NHT 2025 Executive Summary
The 2025 NHT Survey shows a turning point: overall satisfaction is stabilising, though gaps remain in maintenance and congestion.
A total of 111 local authorities participated in the 2025 survey
Here are the Headline Results from the Public Satisfaction Survey (PSS)
Indicator | 2025 NHT Average | Change vs 2024 | Comment |
Overall theme score | 48% | ↑ from 46% | First increase since 2020; below the 2018–19 average of 53% |
Accessibility | 67% | No change | Remains the strongest theme |
Public Transport | 52% | ↑ from 51% | Gradual recovery trend |
Walking & Cycling | 51% | ↑ from 50% | Small improvement |
Highway Maintenance / Enforcement | 43% | No change | Continues to be lowest-rated theme |
Tackling Congestion | 42% | No change | Persistent low satisfaction |
Communications | 46% | No change | Below 2020 peak of 50% |
Key Indicator Movements (vs 2024)
Areas showing improvement
- Condition of road surfaces (HMBI01): 26% (+4%)
- Perception that councils are doing more to repair roads (HMQI12): 32% (+6%)
- Rights of way condition: 53% (+3%)
- Overgrown rights of way: 37% (+3%)
- Bus frequency: 54% (+2%); punctuality: 50% (+2%); overall bus service: 56% (+1%)
- “Well informed about climate change”: 64% (+1%)
- Perceived council action on climate: 30% (+1%)
- EV charging provision (ACQI25): 41% (+3%)
Areas showing decline or remaining weak
- Perceived increase in potholes (HMQI11): 19% (+6%)
- Satisfaction with bus fares (PTBI07): 55% (–4%)
- Roadworks duration (HMQI07): 33% (unchanged)
- Management of roadworks overall (HMQI08): 39% (unchanged)
Long-Term Trends (2008–2025)
- Highway condition has shown the most significant long-term deterioration.
- KBI23 (overall condition of highways): 44% → 27%
- HMBI01 (condition of road surfaces): 46% → 26%
- Street lighting has been relatively stable: KBI25 67% → 60%.
- Public transport improved through the 2010s but has since fallen back: 61% (2018) → 52% (2025).
- Congestion has changed little overall: KBI17 44% → 40%.
- Walking and cycling has declined slightly: 55% (2018) → 51% (2025).
- Accessibility remains strong: 75%–78% (2008–12) → 71% (2025).
- Communications peaked at 50% (2020) and are now 46%, with only 29% of residents feeling well informed about road repairs.
Importance vs Satisfaction (2025)
| Topic | Importance (%) | Satisfaction (%) | “Spend More” (%) |
| Condition of roads | 96 | 27 | 88 |
| Road safety | 96 | 51 | 75 |
| Traffic congestion | 86 | 40 | 76 |
| Traffic pollution | 83 | 46 | 67 |
| Pavements | 92 | 50 | 71 |
| Street lighting | 87 | 60 | 62 |
| Local taxi services | 66 | 62 | 46 |
Range of Results Across Authorities (2025)
Significant variation remains across participating authorities, highlighting the potential for benchmarking and shared learning:
| Indicator | High % | Low % |
| Condition of road surfaces (HMBI01) | 52 | 10 |
| Overall bus service (PTBI06) | 72 | 44 |
| Traffic levels & congestion (KBI17) | 61 | 25 |
| Facilities for cyclists overall (WCBI31) | 59 | 38 |
| Overall satisfaction (KBI00) | 59 | 32 |
Key Insights
- Overall stability: 2025 marks the first upturn in overall satisfaction since 2020, suggesting a levelling off following pandemic-period declines.
- Road maintenance remains the weakest area, though there are early signs of improvement in perceptions of repair activity.
- Public transport and walking/cycling indicators show incremental improvement, particularly in service reliability and rights-of-way condition.
- Communication remains an issue, especially around roadworks and repairs.
- EV charging infrastructure continues to improve, indicating progress towards supporting low-carbon transport.
- Variation between authorities remains wide, demonstrating potential for improvement through benchmarking and sharing best practice.
Theme Summary — 2025 Averages
| Theme | 2025 Score % | Direction | Summary |
| Accessibility | 67 | → | Remains highest-scoring theme |
| Public Transport | 52 | ↑ | Gradual improvement continues |
| Walking & Cycling | 51 | ↑ | Small improvements across indicators |
| Road Safety | 50 | → | Stable results |
| Tackling Congestion | 42 | → | Continues to record low satisfaction |
| Highway Maintenance | 43 | ↑ | Slight rise, but still weakest theme |
| Communications | 46 | → | Static; improvement needed on roadwork updates |
Summary Statement
Public satisfaction with local highways and transport services in 2025 has stabilised, showing small improvements after three consecutive years of decline. The condition of roads remains the single greatest concern, reflecting the widest gap between importance and satisfaction.
Positive movement in bus services, walking and cycling, and accessibility indicates progress in these areas, while EV charging provision continues to grow steadily. However, the management of roadworks, congestion, and communication with residents remain low-scoring aspects across the survey.
Authorities are encouraged to use the benchmarking data to identify high-performing peers and share approaches that have led to better results. Maintaining visibility of maintenance activity and continuing to communicate effectively with residents will be key to further improvement in 2026.