What do local people think of the A34?

We are in the early stages of this project, exploring opportunities to reduce congestion and improve safety on the A34 between the M4 and M40. Part of our early work includes speaking to stakeholders and key partners so their knowledge and experience of the A34 can inform our work. Through this engagement, we have not only gained a better understanding of what is important to them, but also what is important to their communities.

We also wanted to understand local people’s perceptions of the roads in the area. The main aim of our research was to look in more detail at their experience of travelling in the local area.

We commissioned research into people’s perceptions of the roads and their experiences of travelling in the area. Our researchers used two methods – a questionnaire and a series of virtual focus groups.

Questionnaire – a questionnaire of 360 road users living in our study area to better understand their perceptions on safety and congestion.

Focus groups – a series of focus groups attended by road users living in our study area to better understand current sentiment of the roads that serve them.

This research told us that 79% of local road users want to see improvements to the A34.

We also found that 49% of road users considered the A34 to be worse than other local A-roads (including A420, A40, A44 and A41) in terms of congestion.

Overall, we know road users want to see improvements to the A34, and that they link issues primarily to congestion and safety.

Safety and congestion are two of the project’s primary objectives. This research has reinforced the importance of us looking at options to address these key issues so that the road continues to serve road users. We will use this research to inform our work, alongside technical evidence.  

Research like this with stakeholders and local communities is an important part of our project development process. We’ll continue to speak to stakeholders as the project progresses to continue to better understand your concerns. We will update you on future research as our work continues.

Find out more about people’s views on safety and congestion.

If you have any questions you can get in touch with the project team by emailing us at A34oxford@highwaysengland.co.uk. You can also sign up for updates on the project.

This research was conducted by our British Polling Council accredited researchers between November 2020 – January 2021. The sample size was 360 local residents living in our study area.