July saw a significant day for the UK’s canal network when innovative new Accessible Mooring bollards, co-developed between Birmingham City University (BCU) and the Canal & River Trust (CRT) were installed.
The revolutionary new boating hardware is the first outcome from a collaborative programme between the CRT and BCU's School of Engineering to deliver wider inclusion on the UK's extensive canal network, in consultation with the Accessible Waterways Association.
Commenting on the new installations, the Canal & River Trust's National Towpath Advisor Dick Vincent said: "Canals are for everyone. Yet for many people with physical impairments, limited mobility or reduced strength, mooring a boat remains a significant barrier to enjoying the waterways."
"Through our partnership with Birmingham City University on our Accessible Mooring Project, we are committing to practical and permanent infrastructure that makes canals genuinely available to all.”
“We are starting with this unique accessible mooring bollard, an innovation that we anticipate will be rolled right out across the 2,000 miles of historic waterways across England and Wales that we care for.”
BCU Business Development Manager Andy Neilson added: “At Birmingham City University we aim to equip our students with a strong understanding of theoretical principles, while providing the opportunity to work on external projects where they can apply their learning to real-life challenges and meaningful outcomes. Our partnership with CRT serves as an excellent example of this grounded approach in practice.”
Testing and general feedback from narrowboat owners is now being collected and the new installations being regularly monitored to ensure that these groundbreaking new mooring anchors remain in place for as long as the diverse and proliferating user group on the UK’s precious canal network requires them.
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