Better information for your journey
The National Traffic Control Centre collects real-time information on road conditions.
See when traffic will be lightest
Our traffic forecaster can help get you there quicker
Customer feedback
Our approach in 2002-03
Each year we gather our customers' views through:
- A rolling programme of road users' satisfaction surveys. These help us identify road users' concerns and inform our future planning.
- Regular consultation with representatives of road user and environmental groups to identify issues that are important to them.
- Our area teams providing a first point of contact for customers at a local level through meetings, correspondence and consultation over the future development of the network.
- Analysing feedback given through our Information Line, website and correspondence.
Our performance in 2002-03
Achieving a score of 7.2 we narrowly missed our target to achieve an average score of 7.5 on our Road Users' Satisfaction Survey.
More than 2,500 road users were asked how satisfied they were with various aspects of the motorways and trunk roads they had used on their most recent journey, according to Road Users' Charter standards. Respondents gave each aspect a score out of 10, with the scale ranging from 'extremely poor' (1) to 'extremely good' (10).
People were more satisfied with motorways than trunk roads. More respondents were satisfied with the provision, clarity and positioning of direction signs on the network as a whole than any other aspect of service. Respondents were least satisfied with the amount of routine maintenance on motorways done outside of peak hours and the distance between sets of roadworks, even though we achieved the Road Users'
Case study - Seeking our customers views
The Agency launched a website in June 2002 to gather the views of road users on the service provided by the M6 motorway from Warrington to the Scottish border. Members of the public were asked to comment on issues such as congestion, safety, pollution, travel information and public transport in an online questionnaire.
This was part of a far-reaching consultation process to help us devise a route management strategy for the M6.
In addition to the launch of the website, we organised a bus tour of this stretch of motorway for local authority and police representatives. This was followed by two seminars to present our initial strategy and hear the views of interested parties, transport and public groups. Finally a wider public consultation process was carried out in 2003, with the final strategy expected to be completed by Autumn 2003.
Charter target. On trunk roads, the lack of electronic Variable Message Signs (VMS) caused the most complaints. There is a rolling programme to provide VMS at key points on the network, and a target has been set regarding routine (minor) maintenance work performed outside of the busy periods.
Looking to the future
During 2003-04 we are reviewing the Road Users' Charter in consultation with the appropriate stakeholders and road users, seeking their views on what standards the Agency should be aiming to achieve in delivering its services. Members of the Road Users' Committee will be interviewed, as will transport managers in a selection of companies identified as representative of intensive users of the network. Additionally, focus group discussions will be carried out with road users in four different locations around the country. We want to meet our customers' needs and these discussions will enable the standards to reflect them.
