"Mike Stevens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >It's significant that all of these are on broad waterways, which can take >barges of an economically-viable size. I very much doubt whether similar >traffic on the narrow canals would be able to pay its way.
Even the gauge of most UK non-narrow waterways is now much too small for viable traffic in most cases. A typical UK broad waterway allows a barge carrying less than 100 T. However, the French have found that even the standard 350 T péniche is usually no longer viable. It is now only specialised traffic or specialised conditions that can make freight on such waterways pay. >The biggest negative factor of eater transport is that >it is slow, thus incurring a higher wages cost than road or rail transport. Up to a point, milord. With a big enough gauge, the size of the load makes up for the slower speed. The crucial statistic is tonne-miles/man-hour. >One development that is likely to create new opportunities for freight by >water is a change in the country's regime for management of rubbish. At the >moment much of this is going into land-fill, but this is going to be cut >down (if not cut out) in favour of a mix of recycling and incineration. >Some authorities (including the Mayor of London) are keen to have the new >recycling and incenraion plants built waterside to encourage getting rubbish >traffic off the roads on to the water. And this is the type of specialised situation I mean. Getting rubbish traffic off congested urban streets provides other benefit. Also, in some cities, a barge can move about as fast as a truck anyway! >Also it is hoped that much of the contruction taffic, and later the >supplies, for the 2012 Olympics in East London will travek by water. BW has >worked with outside agencies to build a lig new lock to allow barge access >to parts of the Bow Back Rivers which aren't accessible to barges at the >moment. The new bock won't be that lig -- only about the size of a péniche one. You might say "big for UK", I guess. Most new locks in mainland Europe are now of at least 1,250 T gauge. Also, the bits of the BBR affected actually *are* accessible to barges now, but only at high tide. The lock will enable them to enter the BBR at high tide, but to manoeuvre within them (on the Waterworks River) at all times. This again is a specialised situation - a large traffic in an area of very congested roads and railways, with the potential for long-term traffic associated with regeneration of the area for many years after the Olympics. Very worthwhile IMHO. Is all the funding now secure? BW has scheduled a stoppage on Prescott Channel, so it looks as if this project may actually be going ahead. Fingers crossed. Adrian Adrian Stott 07956-299966
