People in Sheffield are happier with the city’s roads and transport than they have been for a decade, a leading national survey suggests.
Of 112 UK local authorities participating in the annual National Highways & Transport Survey (NHT) Public Satisfaction Survey, Sheffield has made the biggest overall improvement in satisfaction levels over 10 years and, thanks to Streets Ahead, satisfaction with the condition of Sheffield’s roads has doubled since 2010.
Streets Ahead is a city-wide highways maintenance contract between the council and Amey to upgrade Sheffield’s roads, pavements, street lights, bridges and other items on and around our streets over a 25-year period.
The NHT Public Satisfaction Survey helps councils improve performance by sharing best practice and collecting the public’s views on, and satisfaction with, Highway and Transport Services in local authority areas every year. The 2017 results for Sheffield showed that the city scored better than the national average for the condition of pavements and footpaths, street lighting and highway maintenance all of which are managed by the Council, under the Streets Ahead contract.
Of particular interest is the improved satisfaction rate in the area of the condition of the city’s roads, which show continuous improvement since the beginning of the Streets Ahead contract in 2012.
Condition of highways saw Sheffield scoring 12% higher than the UK national average. In the area of ‘Street Lighting’, the satisfaction levels were the second highest recorded of all the authorities that took part.
Councillor for the Environment and Street Scene at Sheffield City Council, Bryan Lodge said:
“The National Highways and Transportation Survey results for 2017 show the positive effect our Streets Ahead programme is having across the city. It’s fantastic that Sheffield has the highest increase in satisfaction rate for the condition of our roads, which have benefited from a vital improvement programme since 2012.
“Overall, Sheffield is scoring higher than the national average on many of the areas outlined in the survey, highlighting that those in Sheffield who completed the survey were all increasingly satisfied with the condition and maintenance of the city’s roads and pavements .
“As we near the end of the first five years if the Streets Ahead contract, over 64,000 new LED Street lighting columns have been installed, making the city much safer for road users and pedestrians.
“It’s great to see that people in Sheffield are acknowledging the progress we have made in bringing our highway network up to standard through the Streets Ahead contract and we hope that, as more works are completed, satisfaction levels will continue to rise.”
Amey’s business director for the Streets Ahead programme, Robert Allen, said: “The survey results are a testament to the hard work of the whole Streets Ahead team, including our supply chain staff, who, over the last five years, have turned out in all weathers to improve and maintain the roads in Sheffield.
“The fact that people in Sheffield seem to be happier with their local roads than they have been for a decade is down to their dedication” he said.
“People’s satisfaction went up the most, particularly when questioned on the condition of road surfaces and the provision of street lighting – both of which are key elements of the Streets Ahead programme.”
To date, the Streets Ahead team has resurfaced over 1,450 miles of pavement, replaced 3,208 drainage gullies, installed over 64,604 new LED streetlights, responded to 76,121 requests for street cleaning, resurfaced over 693 miles of road, repaired over 145,703 potholes and made improvements to over 1,035 bridges and structures across Sheffield.
Amey have been invited to attend the NHT Network Conference this November to talk about their work on the Streets Ahead programme. A representative from the Council has also been invited to receive an award for the biggest overall improvement in satisfaction levels over a ten year period.
To find out more about the Streets Ahead programme visit www.sheffield.gov.uk/streetsahead