Call for speed limit on A34
West Berkshire campaigner says action to calm traffic speed should be taken on notorious stretch of road
A BRIGHTWALTON road safety campaigner has stepped up calls for action to be taken on the Downlands stretch of the A34 following the latest collisions on the notoriously troublesome road.
A four-vehicle crash near the East Ilsley junction on Monday followed two vehicle pile-ups the previous Wednesday, but with regular incidents on the hotspot resulting in traffic tailbacks and ad-hoc diversions through nearby rural villages, Brightwalton resident and Green party activist Adrian Hollister has said “enough is enough.”
“I've been campaigning for some time for West Berkshire Council to take the traffic issue up with the Highways Agency to get the problem fixed,” he said.
“It seems that because it is on the border of Berkshire and Oxfordshire, no one takes responsibility - or only takes it on 'their side'. I can't find any evidence that West Berkshire and Oxfordshire have sat down independently or together to fix the problem or raise the issue with the Highways Agency.”
“There are essentially three key roads feeding the Downlands: the A34, the A338 and the B4494. When the A34 is mashed, traffic diverts to the other two, neither of which are designed for this level of traffic and all of which get bottled up towards Wantage or through the narrow Downland roads.”
Mr Hollister said he had raised the issue in March following a series of bad accidents on the road, but no action was taken.
“My year living in West Ilsley was hell - traffic hell. You've no idea if you going to be able to get out of the driveway, to school, work or the shops, and certainly no way of knowing if your kids are safe cycling in the village. This must be worse in East Ilsley. Great Shefford is often hit too with cars racing down the A338 diverting around the A34 accidents.
“Personally I think there should be a 50mph zone from the M4 to the Oxfordshire border, and it must be monitored by average speed cameras (the only thing drivers seem to respect).
“By doing so, I reckon 99 per cent of all the accidents on that road will go away, the traffic will flow more timely and the Downlands will be spared the anti-social driving of the panicked drivers searching for a diversion.”
The West Berkshire Council portfolio holder for tranpsort David Betts (Con, Purley-on-Thames) said he was unaware of the latest incidents on the road.
West Berkshire Council spokeswoman Peta Stoddart-Crompton said she could not find any record of a complaint by Mr Hollister.
“However the A34 is a trunk road and therefore the responsibility of the Highways Agency and it would be for the HA to reduce the speed limit,” she added.
Do you think the speed limit on the A34 near the Downlands should be reduced? Have your say by contacting Mark Taylor on (01635) 564532 or emailing mark.taylor@newburynews.co.uk, or join the debate here on our online forum
