MY PROPOSAL for BMC regional and national approval and action

Please use the OS Landranger 139 and Explorer 219 maps to easily find these cycle-walkways, as I like to call them.

Dowery Dell Trail

8 Kms Halesowen to Longbridge Railway as an adventure (rough) walk and, for most of the way, is unofficially possible to walk but is not legal.  The precedent has been set by children and youngsters since the line was opened as a single-track railway in 1883.  Walked in many parts ever since.  But how can we make it official with the permission of the landowners or, through compulsory purchase by the local authorities and the Combined Authority?

The 600 metre section from Hunnington Blue Bird Park, via the cricket ground opposite, to the farmer Cherry memorial bench is legal and official on a cul de sac public right of way next to the trackbed.  Permissive path round the cricket ground.  The rest of the route on the trackbed to the M5 subway public right of way is not but has always been walked for 137 years.  From the subway to Longbridge it is all public right of way on tarmac.

22 Kms Black Country Cycle-Walk Mudway

All official and legal and marked on the OS Explorer map as a traffic-free cycle route - but a mudbath in places when wet weather arrives!

Includes parts of S Staffordshire Walkway, Monarch's Way and Valley Parkway.

From Fens Pool Avenue, Brierley Hill to Aldersley Stadium and on to the canal towpath in NW Wolverhampton; on two railway lines.  Through the heart of the Black Country boroughs of Dudley and Wolverhampton, via rural South Staffordshire District Council and Wombourne.

It is on two railway lines, with two stations as tea rooms in Wolverhampton.

MY PROPOSAL for BMC regional and national approval and action:

All dismantled/disused railway lines to be brought back into use, where practicable - for trains and, more likely, for walking, cycling and horseback, in the new normal and, essential normal, of lower finite fossil fuel use.  Also Stratford to Honeybourne Railway and 120 Kms Black Country Railway finished.

We must wrest the initiative away from the property developers and the bulldozer brigade

The first section is permissive and a PROW between Blue Bird Park and the Cherry bench.  While the cricket club gates remain locked in lockdown, Jenny is being understanding about walkers using her private drive until they, asap, turn right into the cricket ground.  She is even relaxed about walkers using the railway embankment alternative to the PROW.  However, I'm not wanting any publicity or notices for this first section of the Dowery Dell Trail.  One notice and waymarking post that Stuart put up near to the drive I have taken down, at her request.  She and Neil can tighten their relaxation at any time.  But I don't think Bernard will over the cricket ground.  There must be no car parking in her private drive.

Unless we push the boat out, we will remain on the losing side as countryside and paths disappear under concrete, brick and tarmac.  Mick wrote to me to say that what I am doing is at my "peril".  So be it.  I want our 32 sq Kms triangle to be the first area in last August's announcement of the West Midlands National Park.  Just as we have the Peak District NP with their three railway trails, we must have our 32 sq Kms Clent Hills Regional Park with its one railway trail for walkers to use officially, with the permission of the landowners who agree.  There is no permission for the section between Illey Lane and Goodrest Farm Lane and I have barricaded that section with notices to 'Keep Out'.  I must renew them in Illey Lane.

I'm so sad that our rural PROWs are slowly being lost to urban paths and tarmacked, as human expansion continues apace with our concrete, brick and tarmac encroachment over the essential soil we need to feed ourselves.

I think, the only way this will stop is if Mick Freer and James Morris work together, once more, to ask for our 32 sq Kms to be the first area in the WMCA W Mids National Park.  Only those two have the influence to get the necessary action at the Combined Authority and Worcs CC.

I will take a look at the proposed stile to gate today or tomorrow.  I think you are meaning the two stiles close together near the old barn, with its barn owl in the 1980s, that has now disappeared.  However, that is Dudley and Tony feels that a Worcs gate should be installed in Worcs.

