After a successful campaign against the so-called ‘safety zones’ which were to be implemented on the Lee Navigation in Broxbourne and Hackney, Canal & River Trust (CRT) advised the public that they would not be introducing them; unfortunately, we now know this not to be fully true. We believe that CRT, having lost the opening battle, is now intent on introducing a whole set of new rules, claiming they were already there but hadn’t been enforced.
Due to the actions of our community, many of the so-called ‘safety zones’ were scrapped. CRT claims that it is willing to discuss safety in a constructive way via the newly formed ‘Lee Navigation Forum.’ However, instead of engaging with the users of the waterways as promised, CRT is continuing to introduce the ‘no mooring’ sections of the ‘safety zones’, resulting in the unnecessary removal of 295 mooring spots at 33 sites between Tottenham and Hackney and 9 sites in Broxbourne. In Broxbourne this amounts to 44% of the restrictions proposed in the “safety zone” proposals. There is absolutely no justification for this.
With 140 people signed up already to disobey the restrictions, NBTA London Branch encourages people to moor in the places with new ‘no mooring’ signage and pledge on the NBTA London website to ignore CRT’s ‘Safety Zone’ mooring restrictions.
The mooring protest pledge is here: https://nbtalondon.wordpress.com/mooring-protest-pledge/
Here is a template letter to send in response to any CRT enforcement communications: https://nbtalondon.wordpress.com/2021/10/10/template-letter-safety-zones-enforcement/
The NBTA will put our full support behind anyone who disobeys the restrictions. See https://www.bargee-traveller.org.uk/nbta-in-favour-of-action-which-opposes-safety-zones/
NBTA London Branch is organising Open Air Action Meetings events in Daubeney Fields, Hackney, on Sunday 24th October 2021 11am-6pm here: https://www.google.com/maps?q=51.555252,-0.035016&entry=gps&shorturl=1
and at Broxbourne on Sunday 24th October 2021 at 3pm here: https://www.google.com/maps?q=51.740823,-0.013727&entry=gps&shorturl=1
Bring your boats, bring yourself.
Together as a community we will stop CRT behaving in this way! Our actions will win!