The 11-11-11 Day Out

On the 11th November 2008 a group of people from Birmingham decided to celebrate the uniqueness of the number 11 route as it goes around Birmingham. The event was organized by Jon Bounds who was brave enough to actually stay on for the full 11 hours. He asked for everyone to document their time so that a picture of this great city could be created. This is my side of the trip that I took.

 

Because of my shift pattern I was only able to make one loop but that was enough. I met up with bounder and catnip as they were close to completing their first circuit and rode with them to Kings Heath. As we travelled through Acocks Green we were treated to a little local history from catnip that used to live in one of the flats above the shops. We were also joined by bounder’s parents. The ride was fairly smooth so I can only assume that the driver actually knew what he was doing. As we travelled through some parts of the city that I hadn’t seen for several years I noticed just how much and how quickly things had changed. Old buildings had been pulled down and new ones had sprung up in their places. The one thing that struck me, and others taking part, was just how green it was. Despite it being November almost everywhere you looked there was something that was green. We passed through Hall Green and drove past Sarehole Mill the birth place of JRR Tolkien writer of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings before arriving at Kings Heath. This marked the end of bounder and catnip’s first circuit and we all jumped off for refreshments at a wonderful place called The Kitchen Garden Cafe where we were joined by citizensheep. As we refueled we took stock of what had been seen so far and again the greenness of the city came up. The other thing that I had noticed while riding was that a lot of the roads were very narrow. I had never taken the time to actually look at the width of roads that I drive down on a daily basis. I guess that I just take it as a fact that the bus will fit through and only really notice if the gap has been blocked for some reason. Having spent some time watching the driving on the 11route and the width of those roads I now take things a little easier through some of the gaps n my route so the passengers don’t feel as nervous.

Suitably refreshed we rejoined the route and met up with a photographer Alicja Rogalska who was doing a study on Art and Public transport. Some more information can be found HERE she shot some interesting images through a fisheye lens and hopefully we were helpful to her. The strange thing was that through most of the trip we had not smelled any smoke nor heard any tinny music. If it was my route the reverse would be true this just shows how different the routes are. The further around the route we got the more interesting the places appeared. Going through Bourneville it was interesting to see the Cadbury works where they make possibly the best chocolate. Shortly after this I spotted in the distance a building that was being constructed next to something that I couldn’t quite place. It rang bells but I wasn’t sure.

“That is the new QE Hospital.” Bounder informed me.

This amazed me. Normally when I see new buildings appear on the landscape they tend to be blocks of white that don’t seem to fit in with the area and while this building was obviously very new it still seemed very elegant. It was very curvy and had a definite good presence about it. You could tell just by looking at it that once it was fully finished and open good things will be done there. And so we move through Winston Green and pass the gigantic brick wall that is the boundary of the prison. Interesting to notice, however, that the visitors centre is on the opposite side of the road to the prison. I would have thought that it would be inside. Onwards we went through Handsworth and Perry Barr passing one of my old workplaces, Past the home of Aston Villa and on towards Erdington. This caused yet more discussion, the island is known as six ways yet there are only five exits. Some say that they count the duel carriageway twice other say that the missing exit has been blocked off and replaced with a bus stop for the 11A. If anyone can tell me which is correct feel free to leave a comment. Onwards went the 11 round its route the wheels turning evermore. Unlike most of the other routes that TWM operate the 11 does not have any terminal points. This makes life interesting for the drivers as they have to take their brakes with passengers on board. One other observation that I made is that driver changes are not always in the same place. Our bus for this leg had two driver changes that I noticed and I was only on for one complete trip. The 11 trundled onwards passing by the Fort shopping park, a wonderful place to do your Christmas shopping if you can find a parking spot that is, and further down is Fort Dunlop, now home to the The Birmingham Post. Now heading through Bromford I spot another missing landmark. It took me a few moments to realize it but there used to be a wholesale butcher that always had a gigantic Christmas tree outside and the entire building had been flattened to make room for retirement apartments. Sadly our trusty steed then arrived back where I got on and I had to leave the bus. I did have to work the following day and needed to get a bit of sleep. I had a wonderful day an enjoyed myself a lot. I saw parts of Birmingham that I didn’t even know existed, saw sights both new and old that amazed me. I was able to expand m y understanding of being a passenger on a bus and I hope that it will help me to be a better driver.

 

Let’s hope this event becomes a lot more popular in the coming years as the 11 route is a unique thing. It touches and links so many different parts of the city and each has its own story to tell. I invite you to ride it some day if you haven’t already and take a few moments to look around and imagine what sort of stories the buildings could tell you.

 

Happy travelling.

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