YET again there is a major crash on the A34 which sadly on this occasion resulted in the loss of life.

The closure of the A34 is becoming a regular occurrence and the cost to industry, the emergency services and the general public must be enormous.

Reducing the speed limit will not solve the problem because this will cause vehicles to ‘bunch up’ and again will be of no benefit to the hauliers who have goods to deliver because it will take longer for their journeys to be completed; adding a ‘crawler lane’ or legislating for HGVs to remain in the nearside lane will not be cost-effective because the volume of traffic is going to continue to grow.

This road is the major link between the port of Southampton and the M40 (linking to the Midlands and North-West) as well as being one of the main links between the M4 and M40; tinkering around the edges is not a cost-effective solution.

This road needs to be upgraded to motorway status, with a bypass around Oxford, otherwise the A34 will continue to take a heavy toll on industry, emergency services and, most sadly, people’s lives.

STEVE FISHER
Lambs Close
Kidlington