footbridge – Page 6 – BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking

November 24th – These little sets of steps near bridges are a mystery to many folk. They’re horse mounting blocks, intended for equestrians to easily mount or dismount their steeds as they use the bridge nearby, and rein their horses over.

This one, dedicated to the memory of great CTC cyclist Alan Woollat, is by the pedestrian bridge system over the A38 at Weeford. Before this bridge – which Alan campaigned tirelessly to get – cyclists, walkers and horse riders used to have to negotiate the A38 which was dangerous, even on a quiet Sunday like this. As a fringe benefit of the M6 Toll/A5 by-pass work, we got a few good bridges like this over local danger spots, and now we can all cross in safety.

Alan was a good man, and a fine cyclist. I think of him every time I use the bridge dedicated in his name.

November 23rd – I hit Chasewater for the sunset, which looked to be pretty decent, but sadly, wasn’t as great as I’d hoped. The light was good though, the park pretty much deserted. The gull roost – despite the last few boats only just leaving the water – was absolutely huge, with what must have been thousands of birds bobbing on the lake. I even saw an angler – the first I’ve seen on the main body of water since the reservoir refilled. It’s still a wonderful place to be, more so now the park has recovered.

The street light through that footbridge still fascinates me. It’s like a portal.

October 26th – And then, there’s the darkness itself, and the magical effect it has on otherwise ordinary, everyday places. A by-pass, a windswept pedestrian bridge, a well-positioned streetlight, a lone stranger.

Even Chasetown can be dramatic at times. Hello darkness, my old friend.

September 30th – I was travelling between Birmingham and Darlaston. I got off the Walsall train at Bescot.

Bescot station is not bicycle friendly. It’s hateful.

That’s all.

December 18th – Crossing the Chasetown Bypass from Anglesey Wharf to Paviours Road at night, I was struct by the parabolic nature of the footbridge, and the light and shade. Some of these structures – in daylight mundane, unremarkable – come to life at night. Sometimes, you just stop, and savour the magic of it.

February 28th – Returning very late from work, cresting the Black Cock Bridge (no sniggering at the back) I stopped to take a picture of the night-time view of Camden Street down towards Oak Park. When I turned around to climb back on the bike, I realised the view behind me was far more interesting. This footbridge (actually green in the daylight) was added to the canal bridge in the 1980’s, and is made from tubular steel, which, when lit by my rear light, looks quite stunning… beauty in unexpected places.

May 21st – Crossing the M6 Toll footbridge from Poole Crescent, Brownhills West onto Chasewater is always an odd sensory experience. The cage-like structure is disconcerting and the traffic noise from below, coupled with the visual flicker caused by light through the mesh in one’s peripheral vision disorientates. I always think that if there’s some kind of urban hell out there, it would be contstructed like this. Horrible.

April 16th – Possibly the most impractical footbridge ever designed. Try crossing with a bike. This curious, delightful folly spans the Birmingham & Fazeley just by Drayton Manor Park, outside Tamworth.