--- In [email protected], "Richard Fairhurst"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> --- In [email protected], "Glen Peckett" <lists@> wrote:
> > To be fair to BW I seem to recall the NCR status was forced on
them.
> > Sustrans included it in their lottery bid without even asking BW
in advance.
> > It was then presented as a fait accompli.
>
> I don't think it's that simple. The history of the National Cycle
Network wot I has kicking
> around at home somewhere states, IIRC, that Sustrans organised work-
parties on the K&A
> towpath in the early 1980s.
>
> > > I would challenge anyone from BW to state exactly how much the
> > > receive from Sustran etc. as ANNUAL contributions to path
> > > MAINTENANCE. I think the answer is a very round figure.
> >
> > I suspect the same.
>
> Well, it depends on what you mean by the "etc.". The upkeep of all
parts of the NCN, not
> just those on towpaths, generally falls on councils or other
Governmental bodies. Sustrans,
> not being a membership organisation nor receiving any statutory
Government funding,
> does not have the money for it and has (as far as I know) never
claimed to.
>
> So the "etc." should really be "local councils". And I thought,
though I might be wrong,
> that it was pretty well-known that much towpath maintenance on the
K&A was funded by
> local councils expressly to replace a direct contribution from
cyclists - that's why the K&A
> paid-for cycle permit was dropped. About 5 seconds' Google
searching found this on the
> Kennet District Council website:
>
> "...This fits nicely with the council's support which encourages
people to cycle along the
> canal by providing maintenance funding so that users don't have to
buy a permit to cycle."
>
> Now there are, of course, plenty of places where irresponsible
cycling has caused
> problems, and this is not to justify it - nor irresponsible
behaviour by any group of users.
> But as the South Oxford currently shows (which IME has virtually no
cycling), you don't
> need cyclists to make a towpath impassable - bad management can do
that on its own.
>
> Richard
>
The charges for cyclists on the k &A were dropped because the
cyclists were organised and went out mob handed. There was no way
that one or possibly two BW operatives could collect any money or
even collect names and addresses. The cyclists made sure that any
rules were unworkable
Sue
