concerns – and a variety of views – about towpath use and social distancing recently, and this is something which I and other Council members have been raising with CRT. From these discussions it is clear that CRT recognise that there are some hotspots and they say they have been targeting adverts in those areas and working with local police forces to reduce numbers.
CRT are basing their analysis of where the hotspots are and whether their measures are working on feedback from their customer support teams and social media. Therefore, if you are worried about the level of towpath use in your area, it important that you and those around you let CRT know. Here are some ways to contact:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/contact-us/ways-to-contact-us
Twitter users can use @CRTcontactus
Using https://what3words.com/ is a great way to describe your location.
The situation will be different across the network, and with less CRT employees out and about, sending messages to let CRT know if there are problems near you is an important step. I appreciate many of you will have already done this but it’s worth doing again to say whether things are still the same or even worse, as a drop in comments seems to be interpreted as an improvement in the situation.”
See http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk/cv-19/ where we publish all articles about coronavirus in one place.
Tags: 14 day rule, Boat Safety Scheme, Canal and River Trust, continuous cruising, Coronavirus, Covid-19, liveaboards, social distancing, towpath, Waterways Act 1995