Last minute roadworks to disrupt buses

Passengers were left in the dark after emergency roadworks to replace faulty underground cables meant that services were diverted.

Road closures, which came into effect on Monday, affected a number of routes including the 2 to Warstones (East Croft Rd), the 255 to Merry Hill and the 256 to Stourbridge.

Services have been rerouted via Warstones Road, Trysull Road, Birches Barn Road and Stubbs Road, cutting out a large section of the Penn Road.

A spokesman for National Express West Midlands said the normal procedure was to brief bus drivers, publish adverts in the local press and to issue posters for the buses on the affected routes.

However, the speed with which the roadworks began had left the company playing catch-up.

He said that National Express could 'only react to any emergency as it happens'. "We can only try to inform as many people as possible using social media. It is a very difficult situation," he added.

"We did ensure that despite it being very late notice on the works, information of the diversions went up at the stops affected."

Centro is usually responsible for issuing posters for the affected bus stops to inform passengers of any changes.

However, elderly bus users are less likely to use Twitter and Facebook, and faced problems contacting both Centro or National Express on Tuesday morning.

One passenger said she had tried to contact both companies for several hours without success.

Both the inbound 2 and the 256 have been rerouted via Oxbarn Avenue, onto Trysull Road. The 255 to Merry Hill is also affected.

Yesterday Goldthorn Hill was closed at its junction with the A449 Penn Road, affecting traffic leading towards Penn down Goldthorn Hill, while no vehicles were able to turn onto Goldthorn Hill from Penn Road or carry straight on from Coalway Road.

Drivers have been warned to avoid the area with long tailbacks expected heading into the city for the duration of the work, which is scheduled to end on August 25.