Crash adds to Maidstone chaos
A man had to be cut free from a car this
morning after a rush hour crash.
Firefighters used hydraulic cutting equipment to
release the man trapped in a vehicle after the smash
in Glebe Lane, Barming, at about 8.30am.
Paramedics took him to hospital, but the extent of his injuries
is not known.
The crash closed the road in both directions.
The incident added to the chaos on the town's roads caused
by roadworks and a burst water main.
Queues formed in all directions from Loose Road, where temporary
traffic lights have been installed near to the junction with
Armstrong Road.
Congestion was made worse by a burst pipe in nearby
Park Way.
Engineers from South East Water were at the scene and
hoped to repair the fault by 10am.
The distruption affected all town centre routes, including
Sutton Road, Royal Engineers Road, Sheals Crescent, College Road
and Palace Avenue.
Kent Highways warned drivers to expect long delays.
Kim Street, from Nu-Venture buses,
said: "It's caused major havoc all morning. The buses
are all over the place.
"I feel sorry for the poor people waiting at the bus stops."
Arriva’s regional publicity manager, Richard Lewis, said some
school buses were delayed too, with journeys from Staplehurst into
town and Headcorn to town taking three hours.
“We are sorry that our customers suffered long delays on most of
our routes in the Maidstone area this morning due to the
considerable traffic congestion caused by a series of road works
and accidents over which we obviously have no control.
"Some buses coming into Maidstone from the south at school time
took three hours to complete journeys that would normally take one
hour and the delays have had a knock-on effect throughout the area,
and beyond, with drivers being unable to take up their following
journeys at the scheduled time and many buses being subjected to
delays both on their way out of town and again on the way back
in.”
05/03/13
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