I just thought I’d say thanks to all the people who supported me yesterday when I posted video of me being badly cut up by a bad driver at the Bridgman Street junction with the new Ring Road in Wallsall on the 8th August. I was overwhelmed by the concern and shock shown by readers on Twitter, Facebook and here on the blog. Your thoughts were wonderful and I’m genuinely surprised at the level of interest shown.
Remarkably, the footage was seen by one of the police officers at Walsall who engage with the online community in the course of their work. Despite all that was going on yesterday (which is why I didn’t want to trouble them with it), the officer took time to locate the driver and show them the footage, pointing out the poor driving standards. The officer didn’t have to do this and it really is a sign of how dedicated he is, and how wonderful the West Midlands Police social media engagement with the community has become.
Thanks everyone. The above video – shot this lunchtime on the Arboretum Junction – shows a female cyclist cruising over the lights as I wait for my signal to change. She clearly is enjoying her ride, and so am I. Please don’t let my atypical experience put you off riding a bike, that kind of thing really is quite rare. I may post footage of stupidity sometimes, but I rarely feel threatened like I did then.
May the journey continue.
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Good news all round as to what could have been a far more serious outcome.
Good to hear! I’d have been cacking myself – I need to find a way of attaching my little camera to my handlebars too…
really positive to hear about that Bob and the correct action taken, maybe we should all get those vrecording devices !!
Well done the Officer involved as well.
Very good of the Police Officer to trace her.I bet she had the shock of her life, when he turned up and showed her how close she came to killing someone.
Hopefully, she’ll be more careful in future.
As a matter of interest…..I wonder if the Officer spotted the other clip you posted, of one of his colleagues [West Midlands Police, do as we say, not as we do].
That incident is being looked into – Bob and I had a discussion about it on Twitter.
You guys were brilliant – thanks.
Got any sleep, yet?
Best wishes
Bob
Well done.
To be fair they could have had a good reason for going that way.
Very good that the police followed up on the moron but golly gosh Bob those roads you ride upon are quite shite. What a boring place to ride around. Dodge the car. Is this why you are mostly alone when it comes to others using the two wheel transport. Cars pass through the scene quickly, and no wonder why, the places you frequent are shite, what is there to see? Your minds eye is greater than what there is to behold, like a child looking back to the past for some form of comfort. Look and you shall find. If it is not there it is not there, rosy pictures, like postcards do not paint the picture, turn the camera the opposite way. Brownhill had a moment in time, when was that? most dont care until their backs are up against the wall, then who gives a shite about Brownhill? You may live here and so you have to justify it but really Bob, it is shite, is it not. Now go to it and tell me how most wonderful the place is.
Hello Brian.
Rough night was it? What a jaded picture of the world you paint. Tragic.
Best wishes
Bob from Brownhills. That’s with an ‘s’ on the end.
*[speechless]*
Well, not quite.
Shite? Erm, no. I can walk 5-10 minutes from my home in Walsall Wood and be in countryside.
How very, very wrong you are, Brian.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if we do not love the places where we live, who else will care? Not the powers of authority. No place is perfect, but there is good to be found everywhere in place and in people if you are prepared to get off your arse and do something about it, like Bob does.
As to the dangers of cycling, my only close shave came many years ago when I was nearly killed by two drunks in a council van. They ended up in a ditch and I went my merry way. Fate, innit?
I’ve just had two weeks in Italy. Driving back through Walsall at 1am, my wife turned to me and said “Ahhhh home. It’s not as pretty as Sorrento…. but it’s less shit than Naples”.
Seems as good a place as any to share it.
There’s a lot of good in Walsall. I think the outcome of Bob’s bike incident sums it up quite nicely.
I grew up on a souless, ‘posh’ estate in Sutton Coldfield – Brownhills is packed with history and charachter by comparison. It would be so sad to miss the fascinating world that lies just beneath our fingertips, thanks to Bob, we don’t have to. History is not just about ‘great’ people and places, it is alive and happening right before our eyes, you are a piece of it Brian, like it or not.
Bob, I saw your tweet.
