Safe38 Wants the A30 in West Cornwall Fixed Like the A38

The campaign group that spent years pushing for a safer A38 has turned its attention to the other side of Cornwall. Safe38 is calling for a package of safety measures on the A30 in West Cornwall, the same sort of work it fought to get on its own stretch of road in the South East.

An open letter to the people who can act

Safe38 chair James Millidge has written an open letter to MPs, National Highways and Cornwall Council. It went to National Highways head of road safety in the South West Jack Mason, Cornwall Council transport portfolio holder Dan Rogerson, and local MPs Perran Moon and Andrew George.

“Now is the time to take action,” Millidge said. “We have seen what is possible with moderate investment in a stretch of road and how transformational that can be in protecting all road users from serious incidents.”

He added: “Serious collisions should be a wake-up call for roads where a misjudgement can lead to unbearable consequences. I would ask the relevant authorities who I have sent this letter to, to act urgently so devastating accidents are ruled out.”

What the group is asking for

The letter sets out several measures for the authorities to consider. Average speed cameras between Camborne and St Erth. A review of the 2+1 lining and signing arrangements on the wide, single-carriageway sections. A permanent central barrier.

Safe38 also wants the road considered for long-term dualling, as the A38 has been. Millidge argues the A30 should probably have been built as a dual carriageway in the first place, with a free-flowing grade separated dual carriageway from Camborne to Marazion as the long-term goal.

But the immediate ask is more modest. “In the short term, we would implore National highways and Cornwall Council to work together to deliver a package of safety measures similar to what has been delivered on the A38 which will enforce speed limits and help drivers to negotiate this section more safely,” he wrote.

The A38 as the template

Safe38’s case rests on what has happened closer to home. The group points to the work done on the A38 between Carkeel and Trerulefoot, where it says the incident and KSI (Killed and Seriously Injured) rate has dropped significantly since the measures went in.

“Many safety improvements have been delivered on the A38 over the last eight years with more in the pipeline and we have seen significant improvement in the KSI rate particularly in the Glynn Valley which has seen a 45 percent reduction in the last five years,” Millidge wrote.

He expects the same on the rest of the road. “We are confident we will see similar if not better results between Trerulefoot and Carkeel in the next five years after the installation of average speed cameras, decreased speed limits and other safety interventions.”

The letter follows a recent incident on the A30. “Our thoughts are with the family, friends and loved ones of those affected in the most recent incident on the A30,” Millidge wrote. He described the A30 as the A38’s sister strategic road in West Cornwall, and said the group felt compelled to call for effective safety measures there.

Who Safe38 are

The group formed in 2018, set up by locals who wanted the A38 made safer and, ultimately, dualled. Its approach takes in education, enforcement, engagement and engineering, all backed by evidence.

Since then it has been in regular discussion with National Highways and Cornwall Council. It was invited to join the South West delegation that presented the Case for Action on the A38 to the Department for Transport in Westminster. In July 2021 it called for a Road Safety Emergency on the A38, lobbying Cornwall councillors and the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

When the RIS3 funding delay last year pushed projects back to 2030, the group called it unacceptable and pressed local councillors and the MP to bring parts of the safety package forward. Those were delivered in 2025.