AASHTO Journal, 15 March 2013
A large majority of Wisconsin residents expressed satisfaction with the work of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, according to survey results released Thursday.
The survey, which was completed by 1,860 individuals, found that 70 percent of respondents were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with WisDOT, while only 5 percent expressed dissatisfaction. Also of note, 45 percent of respondents expressed support for increasing transportation funding levels through the next five years. More specifically, 95 percent said repairing and maintaining existing highways is important, 82 believe a reduction in traffic congestion is important, 78 percent expressed the state should make it easier to move freight, and 75 percent said Wisconsin should add lanes to increase capacity.
“We’ve made it a priority to provide accountability and transparency in how well the department is performing through our MAPSS [Mobility, Accountability, Preservation, Safety, and Service] Performance Improvement Program and other efforts,” said WisDOT Secretary Mark Gottlieb in a statement. “There’s no better way to measure our success in meeting expectations than to get direct feedback from customers. We’re pleased to find customer satisfaction is at a high level.”
The MAPSS Performance Improvement Program helps to provide transparent reporting of performance measures for the department’s core goals of mobility, accountability, preservation, safety, and service.
While WisDOT’s marks were high, survey respondents did highlight some areas in which WisDOT could improve: increasing the use of WisDOT’s 511 traveler information system; improving Department of Motor Vehicle customer service centers; enforcing traffic laws (especially those that could help prevent crashes); keeping highways pothole-free; and improving highway striping to improve visibility and safety.
The full report of the survey results is available here.