All the best

Tim

Jon Weller's comment on article in Guardian on 20 May 202

"Lockdown has been a unique opportunity to show what can and cannot be achieved through behaviour change alone in the fight for the planet and millions of lives; an estimated 17% global emissions drop (31% for the UK) in April alone this year. That's a big drop, but still leaves 83% of global emissions as normal, showing the scale of the shift in economic and industrial structures that still needs to occur within a decade. Annual reductions are likely to be just a 4-7% drop, but still the biggest since WW2.

"Coronavirus has shown how important acting quickly and decisively is when a crisis occurs. Change needs to happen fast. We need to be ready for it and demand it."

Thanks for this. We must learn from this crisis over the complacency leading to an absence of planning and preparedness. Yet we knew in December and knew of widespread global travel that the virus would spread. The Really Big Crisis is climate that we have known about since the 1980s. Actually, about fossil fuel burning enhancing the natural greenhouse effect for the last 150 years. YET NOTHING IS CHANGING APART FROM THE CLIMATE!!

Prepare for The Really Big Crisis by:

Household carbon allowance to cut travel, like the '73/'74 energy crisis coupons.

NO flying, except for freight.

Use video conferencing, Zoom and the phone.

Basic Income for All to cut economic activity, expenditure, purchasing.

Minimum commuting by fossil fuels.

Max commuting by pushbike.

STOP the cycle of demolition, rebuilding, demolition in Brum city centre.

SCRAP all very high fossil fuel infrastructure projects, like HS2, Metro and Sprint.

PUT the trains and stations back before the planners and councillors destroy our remaining railway lines.
120 Kms Worcester, Black Country, Derby Railway finished.
Upgrade our cycle-walkways to make them usable.
8 Kms Dowery Dell Trail completed between Halesowen and Longbridge.

Petition for "no built development but paths opened"

Dear Eve and friends, What about this wording for a 38 Degrees petition? We had the August 2019 announcement by the Combined Authority, of the West Midlands National Park.  We are petitioning for: Sign if you agree with: NO BUILT DEVELOPMENT BUT PATHS OPENED - for walking, woodland, farming and fishing in our 32 sq Kms Goldern Green Triangle. Explanation: 1. Our triangle of Halesowen countryside to be the first to be included in the new W Mids National Park. 2. The Clent Hills Country Park to be extended over ALL our 32 sq Kms Golden Green Triangle, which includes the 1,000 feet high Clent Hills and its foothills to the west of M5 between Jcts 3 and 4. 3. This, to stop built development on fresh land that must be dedicated to farming, woodland, fishing ponds and recreation and NOT built development. 4. Also, the National Park triangle has the Halesowen Railway trackbed.  Other footpaths link into the railway path as the Dowery Dell Trail to extend the existing path from Longbridge, via the path subway beneath M5 at Frankley to Illey Lane and Manor Way. 5. The Illey Lane squeeze through and ivy-covered carpet in places, secret passage footpath to be a Public Right of Way (PROW). 6. The Halesowen to M5 subway section of the railway path, already unofficially walked in places, to be also a new PROW. Tim

My Manifesto for 2020 W Mids Mayor

Future proofing the West Midlands against human climate change, resource depletion and the further destruction of our green and pleasant land

Fareless for all electric buses paid for by abandoning tram line building.

Fareless electric buses instead of electric trams.

On 100% bus lanes and priority at traffic lights.

All of our remnant, existing railway lines not yet obliterated by roads and buildings, to be used for passenger and freight trains.

Promoting the British built Alstom hydrogen electric train that were sold to Lower Saxony, Germany in 2017.

Arguing against tram trains and train trams that are inappropriate for the 120 Kms Black Country Railway that, since the 8 March 2018, is officially "of national strategic significance".

Every cycle-walkway and towpaths tarmaced and made fit for purpose.

Especially, the 18 Kms Black Country Puddle Strewn Mudway.

Compulsory purchase the remaining land of the 6 Kms Dowery Dell Trail (Halesowen Railway) for it to become a public right of way over its full length.

Promoting modest sized, highly insulated, solar powered new homes.

Promoting house extensions that are highly insulated and solar powered.

Promoting small family size; upgrading all homes to low carbon dwellings; promoting bus, train and tram commuting instead of car commuting to free up road space for essential vehicle use.