Transport survey gives public a voice

The public’s views on Buckinghamshire’s highways and transport services will again be compared with others across England, thanks to the National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction survey.

Buckinghamshire County Council is one of 78 local authorities to sign up to a standardised survey that will ask members of the public exactly the same questions, whether they live in Bournemouth, Bracknell or Buckinghamshire.

The survey, which is being run for the seventh year, enables local authorities to compare results, share in best practice and identify opportunities to work together in the future.

The questionnaire will be sent to a minimum random sample of 3300 Buckinghamshire residents in June, followed by a reminder, with local and national results to be published in early October. To make the survey as representative as possible, residents that are selected are being urged to take part. These residents should receive their surveys from the 23 June.

Residents that receive the questionnaire can complete the survey on line if they prefer: a short URL link will be printed on the front of the questionnaire with a code to be entered before continuing.

The results will enable us to find out what people in this area think about these important services - it is one of several ways Buckinghamshire County Council assesses how it is performing and which services to prioritise or improve.

Peter Radford, Chair of the NHT Network Survey Steering Group said: "There are clear benefits to conducting a public survey in this way. As well as providing excellent value for money, it also enables everyone involved to identify areas of best practice and spot national, regional and local trends. This is not about producing a league table to champion one geographical area over another, it is about understanding customer views better and working together to deliver the most satisfactory yet efficient outcomes for local residents."

Ruth Vigor Hedderly, Cabinet Member for Transportation said, "We are committed to understanding and responding to the views of our residents and road users. If you are chosen to receive a survey I would urge you to respond so that we can gain a full understanding of the views of their public. This helps us to shape our future strategy and allocate our precious, limited resources."