A tale of two cities

Well two bus journey’s really. During the American visit we went on a nostalgic trip to Oxford. In order to get into Oxford City centre these days you have to use park and ride or consider a long walk or risk a motoring offence. We chose the bus ride. My first impression was how clean the bus was. Coming back this evening it’ll be just the same as No16 I reflected. Well, it wasn’t, on the way back the bus was just as clean and there was no litter in or around the bus shelter at either end of the journey. Compare this to a recent trip on a No 16; litter all around the bus shelter, the bus like a pig sty with Metro newspapers and other waste paper products all over the floor and the bus smelling of cannabis, stale chips and curry sauce. On my return the bus stop at Hamstead was littered with fag ends and the grass reservation destroyed by tyre tracks. Why do we have this; leave our rubbish anywhere mentality? The tyre tracks were left mostly by the buses. One city can keep its buses and city clean another just about anything goes. You could argue that perhaps the intellectual level in Oxford is higher but I think it is much deeper than that. What makes us proud of our neighbourhood? In my case it was bread into me to look after my neighbourhood and that was a worn torn part of Brum. Our younger people don’t seem to have a sense of pride in our area. I notice our grot spot is grotty again. I maybe ought to give a prize for the councillor who finally gets this site permanently fixed. I don’t necessarily think the fines and outlawing of the culprits is the answer it certainly doesn’t seemed to have worked to well in Sandwell but we do need a lot more research into the mindsets of the people who litter. Then we should name and shame em!