I've spent much of the last few weeks travelling up and down the A590 and A595 in order to get to meetings and learn more about the issues which people would like to see me campaign on and weave into the personal manifesto that I'm putting together ahead of the election campaign.
Unsurprisingly, one of the issues that keeps coming up is the quality of those very roads. Dave Pidduck recently said in his Evening Mail column that the A595 is only suitable for horse and cart in some areas. I'm minded to agree.
When commuters, parents, tourists, politicians (of all stripes), and large and small businesses all agree on something you know that you’ve found an issue that needs addressing double quick. This isn't just a gripe, it's a need.
So, today I've asked the Transport Secretary to visit south Cumbria and view the need for urgent improvements to the A595 himself.
People often describe the peninsula to me as a 'cul-de-sac'. The geography backs that up to a certain extent, but I think it's a mindset which we need to challenge. And part of the way to do that is to make the way in and out of Barrow safer and more reliable. There have been far too many injuries on the A595 and around its pinch points, it can be treacherous.
The investment flowing into Barrow & Furness is a delicate thing and we need to do all we can to ensure that it keeps coming and sustains Barrow in the long term. We can only do that if Barrow & Furness continues to be seen as a great place to invest and do business. Our transport infrastructure is a key part of that message.
So, we need to work together - citizens, local and national politicians, and businesses - to make sure that the roads are improved. As a first step I have written to Patrick McLoughlin asking that he visit Barrow personally to see the state of the A595 in order to consider a programme of improvements to it in light of the ongoing investment in both our area and at Sellafield.
We need and deserve better roads. It is now time for the government to take action and plan to deliver a better, safer, A595 to support Barrow now and in the future.