Paint attack Bristol & Bath Railway Path - help please

[alfablue]

UPDATE
The Police have asked me to collate evidence about similar incidents (objects being thrown etc) so they can make a case to the council for a cage to be built over the bridge - please let me know of any incidents, and when they occurred - many thanks


Last week at 7.45pm I was cycling towards Bath on the Railway path with my girlfriend. As we went under the footbridge by Oldland Common station some kids dropped the contents of a large tin of gloss paint on to us. We missed it by inches, my girlfriend was just behind me and got a few paint spatters on her rear wheel and clothing. If it had caught us full on it would undoubtedly have made us crash, and could have caused even more harm if we had got the paint in our eyes or mouths. A lucky escape, but I was seething. I ran up the steps to catch the kids but they were gone.

I have reported it to the police, for what its worth, I don't suppose there is anything they can do. I think the solution would be to put fencing up on this bridge, but I don't expect that will happen. I'll be writing to Sustrans and the council. Any other suggestions?

It is not the first time that objects have been dropped or thrown at me from this bridge, but it is the worst incident, it could have been really dangerous. My girlfriend was more worried that it might have got in her hair

If you go that way, take care, if you see kids on the bridge, stop - I wish I had been more alert.

The paint!

You can see from my Sportstracker log how I was chasing round to find the buggers!

 

[sheddy]

Would it help to get the press involved ?
Not sure TBH, but if the parents read the story they might stop their offspring going any further

 

[cycling fisherman]

ride along the path/road you normally go down, see the kids on the bridge, divert, actually go on the bridge, catch them red handed, ring the police.

 

[wafflycat]

Make a post over on the newsgroup uk.rec.cycling There's a regular poster there who uses that cycle farcility and it's on that he was garotted by a wire strung across the path... it was in the local press when it happened. Thankfully he is ok now.

 

[J4CKO]

What is going on with people, what makes a kid think thats acceptable and fun ?

For me it would probably put me off cycling to work and result in the deaths of those who did it, little cnuts, I would leave no stone unturned until I found them.

 

[User482]

Reporting it to plod may make a difference - they did step up patrols earlier in the year after some attacks had occured. I'll send this around to fellow Bristol cyclists.

 

[mickle]

I got shot at on the B2B three or four years ago, a few miles west of the above incident. Missed thankfully.

 

[buggi]

Make a post over on the newsgroup uk.rec.cycling There's a regular poster there who uses that cycle farcility and it's on that he was garotted by a wire strung across the path... it was in the local press when it happened. Thankfully he is ok now.

OMG!!!!

that's terrible! and being shot at!

 

[snakehips]

That place seems like a war zone. The only time I have ridden any of it (Bristol end) my companion and I had to climb over two trees that had been felled across the path.

Snake

 

[LLB]

Took the dog through the local park tonight, and a couple of teenagers tried to run me and the missus over on their bikes as they came past.

Perhaps it would have been a good thing if we connected.....

Chav scum - Fekkin loath the lot of them

 

[Andy 71]

Would it help to get the press involved ?
Not sure TBH, but if the parents read the story they might stop their offspring going any further

Sorry Sheddy, but if their kids think that is acceptable behaviour, do you really think their parents would give a monkeys? I would have thought that sort of behaviour in the overwhelming majority of cases is a sign of the kind of upbringing they have had. Parents who can't be arsed.

 

[summerdays]

I've not had problems on the path, although I only ever cycle on it in daylight, usually with company. I wouldn't cycle on it at night.

 

[mickle]

I had a lovely ride back up to Staple Hill the other night in the pishing rain. It's not all bad. And in ten years of commuting on it there were fewer than ten incidents of any note.

Though I suppose it helps being a glary six foot bloke.

 

[mordecai84]

I've had hundreds and hundreds of uneventful commutes on there - however recently, I had rocks thrown at me and also a slingshot fired at me. I reported them to the Police, but without witnesses, there is little they can do.

I cycled up past the paint today, is that fairly near bitton station?

edit: typos.