A cross-party group of MPs representing constituencies along the A34 have written to the Minister for Transport, calling for urgent safety improvements to the major dual carriageway.
The joint letter, signed by Lee Dillon MP (Newbury), Olivia Bailey MP (Reading West and Mid Berkshire), Olly Glover MP (Didcot and Wantage), and Kit Malthouse MP (North West Hampshire), outlines shared concerns about dangerous slip roads, poor junction visibility, and inadequate merge lanes that are placing lives at risk daily.
Mr Dillon, who represents Newbury, said: “The A34 is a vital transport corridor,
but too many of its junctions are outdated and dangerous. In my constituency,
Chieveley and Speen have short slip roads that leave drivers with barely any room to merge safely. This is about preventing avoidable crashes and saving lives. My constituents are clear: the status quo is not acceptable.”
Surveys in Newbury show 95 per cent of respondents backed safety upgrades.
The pattern was echoed elsewhere, with residents identifying East Ilsley, Beedon, and Chilton as problem areas.
The MPs are calling for the A34 to be prioritised in the Department for Transport’s upcoming Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), alongside a full safety review as part of the North and South of Oxford study.
“We need a strategic, well-funded plan,” said Mr Dillon. “People’s lives should not be at risk every time they access the national road network.”
Last month Reading West and Mid Berkshire MP Olivia Bailey presented the A34 Slip Road Safety (East Ilsley and Beedon) Bill to Parliament.
It was a Ten Minute Rule Bill – a way to bring the Government’s attention to a specific issue and push for change.
“I said I would use all legislative levers available to me, and this is one of them,” she said.
The ten minute rule allows a backbench MP to make his or her case for a new Bill in a speech lasting up to ten minutes.
Categories: Transport Public safety
