After a concerted campaign to improve safety on the A34, Richard Benyon MP welcomed Highways England’s latest recommendations published today in Westminster.
The A34 Safety Review identifies longer exit and entry roads, better lay-bys, improved signage and a crawler lane at East Ilsley as measures which would improve safety on this road.
The review looked at six areas between the M4 and the M40 to see whether accidents were being caused by the design of the road.
And it identified a list of specific issues which included:
· length and design of merging junctions
· spacing and layout of lay-bys
· overgrown vegetation
· gradient of Gore Hill
· insufficient signage
Richard commented, ‘I am really pleased that Highways England has recognized the seriousness of the problem on the A34 and has made such sensible and comprehensive recommendations.
‘It’s particularly good to see that these include reconfiguration of the north-bound junction at East Ilsley with the possibility of a crawler lane at this point. With better signage to enforce the HGV ban in the outside lane on Gore Hill, plus innovative Vehicle Activated Signs, this would make a real difference to safety on this section of the road.
‘This is a great step forward but the fight is not over. Along with other stakeholders, we will now be lobbying the Department for Transport to take action as soon as possible to implement these proposals.
‘We now have one month to respond to Highways England and will be urging them to prioritise their recommendations for the East Ilsley junction and Gore Hill as well as work on signage and lay-bys that will improve safety on the West Berkshire section. I am seeking a meeting urgently with the Minister and I will be applying for a Westminster Hall debate as soon as possible to ensure that this remains high on the agenda. I will continue to work closely with the A34 Action Group on this.’