1. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey nhtsurvey.org South West Highways Service Improvement Group The National Highways and Transport Survey – Year 2 An update for the NHT Spring Efficiency Conference 12 th May 2009 Peter Radford – Somerset CC (NHDBC & NHT Network )

2. How and why did we get here? 2006 NHBC’s Member Survey 2006 Engagement with HELG Efficiencies - Quality Cross Checking (CSRs) Asset Management – Setting Service Levels The Strong and Prosperous Communities agenda Forward Plan for CAA Etc etc …but over and above all that … the never ending need to understand what customers want and value The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

3. How did we get here? The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

4. SCC Service Priorities: Most need Improving - Place Based Survey 2009 The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

5. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group Front page news

6. Objectives Recap – Helping Authorities & their Service Providers Have a consistent & comprehensive survey Stop ‘reinventing the wheel’ See efficiency & economies of scale Have confidence in their own surveys Have confidence in other people’s! (especially to enable comparison & collaboration) Better understanding of public views of performance Provide better answers than some existing and established indicators The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

7. Project Objectives (Cont) Clearer pointers to problems & options for improvement Proving efficiency & improvement measures aka ‘quality cross checking’ Understand the impact of cuts! Link to new CAA & local performance agenda Provide a datum for setting service levels (asset mgt) Identify best performers & learn from best practice Benefit from support networks… & added value from the ‘club’ approach The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

8. Getting Started (during 2007) Gathering sample questionnaires from all over the UK Widespread consultation on questions Initial notifications/discussions with all interested parties: Audit Commission, HELG, RCEs, a Govt. Office, National CSS SIG & SWHSIG The ‘Taunton’ Conference (Nov 2007) – Officers and highway/transport experts from throughout the SW meet to discuss and create a standardised questionnaire – the BRIEF: create something relevant and valuable for all transport authorities (inc urban, rural and unitary) The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

9. Main Survey Topics: Rating Roads and Transport Services Your Use of Transport and Access to Services Pavements and Pedestrian Facilities Cycling Rights of Way Buses Public Transport Taxis, Minicabs and Community Transport Condition of Roads and Pavements Highway Management and Maintenance Roadworks Traffic Management Causes of Congestion (Traffic Queues) Using Your Car About You (age, mobility, employment etc) The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

10. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

11. The 2008 Survey Coverage: The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

12. Some basic statistics: 33 Authorities participated 27,682 completed questionnaires Ave. 19% response (10-12% was expected) 161 questions each results weighted & un-weighted* 4,835,434 items of data (*Using weighting criteria to demographically balance responses - applied by Ipsos MORI to govt. agreed standards) The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

13. Respondent Information: The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

14. The survey helps to answer 5 key questions in order to identify potential service improvements 1. What services need improving most? 2. Which services have the most potential to improve ? 3. Who should improvements be aimed at ? 4. Where should improvement be targeted 5. How should Improvement be made? The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

15. Themed approach linked to LTP & Other National Priorities: Accessibility Public transport Walking & cycling Tackling congestion Road safety Highway maintenance & enforcement The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

16. Key Elements KBI 1 & KBI 2 Other KBIs LTP Theme BIs Specific User Analysis Mapping Analysis Overview   Detail Where / How Who / How What / Which / How Overview What / Which ANALYSIS KBI = Key Benchmarking Indicator The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

17. test The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

18. Other comments on the results? Neighbouring authorities sometimes had polarised views from virtually adjacent residents (where you live, and the service you get matters)! No ‘amorphous data blob’! - strong and well defined views were recorded No sense that the public filled in their questionnaires in a blasé fashion …. An example: The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

19. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey 2008 L.B. of HackneyRanking Public Transport Indicators Score (out of 100) All Authorities (30 No.) Overall Satisfaction with Local bus services 71.951 70.531 Satisfaction with Local Public Transport Information (BVPI103) 56.181 Frequency of bus services 70.161 Number of bus stops 78.751 The state of bus stops 66.281 Whether buses arrive on time 55.159 How easy buses are to get on/off 70.9513 The local bus service overall 67.221 Bus fares 50.391 Quality & cleanliness of buses 48.5429 Helpfulness of bus drivers 47.9629 Personal safety on the bus 48.0030 Personal safety while waiting at bus stops 49.6530 Raised kerbs at bus stops 53.6930 Satisfaction with Local Bus Services (BVPI 104)

20. Were there surprises in the results? Probably less ‘surprises’ …more reality checks! We were on the informal lookout for certain services in key authorities that were expected to provide validation (or not!) of the survey. Those ‘litmus test’ services all appeared to validate the survey – the public noticed good things… and vice versa! The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

