In an email from Railway Paths in April 2016 regarding a request to continue clearing back vegetation from the track they state:
  
"....  refuse your request to continue maintaining this land, since where land is left overgrown this discourages antisocial behaviour.  The vegetation clearance undertaken on this land has been beyond that called for by Greener Greenways, but it won’t have been for nothing since the premise always was to cut areas back and to then let them regrow"

There have been one or two comments expressed about possible anti-social behaviour, of which we have found very little evidence up to now, but Sustrans themselves state in their 2012 document 'A Guide to Controlling Access on Paths'

"3.3.3 Vegetation management: Many paths, particularly those running along railway alignments, can suffer from a lack of natural surveillance, particularly where there are few overlooking buildings or where foliage has been allowed to grow out of hand. Addressing a lack of natural surveillance by cutting back foliage or altering boundary treatments can open up views of and along paths, which may make them less attractive to those prone to anti-social behaviour."
   

News Update 06/10/2016


John Grimshaw and Caroline from Greenways and Cycleroutes Ltd stopping off to look at Ryders Mere
Dennis and Bob gave them a tour before we all met up in Brownhills to look at what needs to be done.

   


John writes on his website;

“A National Cycleway associated with HS2 Rail Working with Royal Haskoning DHV and Phil Jones Associates, the detailed route studies for this legacy route from London to Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester are now complete. Our surveys included assessing well over 2000 kms of options on the ground, including covering routes which might be associated with HS3 from Liverpool to Leeds, and a network of routes connecting into the Peak District from both arms of the HS2 route. Our brief was to propose works to the highest European standard (Dutch CROW Guidelines) and to pass through the centre of towns and communities within a corridor approximately 3 miles wide either side of the Rail Route. The outcome would be a large series of local routes, each of real benefit to communities otherwise bypassed by the High Speed Rail proposals, all to a flagship standard with the additional benefit that by linking up these fragments, local communities would have access to their countryside and nearby settlements, whilst visitors and tourists would have the possibility of longer national routes. The study also included a certain amount of more detailed work on potential schemes for an early delivery, such as the 5km route from Aylesbury Vale Parkway Station to Waddesdon which provides the only practical opportunity for a safe and attractive route north from the Town”


We know he has surveyed the route from Lichfield to the A5 at Brownhills so it wouldn’t be too much more to ask to just join it up with the existing route at Pelsall would it or are we being too optimistic?
  
We Made The Express and Star 10/11/16

A good article using our picture and a quote from our site.
Unfortunately it has been attributed to SUSTRANS!
   
A Meeting with the Area Management at SUSTRANS 30/11/16

Following a meeting this week with Matt and Ed from SUSTRANS we came away feeling the most positive we have for a very long time. There were many questions raised to which we don't have the answers as yet but Matt emailed back "It was very good to meet you all yesterday and see the route for myself. Seeing the whole route opened at some point in the future would obviously be a great thing for the local area and local communities. I am supportive of this but we need to think the various steps through systematically and together" Well at least he didn't say "No" as at other meetings with former SUSTRANS managers!

Brian's Video of the Accessible Parts of the Route November 2016
If you see a message 'File type not supported' try switching to 'Desktop View'

  
An article that appeared in the Sunday People 20/03/2017

A letter from Brian Stringer to the Walsall Chronicle 23/03/2017

   
A Mention of a 'Greenway' from 1993
    

Thanks to Brownhills Bob's Website and Brian Stringer who was editor of this journal.
 
From a SUSTRANS Leaflet from 1995
  

 
The top photo shows what SUSTRANS were happy with in 1995. We'd be more than happy with it today. Maybe the view under the island in Brownhills could look like this?
 
Ever since the day the railway closed there has been talk of it reopening at some time in the future. If it was made into a cycle track then what would happen if the railway came back? . The lower photo shows the Bath to Bristol Cycleway.

The Proposed Cycleway from 1998


It seems to be following a familiar route.
   
Another answer to the question "But what if the railway came back?"
    
Here a solution is clearly shown in Ireland where again they have proved that the two do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Click HERE for the guide.

We are keen that the original plan should be returned to and that a way can be found for the track be opened up as a leisure route - a facility that surely Brownhills deserves!

If you are interested please email us at info@backthetrack.org.uk