Words by Ed King
West Midlands Police have confirmed the rush hour chaos and widespread traffic gridlock on Chester Road and surrounding areas earlier today was caused by “a collision involving five vehicles”.
The local force also confirmed that despite the number of vehicles involved, and the busy location in which the incident occurred, none of those involved were “seriously injured”.
Reports came in early this afternoon after traffic on Chester Road was brought to a standstill following an incident – suspected to be near the M6 motorway interchange – that was creating widespread disruption across the area.
At around 5pm traffic was still at an absolute standstill, trapping hundreds of drivers trying to make their way across Northeast Birmingham on a Friday afternoon.
Vehicles travelling along Fort Parkway, Chester Road, and leaving the Castle Vale estate were ground to a halt – as police tried to keep frustrated drivers calm and deal with the situation.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police told: “We were called to reports of a collision involving five vehicles on Chester Road, Birmingham, just before 3pm.
“Thankfully, no one was reported to have been seriously injured.”
They added: “Anyone who witnessed the collision can contact us via Live Chat on our website or by calling 101 quoting log 3109 of 21 November.”
Castle Vale reporter Tracy Fisher, who spoke to officers at the scene, told how much of the uniformed police presence was involved in talking to drivers who were becoming “increasingly frustrated” at the gridlock.
Castle Vale Councillor Ray Goodwin was also at the scene and told Erdington/Castle Vale Local that he witnessed a BT Open Reach van likely involved in the collision, that was “a bit dented”, but that by around 6:30pm police were successfully moving the traffic and the congestion was starting to ease.
Cllr Goodwin also noted other drivers who were becoming distracted by the incident and putting themselves and potentially others at risk.
Early this evening, whilst still at the scene, Cllr Goodwin told Erdington/Castle Vale Local: “There has been a road traffic incident [on Chester Road] and people should stay away from the Chester Road area whilst police deal with this incident and keep people safe.”
He added: “The traffic is starting to move, but not a quick as you would normally see. Can people please drive safely as well, as it could cause another accident.”