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WE MUST STOP ‘MISERY’ OF A34
Fresh calls for diamond interchange in north Abingdon PM helps unveil new MINI
See page 17
OXFORD West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood is calling for the A34 at North Abingdon to be improved, with the installation of a full diamond interchange at Lodge Hill. The MP has launched an online campaign for the creation of slip roads leading to the northbound carriageway, and from the southbound carriageway to Oxford Road. It comes as millions of pounds worth of improvements are being planned at Hinksey Hill and the Milton Interchange near Didcot. Ms Blackwood said: “I am pleased the Department for Transport has announced some improvements to the A34 but much more needs to be done. “The A34 is an economic pipeline for Oxfordshire and we simply cannot carry on putting up with London levels of congestion on a daily basis. “It is not only creating misery for commuters but also acting as a barrier to the growth we
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so desperately need locally and nationally.” This is not the fi rst time that plans to create a diamond interchange at Lodge Hill have been suggested, with Liberal Democrats in Abingdon campaigning for it for a number of years. Cllr Tony de Vere, Vale of White Horse District Councillor for Abbey Barton Ward and chair of the Oxford West and Abingdon Liberal Democrats, believes it is something that would hugely benefit the town. He said: “Lodge Hill is in desperate need of a proper interchange so we can divert some of the traffic away from Abingdon. “I even know the engineer who was involved with building the thing, and he said at the time ‘why don’t we put the proper slip roads in?’ “If Ms Blackwood wants to petition, she’s the person to actually go and do something about it as the local MP, and there’s no question that people will feel the benefits.”
• Nicola Blackwood MP A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “The Government recognises the vital importance of the A34, both as a main route between the midlands and the south coast, and to towns and cities like Oxford. “We are investing millions of pounds in relieving congestion at well known pinch points, with two schemes on the A34 completed by spring 2015. “In the meantime, we will continue to work with local authorities to plan improvements that will support growth.”