Express & Star

Two buses and cars in smash at Walsall bus station

Two buses and two cars smashed into each other at a Black Country bus station with a history of accidents - prompting calls for the controversial base to be better policed or even redesigned.

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Two buses and two cars smashed into each other at a Black Country bus station with a history of accidents - prompting calls for the controversial base to be better policed or even redesigned.

A double decker bus, single decker bus and two cars collided at Walsall bus station yesterday.

In the past few years, a pensioner has been killed and several people badly injured at the site, which only opened in 2000.

The latest accident happened at 4.10pm yesterday near stands A to C in St Paul's Street. Two cars — a Range Rover and a Mini Cooper that should not have been in the pedestrianised area — collided and were then shunted by two National Express West Midlands buses. One of the buses involved was the 10a Brownhills West.

No-one was injured in the crash but passengers had to be led from the buses and all of the badly-damaged vehicles towed away.

Crowds of people watched as the scene was cordoned off by police, and workers tried to clear the debris.

Transport authority Centro said an investigation would take place.

Spokesman Mark Langford said: "Buses were able to pick up and drop off in a service road at the rear of the shelters and despite the disruption, all bus services were unaffected throughout the incident. The circumstances of the collision will be investigated."

Eyewitnesses described hearing a "loud crunch" before seeing people run to the scene of the crash, which happened just before the main station building.

Walsall College mature student Ady Miles, aged 44, said: "The cars and buses were all in a line smashed up. I'd heard a loud crunching sound and then turned around to see this big accident and crowds of people watching.

"People were led off the buses and seemed in shock but they were not hurt. There is obviously a safety issue here. The cars and buses come whizzing around too fast. Something needs to be done."

Former National Express West Midlands bus driver Shaun Stead was shopping when the crash happened.

The 40-year-old from Chuckery said: "I was a bus driver for five years and worked in this bus station. The design is appalling and the amount of cars that come round that corner that shouldn't be there is awful.

"All the bus drivers know the design of this station is wrong. It needs to be redesigned and better secured — it's as simple as that." The road on which the crash happened is restricted to buses, taxis and car drivers with permits — and Walsall Council leader Mike Bird today said more needed to be done to police the bus station and the road leading to it.

"My question would be what are the cars doing there in the first place as they will have driven through a pedestrianised zone to get there," he said. "I would once more ask the police to enforce this.

"We aren't going to get the money for a new bus station but what we are in a position to do is get police on side and issue fixed penalty notices to drivers who flout this rule. We have already written to the Government asking them to transfer these powers to our civil enforcement officers at the local authority as the police are busy and could do without dealing with things like that."

Pedestrian Jean Crump, aged 65, from Bentley, was killed and 16 people injured at the station in July 2007. Just a few months later, two buses collided at the station and left two women trapped and one man badly injured. All were in their 70s.

Walsall Over-50s Forum has long been concerned about the safety of the station. West Midlands Police said they have increased patrols inside the station recently.

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