Roads Reform Social Research Programme

Roads Re form

Soc ia l Research Programme

Summary o f Ma in Find ings

December 2014 , D fTSoc ia l and Behav ioura l Research

In troduc t ion to th is documen t

This documentis a synthesis of key findings from alarge-scale qualitative and quantitative socialresearch programme, commissioned bythe Departmentfor Transport

to support policy development relatingtothe Strategic Road Network (SRN).

The research programme aimed to understand:

All non-Departmentalimages are copyrightfree andtakenfrom Microsoft Online, Clker.com or openclipart.org. All have beenlicensedto be usedfor unlimited commercial use

reports containing

10

• Awareness and understanding ofthe SRN

• How the SRNis used and by whom

• User expectations of and needsfromthe SRN

• Attitudes towardsinvestmentinthe SRN

• Priorities forinvestmentinthe SRN

• Drivers of road user satisfaction

• Attitudestowards and needs during congestion

• Link betweenthe SRN and economic growth

• Communication needs and preferences

Surveyfindings are referencedthroughout

this document

Qualitativeresearch findings are denoted

bytheimage above

The Roads Re form Soc ia l Research Programme : E igh t s tud ies under taken over 18 mon ths

QualitativeDiscussions

1) Perceptions and use of the SRN (June 2013) 2) Understandingroad user

satisfaction(Sept 2013)

QuantitativeSurveys

•4 xindividualroad users (Feb-April, June & Sept 2013; Sept 2014)

•2 x commercialroad users (June & Sept 2013)

Two Aud iences

Individualroad users

•Residents of England

•Travel byroad as a driver/ passenger when conducting personal business (e.g.leisuretrips, commute, shopping)

•Users and non-users ofthe SRN

M ixed Me thods

•Representatives of organisationsin Englandthattravel by roadfor business

•Keyfinancial decision-makers with someresponsibilityfortravel decisions

•Drivers and non-drivers

Commercialroad users

Additionaltechnicalinformationis availableinthe Appendixtothis document andinthe publishedreports

P lac ing the road user perspec t ive a t the hear t o f po l icy dec is ion-mak ing

DfT has shared outputsfromthe research withthe Highways Agency and Passenger Focus.

Findingsinformed subsequent discussions amongstthethree

organisations about howto ensureroad user needs and

views play a central rolein future decisions aboutthe SRN.

Social researchfindings have been usedto:

• Guideimportantpolicy decisions relatingto roadsreform

• Informthecontent of key publications,includingthe Actionfor Roads Command Paper andthe RoadsInvestment Strategy

• Shapethe strategic vision forthe SRN

• Develop appropriate performance metrics forthe Company

• Help determinethe investment prioritiesfor Road Period 1

• Supportthe Department’s Strategic Outline Business Case

• Provide a solid evidence base upon whichto draw when designingfutureroad user satisfactionresearch.

Key f ind ings

The road ne twork p lays a cr i t ica l ro le in da i ly l i fe

84%

51%

atleast twice per week

T rave l on a l l roads T rave l on SRN

47%

of commercialroad usersthink itisimportant to know about developments withthe SRN when planningfor business⁴ ofindividualstravelling onthe

SRN atleast once a month agreeit would be difficult or

impossibleto dotheir most usualjourneyin another way³

64%

Source:¹ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey Feb –April2013(Base: All 1856) MDN_Strat |²BDRC CATI Omnibus, 3rd –13th June and 2nd –12th September 2013. (Base: Road Users 638). Q8 and Q9

3TNS Omnibus 10-16 Sept 2014 (Base: 3448) Q8|⁴BDRC CATI Omnibus, 3rd –13th June 2013. (Base: Businessroad users 261) Q12.

CLOSED ROAD

atleast twice per week atleast once

per month atleast once

per year

95%

47%

80%

1

1 2

2

86%

90% 77%

Individuals

Individuals Commercial road users Commercial

road users

Road users focus on the journey , no t the road

Road users thinkoftheir journey holisticallyand notinterms ofthe

individual roadsthat constituteit

Strategic roads usuallyform one part ofthejourney. Experience ofthe SRN caninfluence perceptions of

the entirejourney and vice versa

Road users have difficulty identifying which‘A’ roads are

and aren’t part ofthe SRN

?

