Couldn't find this in search, anyone using the Canals around brum be aware.
http://www.itv.com/news/central/2015-10-07/police-step-up-patrols-to-catch-canal-attack-gang/
You genuinely should be able to kick **** out of ****ers like that. I would certainly be carrying something if I was riding along there!
Having your D Lock close to hand may be useful there...
That said the only time I visited Birmingham, I got half bricks thrown at me whilst I walked along the canal on ney years day. Shithole of a place.
Been a few pushed into the canal locally just for fun, also in Manchester their is an alleged stalker killing people by pushing them into the canals in the city centre.
There was a gang of kids doing this in Leeds not so long ago.
Shame you can't carry a stun gun / pepper spray like you can in America. As mentioned though, a decent D lock to hand would be my preferred 'concealed carry' of choice.
Birmingham, I got half bricks thrown at me whilst I walked along the canal on ney years day. Shithole of a place.
Wonderful assessment based on a single visit.
Rode through there last Saturday, plenty of places where an ambush could take place. I deliberately said I'd not do the route on my own, luckily there were 4 of us & we had no trouble
I go into Birmingham every day. It is a shithole of a place
Scum like that need the absolute shit beat out them till they end up in a full body cast, I'd find it perfectly acceptable/easy to carry out retributive justice on such folk and i'd not lose sleep over it either.
Yeah & they speak funny.
Kipper Tie?
Yes, 2 sugars please.
Love it how the place gets slammed rather than the shithead individuals doing it.
^^ Amazing isn't it!
eddiebaby - Member
Kipper Tie?
Yes, 2 sugars please
It's worth telling the whole joke! 🙂
big yim - Member
I go into Birmingham every day. It is a shithole of a place
Take one easy step to improve your quality of life. Don't come.
.......you caught a whale in the canal and you chucked it back?
Aar, it had no spokes in it!!!
Can't believe the bad press Brum gets. There's been a helluva lot of improvement over recent years. New station is pretty cool. You couldn't pay me enough to live in London. Hateful place.
No, I don't live in Birmingham, I go there a lot with work.
Favourite brummie / Black Country accent jokes.
What's the difference between a Buffalo and a Bison?
Yow carn wash your onds in a Buffalo.
What do you call a Chinese man halfway between Halesowen and Stourbridge?
Yu min Lie.
I'll get me coat.
ads678 ^^^ that's a Black Country Joke...get it right!
I run down those canals a fair bit (at lunch times admittedly) and I've always been paranoid about this sort of thing. I didn't run at lunch over the summer holidays either, quite glad now just in case.
Birmingham's not all bad, but the bad is very bad. Probably like anywhere else.
Strange thing is you rarely hear a brum accent outside of brum.
There are more supermarket trolleys thrown in Birmingham's canals than the whole of Venice.
Brum is bloody awesome, though admittedly that part is now the jewel in it's crown. I guess it's a case of "big city has crappy area", this is not big news. Having cycled along the canals of Brum, Manchester and London I can conclude they're all as ropey as each other.
Anyway, back to the news above, crap news and I hope the people get caught.
I thought it was a massive let down when I travelled to/from there the other week.New station is pretty cool.
No seating in the main concourse areas, massive areas barriered off for no apparent reason (is the glass roof at risk of falling in?), no bar inside, (and five quid for a print from All Bar One out front!) no bike stands anywhere around that I could see and if you looked up at the architectural ceiling, all the services and duct work were exposed. Pretty **** allround really.
This type of event is happening in London too. Last year there were a string of attacks and pinching bikes of commuters who use Lee Valley Canal. Most of the attacks were taking place up near the Rowing Club, which is strange because it's a very popular area for families and rowers to gather. Most of the attacks were orchestrated, a couple of lads would stalk a rider a few hundred meters down the path (where theres no possibility of escape) and phone their mates someones on the way, then the gang would jump out, scare the rider, invariably push them into the canal and nick the bike.
The police were useless, called out in the Evening Standard as non caring and couldn't GAS about commuters etc. etc. in reality the event happened about 25 times before anything was done about it. Now there are occasional patrols up and down that section but it's a very long canal and very difficult to manage.
It's also one of the main drag routes in/out of Canary Wharf for commuters who live up Hartford/Walthamstow way and it gets very busy. It's a bit odd that so many events took place considering the amount of people using the canal for not only riding, but other leisure pastimes.
seems on the whole to have gone off the boil now, in part because commuters took to arm themselves and a few altercations ended up in fights, also Plod has been seem to be more active.
The gangs target early evening, you still see a vast amount of women joggers up that way and you'd think if they felt intimidated then they'd not go up there, as is they do so from what I've seen they feel no threat and hence I think commuters are now back in swing using the canal.
It's of no interest to you at present, just to let you know these events tend to calm down after an initial spate, then disappear.
