Traffic survey could boost Christmas shopping
It’s one of the busiest shopping months of the year, and yet in many towns and cities across the UK, queues form, tempers flare and traffic becomes a real issue. There are many factors affecting the ability of shoppers to get into the centre of towns to spend their money.
High parking costs deter people from parking for too long, meaning businesses and retailers get less of their time and less of their money. Park and ride schemes are often working at capacity, meaning that early on at key shopping times, they are already full, and poor traffic planning means that drivers can sit for hours in queues before they’ve even got to their destination.
Parking and traffic surveys can help
Take the picturesque town of Bath, for example. Busy all year round with tourists, it also has a large local population who want to shop and do business in the town. The council must balance this demand with the need to protect its World Heritage status and help to progress things without damaging the very environment that draws visitors in.
In situations like this, comprehensive surveys are needed that collect data on the days and times most people are driving into the town, how long they stay for, where the key bottlenecks are and how much they are willing to pay either for town-centre parking or for park and ride services. And if current arrangements are no longer sufficient for the amount of traffic, new methods need to be devised.
The data that makes the difference
Only with strong data can town planners, businesses and residents work together to find a solution that allows people to come into towns easily, park affordably and spend their money where it matters. Retailers are already worried that high travel and parking costs will just mean that shoppers stay at home and use the internet. If councils and local businesses want to keep attracting people into the towns, they must find a compromise that improves traffic flow without damaging the fabric of the town.
Traffic surveys that count
A well-designed traffic survey can provide the data you need to help make long-term, sustainable plans for the future of your town. At Road Data Services, we can conduct a single survey for you, or put together a package of surveys that give you detailed information so that you can make the best possible decisions. To find out more, just contact us today.
