Canal boaters in east London have created congestion problems by escaping new increased fees for keeping their boats in the centre of the city.
The Lee Navigation has become clogged with boats escaping the high cost of the city centre after new measures were introduced by the Canal and River Trust (CRT) in April.
The number of continuous cruisers, boaters without a permanent space to stop, grew in London from 413 in 2010 to 2,146 in 2020.
London’s boating population increased due to the lower cost of living, as well as the attraction of living in nature and belonging to a community of boaters.
Mita Sugeng, 33, a former NGO worker from Indonesia said: “At first the community showed me the ropes, how to tie knots and lent me their tools.
“It feels like we are in it together, even if we do not know each other.”
The CRT extended their pre-bookable mooring in central London by 800 metres in April, costing £25-£35 per night.
This extension has sent continuous cruisers to east London’s Lee Navigation River, congesting the waterway of canal boats trying to find free mooring.
A 37-year-old boater on the Lee Navigation, who wished to remain unnamed, said: “Ten years ago you could find mooring space, but now it is difficult.”
Alex Paterson, communications and campaigns manager, at CRT, said: “There is no question that central London is in demand, but it is unfair on the rest of our licence fee payers if they are unable to access some of the jewels in our crown.”
Continuous cruisers make up more than half of the boating population in London and must move their boats every two weeks as part of their licensing agreement.
Mooring space is vital for continuous cruisers as they traverse the canals in finding a new spot to stop.
One boater said he spent an entire day travelling the congested canal from Paddington to Angel to find a free mooring space.
In July 2023, the Government announced significant cuts to the public funding of the CRT.
Following this, the CRT decided to increase their licensing fee for continuous cruisers from 5% to 31% per annum till 2028.
A 2022 boat licensing review conducted by the CRT found that 43% of boaters had an income lower than £30,000 and 27% had an income lower than £20,000.
Sugeng said: “Most people cannot afford to pay on top of their living expenses.
“And is especially not feasible if you live in London, where everything is already expensive.”
The new licensing fees and payable mooring locations in central London has made boats congested on the east London waterway.
Featured image courtesy: Taro Kaneko
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