People do not have a good grasp of what theSRN is or when they aretravelling onit

Roads are predominantly regardedin personalterms:

rolein mylife/ my business

Personal considerations outweigh national / economic concerns when

evaluatingthe road network and considering howit can beimproved

Road users don ’ t in tu i t ive ly see the b ig p ic ture

Economic andfinancial matters arelargely considered in personal terms:impact on my

finances/ my business

‘The economy’lackspersonal salience formost

The concept of‘economic growth’ is not wellunderstood by either private or commercial road users

Once the concep t o f the SRN is unders tood , road users recogn ise i ts impor tance to the economy

3 in 5

thinkitisimportantto investinthe SRNfor

economic reasons²

The breadth ofthe SRN helps conveyits

importanceto British businesses

(e.g. rolein moving goods; connecting people and places)

Roads are perceivedto facilitate other key

drivers of growth

(e.g. by opening up accessto jobs,facilitating goods movement, enhancing UK’s appeal toinvestors/tourists)

agree

93%

Source:¹TNS Omnibus 10-16 Sept 2014(Base: 3448) Q5|²BDRC CATI Omnibus, 3rd –13th June 2013. (Base: Road users 315) Q13 /TNSface-to-face omnibus, 5th–11th June 2013. (Base: All Respondents 3,512) Q8.

Hav ing we l l ma in ta ined and func t ion ing s tra teg ic roads is cons idered paramoun t to road users

Road users desireimprovementstothe way the SRN and roadsin general are planned and managed, particularly with regardtothe

efficiency and co-ordination of road works

Top 3 reasons for inves tmen t in SRN

1. Toimprove safety standards

2. To support economic growth 3. To make surethe network can

cope withincreased demand dueto population growth more investmentin

the SRNis needed currentlevels

are sufficient

59%

33%

Roads users expectinvestmentin strategic roadsto be prioritised over other roads duetotheir strategic importance, high speed and hightraffic volumes Consequently, strategic roads are generallythought to bein good condition when comparedto other roads

Leve ls o f SRN inves tmen t

Source:¹TNS Omnibus 10-16 Sept 2014(Base: 3448) Q3 and Q10

M in im is ing the impac t and inconven ience o f d isrup t ion , inc lud ing conges t ion , is des irab le

Set realistic expectations: inform about whatto expect,timescales, alternativeroutes Everyday congestionis expected andaccepted:

it’spart ofthe British driving experience Severe and unpredictable

congestion (e.g. bad weather, accidents)is rarely encountered

They have developed coping mechanismsto minimisethe impact of congestion and other

disruption (e.g. buildin buffer time, avoid known hotpots) Road users plan theirjourneys defensively

For business users, the cost of congestionisfour-fold:

Productivity: delays ontheroad increasetraveltime or‘deadtime’ Efficiency: stop-start drivingis lessfuel efficient and more costly Opportunity: delays can resultin late or missed appointments

Customers: late delivery of goods or servicesthreatensrelationships

When planning road works and dealing with disruption road users wantthe road operatorto:

Manage expectations: provide progress updates, allow usersto re-set expectations

Meet expectations: deliver on promises; highlightthe benefitsresultingfromthe work and associated disruption increasetrust

Road users eva lua te the ir overa l l journey , no t the a t tr ibu tes o f the roads they use

Roads need to be good enough to :

Get road usersfrom Ato B as efficiently as possible

A directroute, withfree-flowing traffic and minimal obstacles

(e.g.junctions, bottlenecks)

Consistencyof service acrossthe entirejourney is criticalto a delivering a positive experience Allow road userstofeel in

control oftheir journey Ensurejourney experience matchesjourney expectations

Completethejourneyinthetime allocated Have a stress-free, safe and easy experience

