THOUSANDS of people sitting in their cars as the A34 trundles at a snail’s pace will be delighted to know something might finally be done to ease their woes. While it is still a long way off before those motorists will be hooting their horns in glee, progress is encouraging.

George Osborne controls the purse strings so meeting with Nicola Blackwood MP can only be a good sign.

Bringing the road’s problems, well-known and put up with locally, to those in the corridors of power means more of a chance things will get done, and sooner rather than later.

The worry is that the meeting is scheduled to talk about the issues at Abingdon specifically.

On the table will be an attempt to get a diamond junction for Lodge Hill.

But while Miss Blackwood says she will raise problems on the A34 “as a whole”, government budgets don’t often splash the cash without much justification.

Fed-up commuters will say they have plenty of anecdotal evidence but it will be up to the politicians to make the case on their behalf.

Amid all this is the context of further development expected along the route over the next few years.

Whatever is agreed the Chancellor needs to have an eye on the future and budget now while sorting out the current misery.

With thousands of homes due to be built in schemes such as Harwell and Milton, the infrastructure needs to be able to cope.

Otherwise all that will be achieved will be a quick fix that reduces the stress levels of drivers stuck in congestion now but will do nothing to help them avoid car park-like conditions further along the road.

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