Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safety improvements have been undertaken on the A34 in the last five years.

In the last five years Highways England has carried out twelve specific safety schemes on the A34.

The Gore Hill HGV restriction scheme started as a trial in 2010 and was made permanent in September 2011 because of its success in reducing accidents.

Between 2011 and 2012, Highways England completed four safety schemes, namely the Botley Northbound Merge Improvements, Whitchurch Directional Signing, Winnal Layby Improvement, and the Oxford Resurfacing Scheme. The layby and directional signs needed bringing up to current standards to improve safety.

Between 2014 and 2015, Highways England completed seven safety schemes, namely Kingsworthy Layby Improvement, Whitchurch Direction Signs Upgrade, A34/M3 Junction 9 Deer Vehicle Collisions Mitigation, A34 Passively Safe Signs, A34 Roadworker Safety, A34/M40 Junction 9 Wendlebury (Phase 2), and Didcot Drainage Maintenance. The drainage maintenance scheme was necessary to reduce the risk of future flooding between the A4130 Milton Interchange and the A4185 Chilton junction.

Numerous Renewals, Structures and Technology schemes have been delivered on the A34 in the past five years and these schemes have had an inherent safety aspect inbuilt.