It's clearly time for an STW vigilante death squad.
Hmm. Will be in birmingham shortly for a few days and was thinking of using the canal to walk from the hotel (on the egde of the centre) to edgbaston (near the hospital)
Any comments on that, its that part of the canal ok?
chakaping - Member
It's clearly time for an STW vigilante death squad.
pretty sure the tapping of keys in leafy suburbs added to the power of tap-a-talk in airport terminals will suffice to get those scallywags busy elsewhere
Hmm. Will be in birmingham shortly for a few days and was thinking of using the canal to walk from the hotel (on the egde of the centre) to edgbaston (near the hospital)Any comments on that, its that part of the canal ok?
I commute on it pretty much every day, and I've never had any problems.
The towpath on this part is quite busy and full off students, joggers, cyclists.
The problems have been in another part of the city in a dodgy area.
somafunk - MemberScum like that need the absolute shit beat out them till they end up in a full body cast, I'd find it perfectly acceptable/easy to carry out retributive justice on such folk and i'd not lose sleep over it either.
Yes, more violence in their lives is probably just what they need.
Rusty junior commutes along that bit as well (Edgbaston & the Mailbox). Just been speaking to him after seeing this and he says its OK with loads of students and dog walkers rather than yoofs.I commute on it pretty much every day, and I've never had any problems.
Nice one, thanks folks. Makes things a little easier 🙂
Yes, more violence in their lives is probably just what they need.
It worked up here when there was a spate of thefts from the fishing boats tied up in the harbour, if there is one class of society you do not want to steal from it's skippers/seasoned deckhands - they risk their lives every trip and take a very dim view of scum trying to steal what little possessions they leave on the boats between trips.
Is this the section of canal where you have to cross up and over the bridge down the brickwork steps with a nice tight left turn at the bottom (next to Tumble Jungle soft play :oops:)? Never thought it was that dodgy although not quite as busy with students, runners etc compared to further up towards University.
@ Scamper , im over that way as well , use it daily, never any issues, most of the attacks are over towards small heath/aston side
If the want my bike, its going in the canal with them !
nbt - Member
Hmm. Will be in birmingham shortly for a few days and was thinking of using the canal to walk from the hotel (on the egde of the centre) to edgbaston (near the hospital)
Any comments on that, its that part of the canal ok?
You might bump into me on the fat bike, there isn't much room for anyone else to pass!
you bringing a bike?
chosen bike for Birmingham
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I used to live in Brum, and I can honestly say that moving away is the best thing I have ever done in my life. It is a deeply divided, hugely unequal and utterly unpleasant place. If you want to write a textbook on how not to build a city, just go there and you will have all the material you will ever need. Sorry to be so dismissive of it, but I am still traumatised by it after twenty years and will never, ever, set a foot in it again.
[quote=rOcKeTdOg dijo]
you bringing a bike?
Wasn't planning on it, got other things on my mind 🙁
Well, if u fancy a brew/pint for a change of scene I'm only 20 mins away by direct train from the Uni/We. Email in profile
CHeers mate 🙂
Lived in Birmingham myself (Moseley/Kings Heath) for 7 years and was very happy there. Still visit friends up there from time to time.
Cheap living, lots going on, loads of gigs, just be aware which bits to avoid as when Brum gets rough it gets PROPERLY rough.
Hmmm Spark Hill, Alum Rock, Saltley, Sparkbrook, Northfield, Lozells, lock your doors and keep moving!
Brum does get a bad press, but it is a huge place. Lived here for 6 years now and our current abode is not too bad once you look past the car crime, stabbings and drug dealing on my front wall. And I can see the Lickey Hills from my upstairs 😀
Time to move soon though as starting to pick up a bit of a twang. Although my eldest is born and bread so have not a clue what he is saying half the time.
@ tthew. Do you remember the old New Street Station? Oooh! That was grim, the 1960s concrete grimness that most folk associate with Birmingham.
No bar inside? Who wants a pint in New St Station when the Wellington is a 5 min walk away?
Bike stands - Got to admit I wasn't looking, but thinking about it I believe you are right. Planners probably knew all bikes were being nicked from riders on local canal towpaths.
Evening. I've been up and down the canal a few times. Some nice stuff around (Mail box) and along it. Never felt threatened and I am a fairly big bloke with a shaved head. However if someone asked me for my wallet or bike holding a knife- they are most welcome to either. I'll cancel the cards within 10mins and be on the phone giving the Police a accurate description. Concentrate on looking at them/what they are wearing and don't hesitate in getting rid of them. No lip- just say 'ok'. Ditto a commuter.
Exactly hora.
Having had a knife pulled on me years ago, I was off like greased weasel shite. The folks on hear who reckon they'd have a go with a D lock may think differently when staring at a big **** off blade.
I'd defend my family to the death, but bikes can be replaced.