Safety work for A34 ongoing after MPs' call

A review that could propose measures to improve safety on a key road is under way and should be complete by the spring, an MP has said.

Newbury MP Lee Dillon said National Highways would complete work on a safety study of slip roads, with the A34 and its Chieveley Interchange due to be considered.

A cross-party group of MPs, including Dillon, have called for improvements to the A34 because of concerns over its slip roads and poor visibility.

Greg Stone, route manager for National Highways, said: "We take issues of safety on our roads very seriously, carrying out weekly inspections identifying any issues.

"In recent months we have completed resurfacing to create smoother journeys, upgraded safety barriers and trimmed vegetation to improve visibility.

"Road safety is a shared responsibility, and we continue to work with partners, organisations and road users to help us collectively achieve this ambition."

Dillon said the A34 being studied followed "sustained campaigning, detailed engagement with National Highways and direct pressure on the Department for Transport" by him and colleagues.

A letter demanding improvements was signed last summer by Liberal Democrat Dillon, Reading West and Mid Berkshire's Labour MP Olivia Bailey, Didcot and Wantage's Lib Dem MP Olly Glover and North West Hampshire MP Kit Malthouse, a Conservative.

In an answer to Glover in the House of Commons, transport minister Simon Lightwood said the last road safety review took place on the A34 in 2017.

He said other work upgraded laybys, improving road signs and markings, cleared vegetations and installed LED studs.

Stone added: "In recent months we have completed resurfacing to create smoother journeys, upgraded safety barriers and trimmed vegetation to improve visibility.

"Road safety is a shared responsibility, and we continue to work with partners, organisations and road users to help us collectively achieve this ambition."