Important works to improve safety on the A361 are currently underway. The 16km road between Banbury and Chipping Norton was identified by the Road Safety Foundation as one of the 50 sections of A-class roads in the UK with the highest risk of accidents but Conservative-led Oxfordshire County Council is making major improvements starting from the new roundabout on the edge of Banbury.
Extensive resurfacing, improved visibility and ‘cats’ eyes’, speed limit reductions, new signage and junction upgrades on the Wykham Lane and Bloxham Grove Road are all included in the plans totalling a £4 million investment.
Funding for the works was granted following a successful Council bid to the Department for Transport’s Safer Roads Fund (SRF).
Councillor Kieron Mallon is the County Councillor for the Bloxham and Easington Division which spans a considerable stretch of the A361. On a visit to the site works he said: “I pressed for the safety record of this road to be recognised and played an active role in the Council’s bid which secured vital investment. In fact, it was the third-highest cash sum awarded from the SRF nationally and the only successful bid in Oxfordshire.
There will be disruption during the works which are due to continue until the New Year, but I hope residents will agree that there will be a long-term gain in improving safety for all on this busy route.”
Analysis by the Road Safety Foundation and the RAC Foundation undertaken in 2018 estimated that 46 casualties and deaths will be prevented on the A361 as a result of this investment.
