Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council are carrying out essential traffic surveys towards the end of the month to collect data needed to identify improvements to the transport system in and around Nottingham.

Trip information collected at surveys, which will be undertaken at twenty-one different locations in the Nottingham area, will be used to update the Nottingham Transport Model, which supports bids for Government funding for schemes such as the Turning Point and NET Phase 2, as well as assisting in making planning decisions for new developments.

To ensure that the model remains suitable for its future use in providing technical support, the data it uses needs to be comprehensively updated and the surveys will provide valuable information on trip patterns in Greater Nottingham.

It is generally not proposed to conduct actual interviews at these sites, but to hand pre-paid postcard questionnaires to people in stationary vehicles at traffic signal junctions to minimise the possibility of delays. As an incentive a £50 prize draw for each location will be offered.

Cllr Jane Urquhart, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Area Working at Nottingham City Council, said: “Carrying out the surveys will benefit motorists in the long run as gathering precise and up to date information will determine how we develop our transport network in the future. Officers will suspend surveys if it is deemed that they are creating unacceptable levels on congestion but motorists are advised to allow a little more time for their journeys.”

Councillor Stella Smedley, Cabinet Member for Transport and Highways at the County Council said: “This work is essential to provide an accurate picture of current traffic patterns across the study area; the information collected will assist in planning for the future.”

The surveys will start week commencing Monday 23 June and will finish week ending Friday 11 July.

Frequently asked questions on the traffic survey