Broads Toll 2019

[marshman]

But just for one minute going back to the cars ,and especially the hybrid ones, there is plenty of evidence that many just drive around on the petrol bit, especially company car drivers who do not have to pay for the car or the fuel. Quite a few are being returned with the lead in the plastic bag - unopened!

[grendel]

I dont have anywhere to park a car to charge it as we are second in from the road, besides, if we cant even fit a power shower, I dont imagine a car charger is on the cards. I have looked at the zero motorbike, but at 120 miles a day, it means I would need the added power tank, and then I couldnt fast charge off a car charging point, plus I would need to charge at work if I used the lights night driving

[MauriceMynah]

 

AnnV says

" it won't be long before all private vehicles will be banned in cities unless they are electric or Hydrogen powered."

That will of course make a massive improvement in road safety, because anyone who lives in a city or just outside will have to scrap their now worthless car and go buy a brand spanking new electric one. Oddly enough there will be many who will not be able to afford to do this. Such low grade life forms will have to relinquish their cars, that would then lose them their jobs and subsequently probably their houses.

This is a massive win win policy. More job opportunities in cities, more affordable housing (for workers still with jobs) and much more affordable housing caused by the sudden glut of properties for sale.

The only losers in this would be poor people , and they don't matter.

[JennyMorgan]

At the end of the day, at least on the Broads, it could be the rich people who have to pay. There can be little doubt that far more stringent emissions testing on boats is long over due on the Broads. The 'gas guzzling', emission spewing craft perhaps most likely to fail any reasonable test are possibly if not probably the over engined, at least for Broads use, mega boats that are the demand of rich owners. Despite having regulations in place to restrict emissions the Authority has so far, apart from telling people not to run their engines at moorings, failed to tackle the problem with any great enthusiasm. I have been on the canals where the lock chambers can quickly fill with diesel emissions which quickly result in sore throats and smarting eyes, it is not just a Broads issue and I can foresee demands from other waterways, not just in England, triggering greater regulation.

[MauriceMynah]

Sorry Peter but I can't go along with that. Firstly it needs to be recognised that within the "larger picture" the emissions of the "mega boats" is insignificant, certainly not worth going after. I accept your dislike of such craft, but they too have their place, even on the broads. You describe them as "The 'gas guzzling', emission spewing craft" and doing so rather nails your colours to the mast.

The people who have sufficient finance to own such craft pay much more tax than I do. Each time they rev their engines they pay fuel tax. OK, not a style I would own, (if I had the cash) but that's just choice. I always go just a pale shade of green when I see them but only because they have the resources to own their dream boat. To ban any style of boat (or over tax/toll it) is not an ethic I could support... even though it means I must grin and bare those bloody flappy things.

[vanessan]

38 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

doing so rather nails your colours to the mast.

I think JM has been doing that for a long, long time!

[Guest]

There will come a time, probably not in my lifetime (I'm 64), when 'hydrocarbons' for pleasure use will have to cease anyway. I read somewhere that there is around 50 years worth of oil left, at current production levels. So, it may not only be 'emissions' which prompt the further squeeze on oil usage, but the fact that we've almost used all the stuff up. If oil doesn't become so heavily taxed (not that it isn't already) that it effectively stops 'pleasure use', we might well find it is either rationed or banned for 'unnecessary' usage.

In the history of the Norfolk Broads, the use of oil powered boats, may well be remembered as the time, sandwiched between sail power and battery power or perhaps even... Sail power again.

[grendel]

1 hour ago, MauriceMynah said:

doing so rather nails your colours to the mast.

At least he has a proper mast to nail them to.

[MauriceMynah]

48 minutes ago, vanessan said:

I think JM has been doing that for a long, long time!

I am reminded of an exchange in"Yes Minister"

Sir Humphrey Appleby... "We write him a speech that nails his trousers to the mast"

Bernard Wooley...   "Oh you mean nail his colours to the mast"

Sir Humphrey Appleby...  "No, nail his trousers to the mast. That way, he can't climb down."

 

[JennyMorgan]

John, (MM) you need to be out in a rowing boat or kayak, on a quiet evening, when a 'gas guzzler' comes past. With little or no wind, or other passing boats to disperse it, their emissions  lay on the water, contained by the reeds and the river bank, not at all pleasant for those of us caught up in it. Nothing to do with liking or not liking particular boats, bit of a myth is that, just a preference for fresh air. 

[Baitrunner]

Jm. I have a 12ft rowing boat. Never had a problem at all. 

Are you sure the odd gin palace - bearing in mind none of them go further than Bramerton (allegedly) are worse than the multitude of poorly maintained or very old broads cruisers? In fact any diesel spuing vessel?

