MORE than 3,400 people have been hurt or killed in crashes on the A34 in five years – and road users are calling for action.

An MP has called for a clear start date to A34 safety works 'as a matter of urgency' as 'lives are at stake'.

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran made the urgent plea after a Parliamentary Question revealed there have been 3,412 casualties in five years on the dual carriageway.

The figures, from the Department for Transport for 2013 to 2017, also revealed 45 of these were fatalities.

Last week alone, the Oxford Mail reported on a number of collisions on the A34, most recently a crash in which a driver had to be cut free from their car after it hit a van.

In response to the reports, our readers have labelled the road 'not fit for purpose'.

Ms Moran last week asked a parliamentary question regarding a start date for the A34 safety works.

The Department for Transport response said: "Highways England is continuing to work on the design of the improvements with the aim of starting delivery in the 2019/20 financial year."

Ms Moran said: "I have been pressuring the Conservatives on this matter for what feels like forever.

"People’s lives are at stake and it must be taken seriously – residents deserve action soon, and a clear start date for the works."

In April 2018, the Department for Transport announced it will fund almost all the recommendations from a safety review of the A34 backed by Oxfordshire MPs.

The recommendations include average speed cameras, improved laybys and digital signage.

One Mail reader commented: "The junctions are not fit for purpose if traffic is queueing back onto a dual carriageway."

Adding: "If you break down on the A34 you would be advised to leave the vehicle and stand by the roadside.

"Being at the back of the queue is just as dangerous."

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Another Oxford Mail reader said: "Speed isn't the issue in any of the accidents I've seen on the A34, because its almost impossible to exceed the limit anyway.

"Most of it is down to other factors. Mainly congestion and poor driving."

Figures obtained by the Oxford Mail in 2018 also found over a five year period there was 471 crashes recorded on the dual carriageway over five years.

The Freedom of Information request to Oxfordshire County Council revealed one in five of those crashes had involved lorries.

At the time figures showed, the A34 has an average of 80,818 vehicles using in one day.

Highways England A34 route manager John Henderson said the dual carriageway performs generally well on safety and has fewe accieents than other similar roads.

Despite this, it has been recognised that some 16 safety improvements will be made to the A34.

Ms Moran said it was 'abundantly clear' that the improvements were needed urgently.

READ AGAIIN: Layla Moran hits out over A34

She added: "I am extremely disappointed and frustrated that there is still no clear date for the start time of work, only a vague aim from the Government, and I will be doing all I can to make sure we get the results residents deserve."