Roadside Interview surveys

Nationwide Data Collection (NDC) staff have extensive experience of roadside interview techniques which includes the operation of interview surveys on numerous motorway slip roads, motorway service areas, motorway to motorway intersections, such as the M1 and M621, and even undertaking interviews on the main carriageway of several motorways. Examples of the latter are M53 Chester, M602 Manchester, and the M606 Bradford. To the best of our knowledge this experience is unique amongst traffic data collection consultants in the UK. In Ireland our staff have experience of undertaking roadside interview surveys on numerous national and regional roads where innovative layouts are necessary to cater for heavy volumes of traffic. NDC staff have unique experience of operating under rigorous traffic conditions and have developed procedures to ensure that adequate samples are obtained in a safe and efficient manner.

All roadside interviews are organised in accordance with the procedures laid down in the current edition of the Traffic Signs Manual. A detailed layout is produced for each site and agreed with the relevant authorities and the client. As for all their RSI surveys, NDC pays particular attention to safety in the design of site layout plus the survey operation and supervision. NDC have developed detailed planning methods to ensure that delays to drivers will be kept to a minimum whilst still aiming to achieve a satisfactory interview sample.

All NDC interview staff are fully briefed to ensure they are both familiar with the survey questions and the reasoning behind them. NDC staff would be of neat appearance and instructed to be polite at all times to members of the public. A comprehensive survey manual is always provided which clearly sets out the purpose of the survey and detailed instructions, including those relating to interpretation, for each question.

NDC has dedicated RSI data coding facilities in our Midland and Dublin offices. In the UK a fully networked version of the QuickAddress postal address file (PAF) is operated. The PAF software is updated every three months and is generally accepted as being the most up to date reference source for postcode data in the UK. In Ireland a range of zonal coding templates are tailored to individual clients requirements. NDC data analysts use MapInfo Professional to enable a comprehensive series of validation checks to be undertaken on coded data prior to supply to the client.