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MPs call for changes to 'dangerous' A34 junctions

Alex Meakin
BBC News, Berkshire
BBC MP Lee Dillon stands on a bridge over the A34. He is wearing a black jacket with a white shirt and a pink tie. In the background both directions of the A34 are visible. BBC
Newbury MP Lee Dillon says the junctions at East Ilsley and Beedon need improvements

A cross-party group of MPs has called for improvements to be made to the A34 following safety concerns.

MP for Newbury Lee Dillon said the route was "vital" for the region but the entry slip road at East Ilsley was one of the junctions "putting lives at risk".

Labour's Olivia Bailey, Liberal Democrat Olly Glover and Conservative Kit Malthouse have also called for upgrades.

National Highways said it had carried out several studies and made improvements to the northbound East Ilsley slip road in 2017.

MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire Olivia Bailey said hundreds of people had contacted her about the problem junctions.

Speaking in the House of Commons she said: "Nearly 400 of my constituency have filled in my survey about the dangerously short slip roads on the A34 at East Ilsley and Beedon.

"This includes Nick who never uses the Beedon junction when his young family are in the car and he's even considered moving house because he believes it's a real risk to their lives."

Liberal Democrat Mr Dillon said: "East Ilsley is an accident hotspot and what we're doing is we're asking the government to do urgent safety reviews of all of slip roads within the constituency and the region.

"Particularly looking at the length of the slip road, the visibility, the road marking, so that we see less accidents on this stretch of road."

Alan Muir stands in the middle of the picture with a background of grass and trees. He is wearing a blue gilet over a red and navy chequered shirt.
Alan Muir has lived in West Ilsley for more than 40 years

Alan Muir has lived in West Ilsley for more than 40 years and said accidents on the A34 often have a knock-on effect on life in the village.

He said: "There are far more diversions through the village when there are blockages on our bit of the road.

"And the very large vehicles, which really are not suited for travelling on these very small roads, are diverted through here and recently we had damage to telephone cables taken down by these large lorries driving through here."

A National Highways spokesperson said: "Safety is our top priority and we've undertaken several studies on sections of the A34.

"In 2017, following a safety review, a package of safety improvements was undertaken.

"These included widening and resurfacing of the East Ilsley slip, and installation of new road markings.

"We continue to review safety on this particular route to see if further measures are required."

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