But the problem now is that road vehicles have reached a plateau with 44 ton all up weight around the maximum carrying capacity for the roads. Due to the weather and lack of funding many roads are in a parlous state and there has been speculation that weight limits will be applied to many roads that were constructed to carry much lighter weights.
The railway has already seen a resurgence in the amount of containerised freight-liner traffic. Could the canals see such a resurgence in the next few years.
The rivers and canal system however have one unique cargo. One that features in everyone’s daily life. A cargo that has almost an unlimited demand. A cargo that road and rail can never out perform the inland waterways in terms of capacity or price for delivery. That cargo is water. Essentially there are two types of water. Water for domestic and industrial consumption. The second one is drainage of water.
Maybe a whole new kind of lock is required. The Diagonal Lock is designed as an alternative to a traditional flight of locks, connecting the canal at the summit of an incline to the canal at the base. The concept is based on the construction of a watertight, concrete tube built on the incline – allowing boats to float securely inside the tube as the water level is varied via a system of pumps.
The Diagonal Lock technology has been assessed by various technical and research organisations, resulting in the following conclusion. The key components of the Diagonal Lock utilize standard construction technologies which would make best use of pre cast solutions – this increases the speed and ease of construction. One Diagonal Lock is likely, depending on specific site condition, to be more cost effective to construct than a flight of 4+ conventional locks for the equivalent incline. Ongoing maintenance costs will be less than the cost of maintaining a flight of conventional locks. The ability to re-use water using side pounds will produce quantifiable environmental benefits. The Diagonal Lock will be a powerful focus of interest and generate an economic boost to the local community – through increasing tourist numbers and attracting investment into the area.