21. Major Developments - Mapping: The Club is perfecting a mapping platform to enable survey results to be considered in a ‘place – based’ way – an important tool for CAA This is being provided without further cost to existing and future participants (thanks to a SW RIEP grant) Mapping enables cross service and cross boundary issues to be overlaid with a myriad of other demographic/spatial data Local, sub regional, regional and even national transport issues can be depicted and tackled in a strategic way The work is endorsed by two regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs) and HELG The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

22. Mapping – by region: The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

23. Mapping – by Authority: The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

24. Indicator Referenc e Highways Maintenance & Enforcement Indicators Score (out of 100) All Authorities (30 No.) KBI 23Overall Satisfaction with the Condition of Highways 44.4016 HMBI 1 46.4018 HMBI 2Cleanliness of Roads 59.709 HMBI 3Condition of Road Markings (e.g. white lines) 61.2314 HMBI 4Condition and Cleanliness of Road Signs 57.7324 KBI 25Overall Satisfaction with Street lighting 67.2118 HMBI 5Speed of Repair to Street Lights 60.9517 HMBI 6Speed of Repair to Damaged Roads & Pavements 37.2914 HMBI 7Maintenance of Highway Verges, Trees & Shrubs 47.7822 HMBI 8Weed Killing on Pavements & Roads 50.2514 HMBI 9Keeping Drains Clear and Working 46.1219 HMBI 10Dealing with Obstructions on Pavements 52.364 HMBI 11Keeping Roads Clear of Obstructions such as skips/scaffolding etc 59.316 HMBI 12Dealing with Illegally Parked Cars 43.7213 HMBI 13Cold Weather Gritting (Salting) and Snow Clearance 66.978 HMBI 14Cutting Back Overgrown Hedges Obstructing the Highway 46.7524 HMBI 15Dealing with Mud on the Road 48.0425 HMBI 16Dealing with Abandoned Cars 53.1610 Condition of Road Surfaces An example – Somerset maps for highway maintenance

25. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group HMBI 1 – Condition of Road Surfaces (18)

26. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group HMBI 6 – Speed of Repair of Damaged Roads & Pavements (14)

27. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group HMBI 7 – Maintenance of Hway Verges, Trees and Shrubs (22)

28. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group HMBI 9 – Keeping Drains Clean and Working (19)

29. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group KBI 25 – Overall Satisfaction with Street Lighting (18)

30. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group HMBI 13 – Cold Weather Salting and Snow Clearance (8)

31. Mapping – Regional The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

32. Mapping – Regional The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

33. Mapping – Regional The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

34. Mapping – Big cities and surrounds! – Info for the rail industry? The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

35. Mapping – Congestion Management potential! The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

36. Ingredients of success… feedback received? Simple to participate Extremely cost effective (HELG efficiency case study!) Market leading input from Ipsos MORI Sound analysis Linked to national issues (LTP, CAA etc) Value added at the hub of the project (eg mapping) Avoids wheel reinvention Unprecedented benchmarking/best practice sharing opportunity Ability to concentrate on the improvements not the data collection! Excellent overall administration, pioneering ITC development and promotion by Building Software The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

37. The Forward Plan: Directed by participants (Bristol Conference Sept 08) The survey repeated annually for the next two years and the frequency reviewed after that Promote 2009 survey & encourage more participation Improve links with other groups: CSS SIGs, LoTAG etc Offer participants the additional option of conducting the survey among elected Councillors and Parish/Town Councils Promotion of other value adding improvement and efficiency ideas Maximising regional benefits Links with place based survey Further engagement with RIEPs to drive efficiency/improvement potential The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

38. The Forward Plan: Seeking Every Opportunity to Learn & Add Value – The Club Approach The project provides for on-going support to participants eg technical/ICT help & arranging networking contacts & conferences A survey website has been created to help access/analyse data (nhtnetwork.org) – A place to share best practice, case studies, promote collaboration & provide links to other relevant websites/information External grant funding bids - prepared for further value adding work – the benefits of funding already received – including mapping and network development - are enjoyed by all participants Contextual research – with Ipsos MORI’s help All at no further cost The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

39. Best Practice, Improvements & Efficiencies Authorities are already using the survey & its data to: Set Asset Mgt service levels Provide service providers with performance/ improvement targets in new contracts Realign investment to deal with areas where the public are receiving a poor service Justify bids for new money Inform service planning Identify quick wins such as communication improvements to enable service users to make the best of existing services Identify (through mapping) and address geographical ‘hot spots’ Link satisfaction with technical quality & cost data to identify patterns and ‘all round’ excellence (3 leg stool) The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

40. www.nhtnetwork.org

42. Regionalisation The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group

43. www.nhtnetwork.org

46. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group 2009 Participants 72 No. 120% increase!

47. The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group “The project has struck a chord… it is delivering what authorities needed – good quality comparable data they can do lots of good things with” Surveyor Jan 2009

48. Thank you for Listening… any questions? The National Highways & Transport Public Satisfaction Survey South West Highways Service Improvement Group