Wednesday 11 July 2012

Who Is The Tow Path Spotter?

PHOTO: Diamond Geezer
On Saturday, around fifty users of the Lea towpath from Homerton to Bow braved the terrible weather to hold a protest and picnic at the point where the path along the canal near Eastway has been fenced off as a so-called “security” measure for the Olympics. Both police and soldiers in uniform were enforcing the towpath access restriction on Saturday, This was 23 days before the Games even begins and closure has s forced cyclists onto busy roads and denied local residents access to recreational space

It was a good-natured demonstration, as this report makes clear, but on the arrival of the protesters, the soldiers hurried for cover under their orange tarp. Then, as people were leaving, this bloke (right) on a police-style mountain bike was spotted on his radio and moments later, the soldiers were back out and chatting to the line of police.

So who is the Towpath Spotter? And what on earth were the fearless security so worried about?

3 Comments:

Anonymous said...

disgrace we have the US team in Bham & Jamican wonder if they have plans to close out canal system

Anonymous said...

I was down at the Olympic park on Friday as everything went into clampdown. Locals and tourists alike were left wandering around trying to find alternative routes. To be honest the squaddies I spoke to were approachable and helpful. Many were openly cynical about their use a security guards during the Olympics. The Police, on the other hand, were rude and aggressive, playing out their new but increasingly familiar role as robotic urban warriors.

The closure of the towpath will seriously inconvenience and disrupt many walkers and cyclists. On a personal level I was hoping to escape some of this Olympic madness by planning a two week cycling tour of the waterways; Grand Union, Oxford Canal, Trent and Mersey, Shropshire Union, River Severn, Kennet and Avon and back to East Ham by the Thames. I’ll now have to work out an alternative first stage through to Tring.

I was also told by one army officer that there have been discussions about closing the Greenway to cyclists between West Ham Station through to the High Street for the duration of the games. Does anybody have any information about this?

Andy

rooftopjaxx said...

Andy, the Greenway from the temorary steps at West Ham Station through to the Olympic Park has since 2007 been designated something like the 'Southern Pedestrian Spectator Mall' - not sure how that affects cyclists though.

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