Outcome summary of user engagement on ‘Northern Ireland Road Network and Condition’ Report

This report is an outcome summary of the user engagement on the ‘Northern Ireland Road Network and Conditions’ Report

Background

The ‘Northern Ireland Road Network and Condition ’ report brings together information on road length, condition and expenditure in Northern Ireland. The first publication in this statistical series was produced by the Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB) of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and released on 14^th December 2023. Statisticians in ASRB have since been engaging with key stakeholders and have carried out a user engagement survey; this document presents the findings.

User Engagement

ASRB statisticians have recently engaged with key stakeholders on the content of the ‘Northern Ireland Road Network and Condition’ statistical report. ASRB also engaged more widely with users through a user engagement survey to inform future statistical publications and to determine the range of data users need. A copy of the survey questionnaire is included in the Appendix.

Engagement Survey

The user survey on Citizen Space opened on the 1^st March 2024 and closed on the 14^th April 2024. An email was sent on 1^st March 2024 to notify those on the user distribution list of the purpose of the survey and that it was live for user engagement. A further email was sent out to the same group of people on 22^nd March 2024 to remind users of the survey’s closing date and also included a QR code offering an alternative way to access the survey.

In order to capture the views of a wider range of potential users, an internal notification of the survey was posted on the Department for Infrastructure intranet as well as a notice circulated on an agency brief to all NISRA staff for feedback. DfI issued a post on X on 1^st March to notify users of the survey on Citizen Space, this was reposted from the NISRA X account.

Responses Received

Twenty-five responses were received to the user engagement survey, however only eleven respondents had read or used the bulletin.

Summary of Responses

Users of the report

Overall, 10 of the 25 respondents were private users (40%), followed by five Roads divisional staff (20%) and four Department for Infrastructure HQ staff (16%), with the remainder being made up by private companies, other NICS staff and Local Government. All respondents stated that their main mode of transport was as car / van drivers.

Six of the 11 users were private users (55%), followed by Department for Infrastructure HQ staff (27%, three users).

Primary Uses

According to the 11 respondents that have read or used the bulletin, its primary uses are for:

• ‘General Information’ (91%);

• ‘Operational decision making’(18%);

• ‘Monitoring / Benchmarking’(18%);

(Note users could select multiple uses).

Information Used

The information in the publication is used mainly in the form of the key points (73%, eight users), followed by the main report (64%, seven users) and the tables and figures (45%, five users) and interactive maps (45%, five users).

(Note users could select multiple formats).

Frequency of Reporting

Just over half (55%, six users) of respondents currently using the report, stated that they strongly agree or agree that the frequency of reporting meets their needs. Almost one quarter neither agreed nor disagreed.

Ease of Understanding and Access

Just under half of users (45%, five users) strongly agreed or agreed that the content of the report was easy to understand, while the same proportion (45%, five users) neither agreed nor disagreed.

Approximately one third of users (36%, four users), strongly agree or agree that the report is easy to access, while 45% (five users) neither agree nor disagree and 18% (two users) disagree.

Trust in Statistics

Of those respondents who had read the report, 27% (three users) strongly agreed or agreed that they could trust the statistics reported in Northern Ireland Road Network and Conditions and 36% (four users) were undecided. Four respondents (36%, four users) did not agree with this statement, but no reasons were provided/comments added.

Navigation

The majority of respondents that had read the report, found it easy to navigate (55%, (six users) strongly agreed or agreed with this statement and the remainder (45%, five users) neither agreed nor disagreed.

Use of interactive components

Almost half of the respondents that had read the report (45%, five users) agreed that the interactive charts were easy to use. While the remainder of respondents neither agreed nor disagreed (55%, six users).

Similarly, the majority of users agreed the interactive maps were easy to use (55%, six users) while the rest of users responded that they neither agreed or disagreed with this statement.

Need for Data

The majority of respondents that had read the report continue to have a need for most of the data and statistics currently being reported by the Road Network and Condition report.

The feedback showed that less than half of all respondents that read the report are currently using or likely to need data on ‘Road Lengths’. However, the need for these data was discussed with key users who have determined there is still a requirement for these data to be published in an open and transparent manner and made publicly available for responding to queries etc.