Road user sa t is fac t ion invo lves meet ing and manag ing road users ’expectat ions

Being‘in control’is a neutral state. Only sensitive when controlisthreatened orlost

Expectations are met

Road userfeels

in contro l

(The converseis alsotrue)

Preconceived expectations of the

overalljourney Prior knowledge and

experience of road travel/ usingthe

specific route

Personal characteristics

(e.g. confidence onthe road,routefamiliarity)

Expec ta t ions are sub jec t ive and based on :

Road users seek to re ta in con tro l o f the dr iv ing exper ience and journey ou tcomes

Relativeimportance varies betweenindividual and commercial road users and bytrip purpose

Dr iv ing Exper ience

Absence of

I amin control

of howItravel Ifeel safe, at ease and comfortable

mental effort stress and

frustration threat or

danger

Absence of Absence of

Of primaryimportancetoindividuals and commercial road users who travel by road as part oftheir role

Journey Ou tcomes

I arrive withinthe timeI allocatefor

thejourney

Direct andindirect costs do not exceed whatI have allowedfor

Journey costs are minimised Journey timeis

as expected

(predictable &reliable)

Criticallyimportantto commercialroad users; key evaluation criteria used by employees

responsiblefor decisions about company vehicle use/travelintheir organisation

A negative occurrenceis more keenlyfeltthan a positive experience

A range o f impac ts de term ine the dr iv ing exper ience and journey ou tcomes

Journey Outcomes

Journey costs are minimised Journey timeis

as expected

(predictable &reliable)

Driving Experience

Absence of

mental effort stress and

frustration threat or

danger

Absence of Absence of

Structuralfactors havethe greatestinfluence onthe success ofthejourney/ satisfaction

F ive types o f med ia t ing fac tors can fac i l i ta te or underm ine de l ivery o f expec ta t ions

Dr iv ing Exper ience Journey Ou tcomes

•Lighting

•Signage

•Road markings

Road structure

•Capacity

•Junctions

•‘Safe spaces’

•Surface quality

•Ancillaryfeatures in good order

Ancillary

features Upkeep Other road users Unexpected

disruption

•Road works

•Incidents

•Weather

•Driver behaviour

•Vehicletype

Con tro l

Extentto whichtheroad user feels‘in control’ oftheir overall journey experience determines

satisfaction

Journey Outcomes Driving

Experience

Outcome

(Journey Experience)

Road users evaluatethe extentto whichthe overalljourneyoccurred as expected

Sa t is fac t ion

Impacts

• Lighting

• Signage

• Road markings

strucRoadture

• Capacity

• Junctions

• ‘Safe spaces’

• Surface quality

• Ancillaryfeatures in good order

Ancillaryfeatures Upkeep Otherroad users Unexpected

disruption

• Road works

• Incidents

• Weather

• Driver behaviour

• Vehicletype

Mediating factors

Sa t is fac t ion is dr iven by exper ience wh ich is

underp inned by road / Ne twork per formance

Append ix :

Techn ica l De ta i ls

Fu l l de ta i ls o f ques t ionna ires , samp les and me thodo log ies used

are ava i lab le in the techn ica l repor ts produced for each s tudy

TNS-BMRB Qua l i ta t ive s tud ies

Two waves of qua l itat ive d iscuss ions

Full details ofthe samples and methodologies usedin each study are availableinthe main reports

1. Perceptions and use ofthe SRN

• 20th May –14th June 2013

• 14 x 2 hour discussion groupsin sevenlocations across England withindividual road users

• 32 x 1 hourfacetoface interviewsin 10locations across England with commercial road users

2. Understanding user satisfaction

• 30th October –5th December 2013

• 14 x 2 hour discussion groups withindividual road users

• 8 x 1 hourfacetofaceinterviews with commercial road users (new respondents)

• 15 x 45 minuteinterviews with commercial road users (reconvenedfrom wave 1)

Samples drawn fromthe Highways

Agency’s 7 regions

ONS Op in ions and L i fes ty le Survey

The Departmentfor Transport (DfT) commissionedthe Officialfor National Statistics (ONS) to conduct research aboutusers of the English Strategic Road Network (SRN) by placing questions onits monthly Opinions and Lifestyle omnibus survey (OPN) asfollows:

• Questions were asked onthree consecutive waves ofthe OPN inFebruary, March and April 2013. The resultsfromthesethree surveys were combined.

