That Birmingham Footbridge

Pedestrian Footbridge, Great Charles Street Queensway, Birmingham, March 2023.

As you hurtle down Great Charles Street, Queensway, heading south out of the city, you will emerge from one of the tunnels keeping your eye on the traffic filtering in from the left. As you are concentrating on the road ahead, you will most likely miss the blue footbridge crossing the road. Constructed from concrete and steel this pedestrian bridge links Church Street and Ludgate Hill. When you stand in the middle of the narrow bridge, you can feel the structure vibrate from the traffic pounding the tarmac below.

Pedestrian Footbridge, Great Charles Street Queensway, Birmingham, March 2023.
Standing on the footbridge looking up to the lights on Ludgate Hill.

The bridge is best visited at night especially if you are a photographer. There is a super opportunity for a long exposure as you look south. The symmetrical road structure with the tunnel ahead of you makes for an ideal canvas for car light trails. Cars peel off to the left and if you time the traffic lights correctly then cars filter in from the right. Using my x100v resting on the flat metal railing, I am ready for the long exposure. Camera settings of ISO160, f/16 and shutter speed of 30seconds will give good results. The north view is also interesting but does not have the same symmetry as the south.

Pedestrian Footbridge, Great Charles Street Queensway, Birmingham, March 2023.
Looking north with the light trials from the traffic.

Whilst I was taking photographs, a group were running over the bridge and this allowed me to take a few street shots as they came down the ramps. I am sure there will be plans to replace this metal structure with a larger one and a search on the web mentions this is being explored. Until then, it remains a great place for those long exposure pictures.

Pedestrian Footbridge, Great Charles Street Queensway, Birmingham, March 2023.
Running over and down the bridge.
Pedestrian Footbridge, Great Charles Street Queensway, Birmingham, March 2023.
Looking towards Church St.

If you fancy a walk around Birmingham then be sure to follow more of my blog entries. The link below is a good starting point.

Latest products

Walking the Regent’s Canal – Poster

Walking the Regent’s Canal – Poster

Chilled vibes by the water in Shoreditch There’s more to Shoreditch than meets the eye! Take a walk along Regent’s…


Latest Products

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Spread the love
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x