A double-decker bus crashed into a bus stop in Birmingham on Tuesday, as freezing temperatures turned roads across the region into hazardous ice rinks.
What happened on Aldridge Road?
The incident occurred around midday on January 2 on Aldridge Road in Perry Barr. The bus involved was the number 997 service, which runs from Birmingham city centre to Walsall. It collided with the stop outside the One Stop Shopping Centre.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the crash. The bus was later towed away from the scene, and repairs to the damaged bus stop are now underway.
Widespread travel disruption across the city
The single crash was part of a wider pattern of disruption caused by the severe weather. At one point, approximately 15 National Express West Midlands bus routes were affected by the icy conditions.
Other areas experienced significant problems. Buses were reported stranded on Queslett Road and skidding at the Romsley Road terminal in Bartley Green. In separate incidents, cars slid into each other in both Handsworth and Hockley.
Local resident Adam Slater, who filmed the scene on Aldridge Road, described the conditions. "It was extremely slippy everywhere like black ice," he said.
Council response and gritting plans
In response to the dangerous conditions, Birmingham City Council announced that its winter service crews would carry out a precautionary gritting treatment on all routes from 5pm on Friday, January 2.
The council stated that footway teams would then follow with early-morning treatments from 4am on Saturday to help keep priority areas safe for pedestrians.
As the afternoon progressed on Tuesday, many of the affected bus services were able to resume their normal routes.
