PENNDOT is seeking input from area motorists as well as those throughout the state in an effort to improve its services.
“Governor Rendell wants to ensure that we incorporate the concerns of our customers into our year-round activities,” said transportation secretary Allen D. Biehler. “By getting feedback from each county, we can adapt and modify our services and better address customer expectations.”
The state’s transportation agency has sent out a customer satisfaction survey to 67,000 licensed drivers across Pennsylvania. PENNDOT chooses 1,000 drivers from each of the state’s 67 counties to receive the survey.
The survey asks respondents to provide a letter grade, A through F, for questions about ride quality, traffic flow, work zones, debris removal and motoring safety.
Ed Myslewicz, of PENNDOT’s Harrisburg press office, said the surveys are pretty standardized throughout the state with one exception.
“We do ask motorists about certain specific state-maintained roads in their particular county,” said Myslewicz.
“For example when we ask about highways we make it specific to Interstate 99,” said Myslewicz. “Other roads we ask Blair motorists for input on include state routes 36, 764, 164 and 866. Some of the secondary roads include Sinking Valley Road, Ski Gap Road, Wopsy Road and Frankstown Road.”
The survey contains 33 different questions this year and PENNDOT is asking people to complete the survey and return them as quickly as possible in a provided postage-paid envelope.
The survey has been conducted each year since 1994 to measure their satisfaction levels with the agency’s services.
“These surveys give us actionable data,” said Myslewicz. “We take the results and interpret them and include the recommendations in our maintenance program for the next year.
“We are able to do this statewide and throughout each county. One thing we have found is most people think we do a great job with snow removal but are concerned about our efforts in regards to work zones. What we did is instituted night time paving to allow motorists to avoid delays during their commutes.
‘Some other areas include a year road hotline and looking at specific corridors in different counties which respondents noted on their surveys,” said Myslewicz.
Some of the other improvements which have been adopted in recent years, based in part on the feedback to PENNDOT, are as follows: revised concrete specifications to ensure smoother ride quality; zero-velocity spreaders to protect the environment as well as prevent paint chips on vehicles, and anti-icing technology as a way to prevent ice from forming on road surfaces.
PENNDOT’s toll-free hotline number is 1-800-FIX-ROAD to report state road concerns.