Amongst the 14 people who responded to the survey but had not yet read the report there was an interest in using it in the future.

Overall satisfaction with the report and accompanying documentation

Of those respondents who had read the report, 36% (four users) reported that they were either very satisfied or satisfied with the report and the accompanying documentation. A further 55% (six users) reported that they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 9% (one user) was dissatisfied (the reason for their dissatisfaction is unknown).

User Suggestions and Way Forward

Users had the opportunity to suggest and make comments for future release and these are summarised and addressed below.

A few respondents referred to specific roads/areas which may include surface defects but this does not relate to statistical reporting on the road network.

New adopted and unadopted roads

There was a suggestion to report on the length of new roads which have been adopted by the department and also on unadopted roads.

In relation to new adopted roads, Council Reports contain a list of roads recently adopted in the relevant council area, and this information is available on the Roads Section of the DfI website under ‘Council Reports’.

SCRIM surveys

At present, SCRIM data are fit for operational purposes but are not yet deemed to be sufficiently robust for statistical reporting. However, ASRB will continue to liaise with DfI Transport and Road Asset Management to determine if these data can be published in the future. It is not anticipated that these data will be included in the 23/24 report due to be published in Autumn 2024.

Road repair cost breakdowns

One respondent commented that detailed information on road repair costs would be useful e.g. a breakdown of road repair costs by contractor. However, information such as this may be deemed to be commercially sensitive in nature and therefore wouldn’t be suitable for a statistical report.

Publication of future reports and data

It is accepted that this report is technical in nature given the topics covered; ASRB are working with NISRA to produce new data visualisations, with interactive user-friendly charts, in an aim to help users understand the data. ASRB has also requested a peer review of the report to determine if any improvements around commentary/explanations can be made.

ASRB will consider the publication of the report on the DfI website to improve ease of access; this may mean a review of title themes, better signposting from other areas or improved promotion. Road Network and Condition data have recently been published on the NISRA data portal which will improve access to the data; the portal also includes a link to the publication.

The Road Network and Condition Statistics report was produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics, complying with the pillars of Trustworthiness, Quality and Value. Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation and this point will be emphasised in the report to ensure Trust in the statistics. The explanation that Unclassified roads i.e. local roads intended for local traffic, are not included in the surveys will also be highlighted. Other useful links will be added to the report such as a link to Management Information on roads related claims.

The next report is due to be published in Autumn 2024. If you would like to be kept informed about our future publications, then please join our user distribution list by emailing the responsible statistician at the address below. If you wish to provide any further feedback on any of our publications please complete our branch survey.

Contact Details: -

Responsible statistician: -

Allan Nesbitt

Address: -

Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB)

1st Floor,

James House,

2 - 4 Cromac Avenue,

Gasworks,

Belfast,

BT7 2JA

Telephone : 028 9054 0099

E-mail: ASRB@nisra.gov.uk

Date Outcome of User Engagement published: July 2024

Appendix – User engagement survey

Using the Publication

Have you read/used Northern Ireland Road Network and Condition Statistics 2022/23? (Required)

Please select only one item

Yes
No

2. Which of the following best describes your role/background? (Required)

Please select one

Department for Infrastructure HQ staff
Roads divisional office staff
Other NICS staff
Local Government
Elected representative
Private company
Private user
Other (please specify)

3. How do you travel most often (what is your main mode of transport)? (Required)

Car/van-usually the driver
Car/van-usually the passenger
Car/van-sometimes driver and sometimes passenger
Motorbike/Moped/Scooter
Bicycle
Bus/Minibus/Coach
Walk
Other

Usefulness of existing publication

4. What do you use Northern Ireland Road Network and Condition Statistics for? (select all that apply) (Required)

Please select all that apply

Monitoring/Benchmarking
Briefing (eg to ministers/ senior managers)
Policy development/ review
Operational decision making
Trasnsport modelling/planning
Academic or other research
Media use
Commercial purposes
General information
Other (please specify)

5. Which products of the 'Northern Ireland Road Network and Condition Statistics' publication do you make use of? Select all that apply.