From Mr Ansell’s tirade we learn more of the auhtor than the subject. I infer that this emigrant is beyond enlightenment in these pages and that use of more milliamps is futile.
Can this really be the same Brian Ansell that has commented on this blog so glowingly about his childhood and later years in the Brownhills area with his knowledge of all the pubs etc? He now lives in Vancouver, with its warm climate, its ‘postcard’ backdrop of snow capped mountains, its delightful walks through Stanley Park, and its harbours, creeks and waterfronts.
Oh wait … its also the drug and crime capital of Canada. Visitors are more likely to get robbed there than anywhere else in North America. Watch out if you visit East Van and don’t walk down Hastings St. at night.
In the spirit of Brian’s exceptionally childish post…what a tiny little willy you must have. Slither back to your toys you negative little worm.
Hi everyone.
Thanks for your positive comments. Let’s face it, we don’t need to justify our love for our area; we have it because whilst it may not be pretty, it has soul, spirit, individuality and community – as you’re all proving.
I too am surprised at Brian’s contribution. I suspect alcohol may have been involved. If not, I can assure him that we’re all made up that he’s happy in Canada, but for me, this will always be where My heart is, for all it’s faults.
Thanks, everyone, you’re very kind.
Cheers
Bob
I’ve lived in Brownhills/Walsall Wood my whole life and perhaps that clouds my vision……[nothing to compare it to] but I happen to like living here.
The area has it’s faults, idiots trying to burn down our historic pubs for one.
On a bad day…and we all have them, when perhaps it’s cold, wet and miserable and you’ve got out of bed the wrong side, you look around and see only the litter, graffitti and boarded up places [like The Warreners and Rising Sun for instance] and you remember when they were lively thriving businesses, and it’s depressing.
But on a good day, it’s a great place to live.I feel a sense of pride everytime I see our ‘Miner’ and what he stands for.As stymaster says, the ‘countryside’ is within walking distance. Nothing brightens my day more than coming face to face with a herd of deer just a couple of minutes walk away or seeing the fields of yellow barley, or the tractor bailing up the hay.And what about the towns latest addition…….
a B&M homestore…yipee [although I hope it doesn’t have a detrimental affect on Wilko’s, because I love that store too]
I don’t think we should be unkind to Brian,we may not agree with him, but he’s entitled to his opinion.
Well done that Officer,and i have a question for him.As there are very few patrol cars on the road (not a dig) i wondered how i would stand legaly if i fitted a camera like Bobs onto my dash/winscreen in a discrete position and let it run for the duration of my journey.If i captured people without seat belts,on the phone or both,if i captured the registration plate and person,if i printed off the pictures would the police act on them or would i need to bring a civil complaint?
If they could be used to impose a fine,i could see quite a few £30 and £60 fines being issued which would pay for several patrol cars and officers as it would be self financing i think.
Good idea John, perhaps you could work on a commission basis. At 10% per fine, you’d be rich in no time, judging by how many I see driving whilst using mobiles.
I wondered how long it would take before someone thought i had a business idea. lol If the Police could supply or someone sponsor me with a GoPro or similar,something with an hour or more recording time,and the Police would either use it to fine people or identify and visit the people then for very little cost it would help. My concern is the legal aspect,maybe if i just handed over the filled SD card and the Police downloaded what ever bits they needed,maybe that would work.I am just fed up and frustrated at obeying what ever the law says,while others flaunt it sometimes in a dangerous way. I have thought of filming and downloading the peoples pictures onto a web site i could start(if i has the faintest idea how to) and call it Gotcha,or Banged to Rights or similar. Fancy a bit of sponsorship Caz ?
Well John, I saved £9.60 this week on my shopping bill by buying half of it at
B&M homestores, [ sorry Tesco…but you need to drop your prices] so I’m feeling quite flush lol
How much is a GoPro????
Would £9.60 buy me a decent share in this new business idea? If so I’m in lol
AND…..If you were ‘THE’ John Bishop, I’d probably up it to a tenner, ’cause I love the man…….he makes me laugh