Road Safety on the A1

Opened the debate

Madam Deputy Speaker acknowledged Alicia Kearns' debate on the safety concerns of the A1 road. She highlighted its historical significance, importance as a major transportation route connecting London to Edinburgh, and its vital role in commerce and freight transport. The A1 experiences high traffic volumes, including heavy goods vehicles, with 500 crashes recorded in 2022. Local communities face issues such as substandard central reservation crossings, junctions, slip roads, and a lack of safety measures like SOS telephones. Residents feel unsafe driving on the road; surveys indicate that over 60% reported feeling actively unsafe and more than half had witnessed or been involved in accidents. Kearns requested urgent action from National Highways for safety upgrades, including closing central reservation gaps and addressing dangerous slip roads.

Government Response

Madam Deputy Speaker, I congratulate Alicia Kearns on securing this debate and commend her advocacy for road user safety. The Government is developing a new road safety strategy, focusing on creating a safe, accessible, and reliable road network. National Highways continues to invest in the A1 between Peterborough and Blyth with over £23 billion since 2020, addressing issues like enhanced lighting and improved road markings. Greenwood pledged further information regarding signage for short slip roads and emphasised reducing fatalities through safer driving practices highlighted as 'the fatal four': speeding, mobile phone use, seatbelt non-compliance, and impaired driving. She thanked Kearns for her efforts in pushing for improvements and assured her of continued dialogue to address safety concerns on the A1 road.