The findings of last year’s Highway Satisfaction Survey, commissioned from the UK’s National Highways and Transport Network (NHTN), have now been analysed and the results published online.
In July 2018, 3,300 surveys were issued to random addresses across the Island, asking for residents’ opinions on a range of topics including road condition and maintenance, the provision of bus and taxi services, congestion and accessibility.
Almost 1,000 responses were received and analysed in order to show satisfaction levels in comparison with 113 local authorities across the UK.
The results show that overall satisfaction on the Island for its highway stands at 57%, comparing favourably with the UK national average of 53%.
The Isle of Man was the highest ranked area in the UK for aspects of accessibility and tackling congestion.
When compared to the survey’s overall average, local satisfaction with bus services showed the highest results for all of the UK and Isle of Man.
The survey also highlighted areas where there is a demand for greater concentration of resources, including highway maintenance and facilities to help both walking and cycling.
The Isle of Man’s figure for highway maintenance is marginally higher than the UK but is still a point of concern to the Island residents surveyed.
The Island’s residents had very low levels of satisfaction in respect of infrastructure and facilities for walking and cycling, ranking as low as 111 out of 113 areas.
Infrastructure Minister, Ray Harmer MHK, welcomed the results of the survey - the first of its kind on the Island - and the opportunity to see informed and objective feedback. Commenting on the findings he said:
'These detailed results will allow the Department to set benchmarks against which we can measure ourselves in the years ahead, as well as highlighting those areas of improvement and where there is clearly more work to be done.
'In particular, it was gratifying to see the positive response to accessibility as well as the class-leading ranking for public transport.
'We have already earmarked walking and cycling as priority areas, with Active Travel funding secured over the next four years, a review of the pedestrian environment already in place to identify problem areas plus new routes being established for walking and cycling. The survey is clear evidence that we have made the right decision to invest in these areas.
'Highway maintenance remains a hot topic, as the survey has confirmed. We are spending an additional £1.1m this year to improve roads, but we know there is much more to be done to address years of continuing under-investment. We now have a robust set of results to allow us to benchmark that performance, and I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the survey.'
