Improving the customer service experience for road users needs to be a central focus for governments’ management of the road network, according to Australian Trucking Association (ATA) Chair, Geoff Crouch.
Crouch was speaking following the release of a research report on measuring infrastructure asset performance and customer satisfaction from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics.
“This timely report on developing an infrastructure and customer satisfaction framework identifies service quality attributes that should be measured to improve the customer service of infrastructure,” said Crouch.
“Additional economic gains from infrastructure relies on its efficient management, operation and use.
“The report identifies the importance of cost, access, safety, reliability, timeliness, user amenity and information for how customers interact with infrastructure, including roads,” he said.
Critically, performance monitoring of roads should also be extended to privately run toll roads, according to the ATA.
“Australia is experiencing ever-increasing, unsustainable, and unfair toll increases on heavy vehicles but without any measurement of this funding better services to the users paying these costs,” said Crouch.
The ATA has said that focusing on outcomes would build on the trucking industry’s recommendations to the Australian Government on the priorities for improving Australia’s supply chains.
“The ATA has made detailed recommendations to Government on improving supply chains for the wider economy by improving our road network,” said Crouch.
“We need to set service standards for roads which establish the service that users can rely on, including standards on safety, access for heavy vehicles, mobile data access, and the provision of rest areas.
“There also needs to be fair and competitive supply chain costs, with independent regulation of heavy vehicle charges, toll road charges and landside port charges.
“Governments should establish independent management and funding of our roads that are focused on improving customer service for road users through better safety, access, reliability and cost.”