Okay, what these ones lack in impressiveness they make up for by being shiny and new. Even the graffiti is fresh...
Regular readers of the rant thread will be aware that Mr Prosser from the council and his fearless (and apparently sleepless) team of Vogon contractors have been building a bypass round Silly Oak. The eventual aim is to reduce congestion on the Bristol Road by a cunning scheme of frustrating drivers into using alternative means of transport with an endless programme of road closures and diversions. Or something.
As well as culverting the Bournebrook, demolishing Tescos (it respawned) and extensive mucking about with traffic lights, this has involved the construction of a new railway bridge:
And even more excitingly, an aqueduct for the Birmingham and Worcester Canal, which they managed to molish without draining anything, but with the aid of an awesome temporary hydraulic raising access bridge. (Since the resurfacing of the Edgbaston Tunnel, this is now a reasonable fair-weather cycling route to the Gastric Basin in the centre of town.):
There are also a several of shared-use paths, complete with nice fresh broken glass, allowing you to have fun playing signpost slalom before spending ages waiting at toucan crossings and repairing punctures - which I expect will be a popular alternative to getting mown down by irate taxi drivers on the approach to roundabouts for the local cyclists.
(That's Birmingham University's infamous Cocktower (AKA 'Old Joe') in the background)