Residents are being urged to make their views known on the service being provided by Island Roads to improve the Island’s highway network.
Island Roads is the company undertaking the 25-year Island’s Highways PFI under which virtually all the Island’s road network will be upgraded over the first seven years and maintained to a high standard throughout the life of the contract. Island Roads also now has responsibility for services including winter maintenance, traffic management and street cleansing.
Island Roads is undertaking an annual survey to find out what residents think of the service provided.
The first of these is being launched this week and residents are invited to answer questions covering all aspects of the PFI project. The survey lasts until the end of the month.
The survey can be completed online via Island Roads’ website (www.islandroads.com) and the link to the survey will also be made available on Twitter. Paper versions of the survey will be available at the Island Roads’ Visitor Centre in St Christopher House, Newport and from the company’s mobile visitor centre which will be out and about around the Island.
Paul Herbert, Island Roads’ service director, said:
“A crucial aspect of the Highways PFI is engaging with the public. The survey is one way in which we hope to get valuable feedback about how we are doing.
“The information will enable us to look at where we need to improve and, hopefully, also tell us where we are providing good quality services.“We already get a lot of really useful public feedback and I am pleased to say the majority of this is positive. During the recent poor weather such as that over Christmas for example – we received a great many compliments. But the PFI is a year-round, long term project and we are very keen to know how we are doing across all our areas.
“It is important to us that we deliver a service that is of high quality and valued by residents. This survey is an important part of letting us know how we are doing.”
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The questionnaire covers issues including overall performance, winter maintenance, resurfacing, street cleansing, streetlighting, customer service and communication. Beside each question – in which residents are advised to give a score of between one and ten – is the opportunity to suggest how performance could be improved.
Councillor Jon Gilbey, Isle of Wight Council cabinet member responsible for the highways PFI said:
“There are many ways in which Island Roads are measured to ensure they are fulfilling the contract and doing so to a very high standard.
“The annual survey is an important part of this monitoring. Not only will it give us the views of the residents who are using the network, the results will enable us to chart the performance of Island Roads in the coming years.”
