Wheel falls off bus, causing traffic gridlock on Darling Street in Balmain

The wheels on this bus definitely aren't going round and round.

Peak-hour traffic came to a halt on busy Darling Street in Balmain on Thursday morning when a wheel fell off a bus as it tried to drive through a roundabout.

Witness Craig Lewis was walking near the roundabout at the intersection of Darling Street and Curtis Road, not far from The London Hotel, about 7.55am when he said he heard an "almighty bang".

"I thought the bus had hit the wall. I walked up to see, and the wheel was on the ground and the driver was shaking his head," Mr Lewis said.

"The front passenger wheel had just sheared off."

There were no passengers on the 442 service, which was left sitting in the middle of the busy intersection.

"The biggest concern is for safety," Mr Lewis said.

"Imagine if there had been any passengers on board, any children, if it had happened at speed as the bus was heading over the Anzac Bridge? It could have been a whole different story."

Several witnesses said the centre of Balmain was gridlocked following the accident.

Transport for NSW tweeted that buses were delayed for 40 minutes in the area "due to a defective bus".

Fairfax Media has contacted Transport for NSW for comment.

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