Punt operators in Cambridge will have to give safety demonstrations to passengers before each trip under new rules being introduced.
The Conservators of the River Cam, who manage the waterway, have revised the punting code of conduct.
Commercial and chauffeur punts must carry lanterns at night, refrain from playing loud music and rescue anyone at risk of drowning if it is safe.
As reported in the Cambridge News punts must also display safety signs.
The code of conduct was first introduced in 2004 and has been revised several times since then.
The latest rules are the most stringent and are designed to address safety concerns.
All operators are required to have a safety officer and to document all accidents or incidents involving their vessels.
Chauffeurs, described by the conservators as "the professional boat masters on the river", are required to give their passengers a safety demonstration and must themselves be fully trained by their operating company.
Failure to adhere to the code of conduct could result in registration of vessels being refused
The have a "duty to assist to the best of their ability" if they see anyone at risk of drowning, the code says.
The conservators have also drawn up strict rules for the safety signs that all punts must carry, including the size, colour and font to be used.
George Sugden, a director of Traditional Cambridge Tours Ltd, told the BBC his company welcomed "any measure to attempt to improve safety".
However, he said "about 90% of incidents and accidents involve self-drive punts" rather than chauffeur vessels.
"There is little effort to regulate or curtail those," he added.
Punt operators are required to sign up to the code of practice as a condition of registering their vessels with the river managers.
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:15 pm
by oldr_n_wsr
They need some life vests.
One for each person on board.
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 10:57 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
Commercial and chauffeur punts must carry lanterns at night, refrain from playing loud music and rescue anyone at risk of drowning if it is safe.
Which raises the obvious question - when is it safe to drown?
You just have to admire the stunts of people in punts
and the tricks of the folks who are taking 'em
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 11:21 pm
by Gob
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 11:50 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 12:15 am
by wesw
nannys for everyone!!!!
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:43 pm
by Big RR
Drowning? I was in Cambridge a number of years ago and rented a punt for an excursion behind the colleges. As I recall, the pole reached the bottom easily, so I doubt the river was deep enough to drown anyone in those areas.
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:49 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
Oh, you can drown in three inches of water, Big RR. Well... not you necessarily but someone could.
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 2:18 pm
by Big RR
well sure, if you're one inch tall; but seriously, you are right. My point was more to the point in the OP that the operators were required to help people at risk of drowning. My guess is the way they would drown is if they hit their head and sank below the surface where they would not be seen; otherwise, they would just stand up and walk out of the water.
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 3:40 pm
by oldr_n_wsr
Unless they are drunk and walking is a problem for them.
But all kidding aside, someone who is unable to swim then falls out of a boat may go into panic mode and thrash about without realizing they can stand.
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 5:01 pm
by Big RR
anything is possible; but face it, if you couldn't swim and were in a boat that could easily dump you into the water, wouldn't you wear some sort of flotation device or avoid riding in such boats? If not, why not?
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 5:57 pm
by rubato
So there's been a rash of accidents then? Fatalities? Screaming children? Exsanguinations en mass? There is a reason for this?
yrs,
rubato
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 6:55 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
You're thinking of the Boat Race - a disgrace that last one, with Cambridge far behind Oxford. But better than the 1978 season:
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:03 pm
by Lord Jim
Okay, so a "punt" is a gondola-type thing...
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:18 pm
by Big RR
Reminds me of the old joke--a guy sent an email saying he wanted two punts and a canoe; the reply came back--We've been able to round up a couple of the local girls, but what's a panoe?
Actually, I think a punt is kind of a squarish flat bottomed boat which can be polled or rowed (I looked it up after I rented one); in Cambridge they all used poles.
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:31 pm
by rubato
MajGenl.Meade wrote:You're thinking of the Boat Race - a disgrace that last one, with Cambridge far behind Oxford. But better than the 1978 season:
...
God that is too funny! how did they sink in a river with only tiny little waves like that?
yrs,
rubato
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:45 pm
by Sue U
Big RR wrote:Actually, I think a punt is kind of a squarish flat bottomed boat which can be polled or rowed (I looked it up after I rented one); in Cambridge they all used poles.
Pirogue, like Hank Williams poled down the bayou to Yvonne.
Re: What a silly punt.
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:51 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
I think it's the extremely low (one-inch?) freeboard that does it.
Apart from 1978, Cambridge sank in 1859 and Oxford in 1925 and 1931. In 1912, they both sank.
