59% of residents are satisfied with local highway and transport services in Poole, according to a National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction survey. Poole was ranked #1 for best performing authority overall in South West England. Bournemouth was #2. Overall, Borough of Poole came in at #5 overall and at #2 for best performing unitary authority in the country.
Local residents rated accessibility to essential services, public transport provision, cycle and walking facilities, highway maintenance and street lighting. In addition road safety, reducing congestion and bus provision were all considered important services.
Julian McLaughlin, Head of Transportation Services at Borough of Poole, said: “This public survey is really important as it enables us to listen to the views of our residents and helps us develop our services further.”
Poole has the highest growth in bus passenger journeys in the UK. Poole buses carried over 10.2 million passengers in 12 months in 2014/15, almost doubling the number of journeys since 2004/5. This has been achieved through a successful partnership with Bournemouth Borough Council and local bus operators Go South Coast and Yellow Buses with a common aim to improve local bus travel.
Councillor Drew Mellor, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Transportation, Borough of Poole, said: “These results demonstrate that despite having funding challenges, we deliver a really good service to our residents. It is a testament to the dedication of our staff and on how we deliver our services with customer needs in mind.
“We work in partnership with bus operators and neighbouring authorities to make bus travel easier and convenient for more people. The significant investment made by the bus operators and council in recent years has provided real benefit to bus passengers and buses are becoming an increasingly attractive form of transport in the area. The bus service has never been better with real time information apps, usb chargers, wifi and investment in bus shelters, now is the perfect time to consider using buses.”
Andrew Wickham, managing director of morebus, added: “I’m delighted these latest figures show Bournemouth and Poole outperformed most regions across the country. At morebus, we are always looking for ways to improve the services we offer to local people.”