On the road to better local transport

The public’s views on highways and transport services in Bournemouth and Poole will soon be compared with others across the country, thanks to a new nationwide survey.

Bournemouth Borough Council and Borough of Poole are among 32 local authorities across England to sign up to a standardised postal survey that will ask members of the public exactly the same questions, whether they live in Bristol, Bath or Bournemouth.

The survey will not only enable Bournemouth and Poole to find out what their residents and visitors really think about transport locally but for the first time it will also make it possible for the two councils to compare results with what people think in similar authorities. This will allow strengths and weaknesses to be identified and most importantly highlight opportunities for improving local transport in the future.

The questionnaire will be sent to a random sample of 9,000 residents in Bournemouth and Poole, with local and national results expected to be published this summer. Since the survey is based on a sample, residents that receive a copy are being urged to take part.

The launch of the survey is the result of a collaboration between the National Highways Benchmarking Club and the South West Highways Service Improvement Group. The survey is being undertaken by Ipsos MORI, an experienced national research organisation and trusted to keep personal information confidential.

Councillor Robert Lawton, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport in Bournemouth said: “There are clear benefits for conducting a public survey in this way. As well as providing excellent value for money, it will also enable 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 best possible outcomes for local residents.”

Councillor Mike White, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Transport, Borough of Poole said: “Poole is committed to understanding and responding to the views of the public. This survey presents an excellent opportunity to find out just what really is important to people, to help shape the way we provide our services in the future”