• The OPN uses atwo-stage random probability stratified sample. The samplingframe usedis the Royal Mail Postcode Address File (PAF), whichincludesthe address detailsfor

approximately 27 million private households receivingfewerthan 50items of post per dayin the UK. The PAFis updated everythree months.

• This PAF samplingframeis stratified by region, household car ownership, National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC) andthe age ofthe household reference person.

• The primary sampling units (postcode sectors) are selected with a probabilitythatis proportionalto size on an annual basis, butthe sampleis designed sothatthe monthly sample of 67 sectorsis nationally representative.

• Within each sector, 30 households are selected at random. The survey aimsto achieve response rates of 60%.

• Overthethree waves ofthe module(February, March and April 2013), 2,114 GB-resident individuals weresurveyed,including 1,856individuals residingin England.

BDRC Bus iness Op in ion Omn ibus

DfTcommissioned BDRC Continentalto conducttwo waves of research amongst commercial organisationsin England viatheir monthly Business Opinion Omnibus survey, a telephone- based survey, structuredasfollows:

• Each month 500 interviewsare undertaken with small, medium andlarge businesses acrossthe UK, 450 of which are with SMEs (defined asthose with upto 250 employees).

• Individual respondents arethe mainfinancial decision-maker withinthe business.In smaller businessesthisis usuallythe owner,inlarger onesthe Financial Director or Controller.

• Each waveis conducted usingfresh sample, whichis structured by size, sector and region. The profileis maintained each wave, enabling reliable, month-on-month data comparisons.

• Datais weightedto be representative of all businessesinthe UK with aturnover of £50,000+, based onthe business population datafromthe Government’s Departmentfor Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

• DfTcommissionedtwo waves of research with businesses basedin England. 427interviews were carried outin wave 1 which ranfrom 3^rdto 13^thJune 2013; afurther 422interviews were carried outin wavetwofrom 2^ndto 12^thSeptember 2013.

• Althoughthe Business Opinion Omnibusis designedto be representative,findingsinthis study are reported and should betreated as representative ofthe samples surveyedin June and September 2013 ratherthan ofthe business populationin general.

TNS Omn ibus

DfTcommissioned TNS UKto conduct three waves of researchamongst individuals residingin England viatheir monthly Omnibus survey, aface-to-face household survey structuredasfollows:

• The TNS Omnibus runstwice a week with a sample of c.1,700 respondents. Forthe DfTstudies, two consecutivetranches offieldwork were combinedto create one‘wave’ of research with c.3,400 respondents.

• DfTcommissionedthree‘waves’ of research: 1) June 2013 (3,512 respondents), 2) September 2013 (3,492 respondents) and 3) September 2014 (3,448 respondents).

• The TNS Omnibus is a quota-based surveythat users randomlocation sampling.

– Census small area statistics andthe Postcode Address File (PAF) are usedto define sampling points –areas of similar population sizesformed bythe combination of wards. – Interviewers’choice when selecting respondentsislimited. Respondentsin each

assignment are drawnfrom a small set of homogenous streets. Addresses areissuedto achieve an adult sample of between 13 and 18interviewsin provincial areas and 12 and 15 in London. Assignments are conducted overtwo days offieldwork.

– Quotas are setfor characteristics knownto have a bearing onindividuals' likelihoodof

being at home and so availableforinterview. This minimizes any biasintroduced as a result ofinterviewersfocusing on groupsthat are morelikelyto be at home.

• Survey data was weighted to makeitrepresentative ofthe English adult populationinterms of key demographic characteristics: gender, age group, working status, region of residence and social grade. However,findingsinthis studyshould betreated as indicative of national sentiment.