Worcestershire Royal Hospital traffic chaos after M5 crash
Commuters were stuck near the hospital for over two hours and reports came flooding in of people struggling to get to appointments and ambulances unable to get through the traffic. But hospital chiefs have acknowledged, although an M5 crash caused additional impact to the traffic, long-term solutions to peak time queues, including an off-site park and ride service, needed to be found. Police were called to reports of an HGV crashing into the central barrier on the M5 between Junction 6 for Worcester and Junction 5 for Droitwich at around 2.45pm on Thursday (November 28).
READ MORE- Himbleton huge hay barn fire emergency incident in pictures [1] Although there were no injuries, the motorway remained closed while repair work was completed. One driver stuck in traffic around Worcestershire Royal Hospital said: "I was visiting my grandmother at the hospital. "I sat in my car trapped in the car park for two hours without moving at all. "There was an ambulance with blue flashing lights stuck in the non-moving traffic. "I asked how long we are to expect to be stuck for but I was told probably another hour, but after that hour had passed we were still not moving." Others feared they would miss their appointments. A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said the crash, as well as the first day of the Worcester Victorian Christmas Market, resulted in the added traffic. The spokesperson added: "There were significant delays around Droitwich and the eastern side of Worcester yesterday due to the closure of the M5 northbound following a lorry crash near Junction 5. "This incident would have affected traffic accessing the hospital. "Additionally, the opening day of the Victorian Fayre brought increased congestion throughout Worcester. "Advance notices were issued to inform motorists and help mitigate disruption." A Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust spokesperson added: "We are aware of the difficulties with congestion on the Worcestershire Royal Hospital site, particularly at peak times and we apologise to staff, patients and visitors who are affected by this. "Yesterday's accident on the M5 had an additional, severe impact on this and was outside of our control. "We are committed to resolving congestion issues as quickly as we can, and are currently working on a number of options, including an off-site park and ride." References