A34 slip road safety issues heard in Parliament
A bill for a review of the safety of the A34 slip roads at East Ilsley and Beedon has been put before Parliament.
It was presented on Tuesday lunchtime as a Ten Minute Rule Bill – with Reading West and Mid Berkshire MP Olivia Bailey also requesting the publication of plans to address any deficiencies in safety identified by that review.
“My constituency of Reading West and Mid Berkshire is home to some beautiful rural villages – and East Ilsley and Beedon,” she told the House.
“Both villages are named in the Domesday Book of 1086 – and so for centuries have been home to West Berkshire families.
“Many residents of these idyllic villages use the A34 every day – to get to work, to take their children to school, and to travel to Reading, Oxford, Swindon and beyond.
“However, to get on to the A34 they first have to make a perilous journey down what must be some of England’s most dangerous slip roads.
“These slip roads, especially southbound at East Ilsley and northbound at Beedon, are intimidating and dangerous even for experienced drivers.”
She referred to National Highways data shows that in the five years up to 2023 there were multiple fatalities, as well as many serious accidents at these slip roads.
One of her constituents, Coreen, was quoted saying that using the slip roads feels like ‘dicing with death’, especially in the winter months when it’s dark and raining.
“Jo and Steve who told me they often have to brake to a stop on the slip road as there are no spaces in the near side lane to enter the traffic flow. And Nicola – whose son sadly experienced a four-car pile-up due to the lack of visibility.
“Mr Speaker, my constituents should not feel afraid commuting to work, or every time their child drives into town.”
And residents had told her it is getting worse.
“My constituent Arabella told me that the roads are getting more dangerous as the traffic on the A34 increases.
“And that volume of traffic, including HGVs, is then rerouted through the narrow rural lanes of these small villages when accidents lead to road closures.
“Instead of ‘dicing with death’, in my constituents’ words [Mr Speaker], many residents are choosing to avoid the slip roads at East Ilsley and Beedon and instead join the A34 at Chieveley or West Ilsley, adding significant amounts of time to their journeys – as well as increasing traffic on our rural lanes.”
She told the Commons that the human impact of these slip roads is her primary concern, but there is also a knock-on effect on economic growth.
“Every time there’s an accident, the knock-on disruption not only prevents people from getting to work on time, but impacts the businesses relying on those deliveries,” she said.
“This situation is clearly unsustainable, and something must be done.”
She raised the issue with the roads mnister in Parliament in February and met with the National Highways regional director and taken the National Highways route manager on a site visit to East Ilsley and Beedon to experience the issue first hand.
“We spent the morning having to accelerate along these slip roads, grappling with short bends and blind spots, and dodging HGVs.
“It was patently obvious to everyone in the car that my constituents were right to be alarmed.”
She paid tribute to all those who have made the case for change, including local residents, the A34 Action Group, neighbouring MPs and bill co-sponsors, the members for Newbury and Didcot and Wantage, and her predecessors as MP, including Laura Farris and Lord Benyon.
“This has truly been a cross-party endeavour and I am grateful for the support of colleagues from across the political spectrum,” she said.
“We all want the same thing – a safer A34. And by taking on this campaign, I am building on their excellent work.
“I want East Ilsley and Beedon to be known for their tight-knit communities, their beautiful scenery and their unique heritage – not how dangerous their slip roads are.”
After the 10 minutes have passed, another MP may speak for a further 10 minutes to oppose the bill. The Speaker then calls a voice vote to decide whether the bill should be allowed a second reading, to debate the bill at a later date.
Roads minister Lilian Greenwood was in the Chamber to listen to Mrs Bailey’s speech, and she will continue to engage with the Department for Transport to progress the measures she called for today.
This includes the delivery of the A34 Improvements North & South of Oxford Study – which National Highways have recommended.
Mrs Bailey was delighted to have cross-party support for her bill, which was co-sponsored by Newbury’s Liberal Democrat MP Lee Dillon and Didcot and Wantage MP Olly Glover.
She paid tribute to local residents, campaign groups and previous MPs Laura Farris and Richard Benyon.
Mrs Bailey said: “I was proud to speak in the House of Commons chamber today to present my bill on these dangerous A34 slip roads and bring the Government’s attention to the need for action.
“I am grateful to all those who shared their stories with me, and I will now work closely with the Department for Transport and National Highways, continuing my campaign for a full safety review and urgent improvements to make these roads safe for my constituents.”
