Results of the Meeting Re Canal!

Yesterday I had a productive meeting with British Waterways and a resident at the Devil’s Elbow Bridge on the Wyrley & Essington canal. The Police were unable to attend the meeting.

There is community concern regarding the use of the towpath by motorcyclists and the potential conflict with leisure walkers, anglers, and other that use the towpaths for leisure walk along the canal.
Last month there was a’ two motor cycle’ collision and the ‘air ambulance’ was called. This underlines the community fears regarding safety.
We walked the canal in appalling weather! But there were a number of issues that were raised as we looked at the access points that these motorcyclists use to get to the canal. British Waterways were as usual very helpful. They told us that the metal gates that they had placed by the Moathouse Lane Bridge had again been vandalised allowing access to the towpath. These had only recently been replaced. They need to be replaced again now!
We also looked at other points along the path where the bikes get onto the towpath. British Waterways will look at this with a view to see what can be achieved. The organisation are not ‘cash rich’ and they are dismayed that there efforts to manage the towpath for all, is suffering such vandalism.
We spoke about the possibility of starting a ‘canal watch’ with the community that lives close to the canal. It would have been good to have the local police at the meeting as they would have been able to advise on this. However I am now intending to take the request to the Wednesfield PACT meeting.
There is also a request that the residents will make with regard to the positioning of a domehawk camera through the long summer months at key problems locations. All in all despite the meeting taking place in the rain it was very valuable. I will keep people up to date via this web site.

Promoted by Geoff Foster 107 D’eyncourt Wolverhampton WV10 0SY
On Behalf of Phil Bateman 3a Broad Lane North Wednesfield WV12 5UH