Road User Voice – February 2016 – Focusing on roadside facilities
02 February 2016
We have begun research to understand road users’ needs and experiences when it comes to roadside facilities. We held the first four focus groups in Birmingham, giving us the opportunity to hear the views of leisure, professional and lorry drivers. Upon arrival the participants are welcomed by a member of the research agency’s staff who will lead the discussion. The participants are told about the purpose of the research and the work of Transport Focus. They are told that representatives from Transport Focus will be observing the session – we sit behind a one-way mirror. Each session takes around 90 minutes.
The discussions were very interesting, both for us as observers and also it seemed for the participants, too. Nearly every road user has experience to draw on and opinions to share about roadside facilities!
Focus groups have also taken place in Newcastle, St Albans and Ipswich and we have started to carry out exit interviews with road users at motorway and A-road service areas. This will help us to probe into the detail and reasons for people’s views and needs and capture users’ ‘in-the-moment’ feedback on their experience when they stopped at a service area. Logistics sector managers rely on the Strategic Road Network, so we’ll be talking to them to about the needs of their businesses.
We will published the findings of the research in spring.
The research viewing facility (courtesy of Pi-Space market research studios, Birmingham)
Jordan Sargeant
Road User Executive
Jordan.sargeant@transportfocus.org.uk
