Signs.

Hi Folks.

Look away now if your do not want to read a rant.....

Oh you stayed that must mean you are happy to continue reading or you just want to know why I am having a rant. What ever the case here goes.

Love them or hate them signs of all sorts are a part of our every day life and are put up for a reason, whether it be for direction, safety or to advertise, so why oh why does it seem that  the majority of people choose to ignore the the ones that are for their safety, they would not ignore ones which directed them to their destination, or were selling items?

Where we are moored there are a lot of signs very visible to everyone and yet whilst here I have watched people completely ignoring them.

No Fishing means exactly that and yet two men were fishing for Pike.

If your dog does what your dog has to do, then flippin use the bin, you cannot miss them on site they are bright Red and have Dog Waste Only on them and yet this morning someone allowed their dog to mess near the boat.

Still on the dog theme. You are supposed to keep your dog on a lead at all times, the sign is self explanatory but every day I see dogs off leads. I have bravely spoken to some dog owners, who have neglected to put their dog or dogs on leads, you may have read my post from the other day Today's Visitor. I am always polite when I ask a dog owner why their dog is not on a lead, I wish the dog owners were as polite with their replies. Goodness only knows how the lock keepers and BW staff put up with such behaviour day in, day out. It is after all for their dogs safety, especially after a dog died here a few weeks ago. I have even told the story to these dog owners and they really do not seem bothered. They would not feel the same if their dog died of drowning. When they ask for dogs to be on leads at all times, this also means when they get off of boats. A number of dog owners on boats, are just letting their dogs jump off of their boats and run amuck which is not on at all.

The other very important sign is No Cycling, this is not only for the safety of walkers and BW staff on the towpath, it is also for the safety of the cyclist. This summer a lone there have been a couple of cyclists who have fallen in because of not adhering to the signs or the advice from BW staff. BW staff always politely ask people to dismount from their bikes, but some choose to ignore the advice, which means they are not just putting themselves in danger, they could cause a serious accident.

At the end of the day we all must make the choice as to whether we obey signs, which are put up for our benefit, if we choose to ignore them or the advice of others, we should not moan when things go horribly wrong or someone comes along and sues us for compensation, because we were asked nicely. I personally always stick to what signs ask me to do and if there has been an occasion when I have missed a sign and have been asked to do something, I have always complied, because it is for my own safety.

Ok that is my Wednesday rant over with.

Sorry if my rant was not very interesting, but to me it is important.

Chat soon xx