Far worse for me - I walk down the street and get second hand smoke, a man vaping in my face, diesel trucks, buses, vans cars. Petrol cars and motorbikes stinking me out. 

And half a dozen lovely boats give you grief? 

ones perspective is distorted imho.  

[rightsaidfred]

10 hours ago, Baitrunner said:

Jm. I have a 12ft rowing boat. Never had a problem at all. 

Are you sure the odd gin palace - bearing in mind none of them go further than Bramerton (allegedly) are worse than the multitude of poorly maintained or very old broads cruisers? In fact any diesel spuing vessel?

Far worse for me - I walk down the street and get second hand smoke, a man vaping in my face, diesel trucks, buses, vans cars. Petrol cars and motorbikes stinking me out. 

And half a dozen lovely boats give you grief? 

ones perspective is distorted imho.  

While I can agree with most of what you say about town life one of the reasons its good to escape to the broads I don't think you would still say ( And half a dozen lovely boats give you grief? ) if you had one on your own moorings running up their engines for 30mins or more every time they come to the boat or follow them down the river.

Fred

[ChrisB]

On 13/12/2018 at 19:34, marshman said:

But just for one minute going back to the cars ,and especially the hybrid ones, there is plenty of evidence that many just drive around on the petrol bit, especially company car drivers who do not have to pay for the car or the fuel. Quite a few are being returned with the lead in the plastic bag - unopened!

There is a subtle difference twix "Hybrid" and "Plug in Hybrid" it is the latter that are not being used correctly. A lady in the village has an outlander plug-in and by using the cable she can get to work in Holt and back home a distance of 26 miles.

[oldgregg]

There's definitely an element of that, people just buying / leasing them to qualify for the lower tax bracket etc.

Daft really as like Chris says they do have a reasonable electric-only range nowadays and cost peanuts to run like that.

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[johnm]

7 hours ago, ChrisB said:

by using the cable she can get to work in Holt and back home a distance of 26 miles.

That's one heck of a cable!

[BroadAmbition]

'B.A's 2019 river toll invoice landed in my inbox today.

It has of course increased as it does every year.  The 2019 toll has risen for  'B.A' by 2:65%.

The 2018 inflation rate governed by the CPi was 2:44%

Yet again the Blessed authority see fit to increase the yearly toll above the inflation rate

'B.A's river toll is now only £7:00 shy of being exactly double the cost of the 2007 toll when we recommissioned her

Griff

 

 

[marshman]

Thank goodness I have the triple lock increase applied to my pension then - I might be able to keep my boat another year!!!!!

[JennyMorgan]

Of those of you who have just received their toll demand I wonder how many of you noticed a refreshing lack of BNP propaganda in the accompanying Broads Squit, sorry, Broad Sheet? Less Squit than usual, maybe more Sheet though! Actually I thought it quite a positive read this year.

[marshman]

Oh dear Pete - never mind!  It won't last you know!!!!

[JennyMorgan]

8 minutes ago, marshman said:

Oh dear Pete - never mind!  It won't last you know!!!!

It wasn't mentioned on Countryfile either. Must be the quiet before the storm.

[vanessan]

Our toll equates to £1.33 per day (or £4.07 per day based on our usual number of days afloat per year). I reckon that’s still darn good value. 

[Islander]

Ok, I'll live with the increase ( what choice do I have other than removing the boats from the broads to somewhere more costly ), it's not much above inflation and a least the workers are going to get their pay rise.  I did think that Broad Sheet was a bit skinny for my £800+ toll this year. I would like to hear more about improved moorings and that the work at Hicking will be more than 'hopeful' for the boats that use it. We are too big to get there but have friends that sail there a lot.

The only thing I found disappointing is the proposed campaign over having the correct markings on your boat.  I.e. size and location. Not long ago the ranger only needed to see the colour of your toll disk to know if you had paid. Now they have to read your registration number and then check on a website to confirm this, all because a printer used the wrong ink one year. I liked the old toll disk and I'm sure it's cost was vectored into the toll charged. 

Well, that's my annual moan about tolls over for this year . Anyone else want to have a go.

Colin 

[dnks34]

Whilst there are folk believing its good value its only going to keep on rising, sooner or later the point where those folk think its poor value may become reality. 

I think the Toll almost doubling over a 10 year period is pretty dire and not something we should be offering any praise for.

[quo vadis]

The good doctor wrote to me admitting he’d been overcharging me for the last 10 years saying I can have this year free 

[JanetAnne]

8 minutes ago, quo vadis said:

The good doctor wrote to me admitting he’d been overcharging me for the last 10 years saying I can have this year free 

That was supposed to be my letter having also been overcharged. They said it had been mis-directed.