Norfolk ranked seventh in highways and transport survey

An independent survey of Norfolk residents found Norfolk County Council seventh of 31 similar councils for satisfaction with highways and transport services.

The National Highways and Transport Network Survey, carried out annually by Ipsos MORI, picked 3300 Norfolk residents at random and asked them to rate a range of highway and transportation services, including public transport, walking and cycling, and congestion.

One of the biggest increases in satisfaction in the survey was the provision of drains, and for keeping drains clear and working, which both rose by three per cent. It is possible this is thanks to the £10.3 million surface water drainage scheme in the Greater Norwich area which got underway in April 2015 and is set to be complete early next year.

Even though respondents in Norfolk rated street lighting as much less important than respondents in many other areas of the country did, there has been a six drop in satisfaction with street lighting compared to last year. However, it is hoped the satisfaction rating many improve due to the planned upgrade of 13,500 residential street lights to new energy efficient LED units in the next two years.

Norfolk also saw a six point increase in the score for local bus services which demonstrates the good working relationship with local bus and community transport operators that helps influence the services provided.

Martin Wilby, chairman of the environment, development and transport committee, said: “It’s no secret that nationally money is tight so it’s heartening to hear that by careful budgeting and our teams constantly looking to make the most of new technology or new ways of working we have been able to deliver a service that has a satisfaction rating higher than the national average.

“Of course there’s always room for improvement so we will be looking closely at the results to see where we could do better. Initial analysis has shown us that there have been small drops in satisfaction with the condition and safety of roads however as we are constantly looking at ways we can make the most of the money we have and by bidding for extra funding from the government we hope satisfaction may improve in the future. We’ve recently secured an extra £3.05 million from the Department for Transport for the new roundabout on the A140 at Hempnall to make the junction safer.”