Resident survey results
Introduction
As outlined above, 352 respondents completed the Resident’s survey questionnaire. Results in this section are weighted to be representative by age.
Employment Status
Respondents were asked to indicate their working status. Table 9 below shows that most respondents either worked full-time or part-time (58%, n=206), or were retired (26%, n=93).
| Employment Status | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Full time employment | 128 | 36% |
| Part time employment | 78 | 22% |
| Full or part time further education | 1 | <1% |
| Not in employment due to illness or disability | 10 | 3% |
| Unemployed | 12 | 3% |
| Retired | 93 | 26% |
| Other | 19 | 5% |
| Prefer not to say | 12 | 3% |
| Total | 352 | 100% |
The majority of respondents who indicated an ‘other’ employment status were self-employed.
Travel to Work and Education
Of the 207 respondents who indicated they were in work or education, most (67%, n=139) travelled to a fixed place of work/education entirely, 19% (n=39) had flexible arrangements and so partially worked/learned from home and partially travelled to a fixed location, while 14% (n=29) entirely worked/learned from home. The location of the respondent’s place of work/education are shown, by postcode sector, in Figure 6.
Respondents typically travelled for work/educational purposes five days a week (43%, n=76), with a further 41% (n=72) travelling between two and four days a week.
Respondents generally travelled for up to 30 minutes (80%, n=142), with 20% (n=35) travelling for longer:
- <10 mins: 26%
- 10-15 mins: 29%
- 16-30 mins: 26%
- 31 mins-1 hour: 17%
- >1 hour: 3%
Most respondents drove to work/education (82%, n=145), with 11% walking. All other modes were used by small numbers of respondents only.
| Travel Mode | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Car / Van (drove myself) | 145 | 82% |
| Walk | 20 | 11% |
| Rail | 3 | 1% |
| Park & Ride (Rail) | 1 | <1% |
| Cycle | 1 | 1% |
| Bus | 1 | <1% |
| Car / Van (dropped off) | 1 | 1% |
| Other | 6 | 4% |
| Total | 178 | 100% |
The respondent who took the bus used the number 51 Lothian Bus service.
Parking was generally done at the respondent’s workplace (66%, n=95), or in free on-street or car parks (26%, n=37). Only one respondent parked in on-street/car parks which they had to pay for, and 11 respondents noted ‘other’ locations they used to park, including at a train station car park, school, university and leisure centre car parks, and at their home/at private residences.
Travel for Personal Business / Leisure
Destinations Visited
All respondents were asked to identify the locations they had travelled to for personal business (including trips to/from banks, churches, hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, dentists, hairdressers, libraries etc.) and for leisure purposes in the last 30 days. Table 11 shows that most respondents had visited Berwick-upon-Tweed (82%, n=289), followed by Eyemouth (44%, n=154) and Edinburgh (41%, n=144) for business purposes, while the most commonly visited destinations for leisure were North Berwick (61%, n=214), Haddington (35%, n=122), and Berwick-upon-Tweed (34%, n=121).
| Destination | Personal Business (no.) | Leisure (no.) | Personal Business (%) | Leisure (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyemouth | 154 | 59 | 44% | 17% |
| Dunbar | 92 | 36 | 26% | 10% |
| North Berwick | 37 | 214 | 11% | 61% |
| Haddington | 52 | 122 | 15% | 35% |
| Musselburgh | 29 | 49 | 8% | 14% |
| Edinburgh | 144 | 18 | 41% | 5% |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed | 289 | 121 | 82% | 34% |
| Newcastle | 61 | 17 | 17% | 5% |
| Other | 77 | 79 | 22% | 31% |
| Base* | 252 | 252 | - | - |
* Multiple responses were given at these questions.
The most commonly visited ‘other’ locations for both personal business and leisure included Kelso, Galashiels and Duns. Lauder, Etal and York were also mentioned with some frequency as destinations for leisure travel.
Frequency of Visits
Table 12 shows that most locations were visited up to five times in the last 30 days for personal business, although Eyemouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed were more likely to be visited more often.
| Personal Business Travel | Up to 5 times | 6-10 times | 11-15 times | 16-20 times | 21-30 times | >30 times | Base: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyemouth | 46% | 17% | 4% | 5% | 24% | 4% | n=161 |
| Dunbar | 86% | 4% | 2% | 7% | 1% | - | n=95 |
| North Berwick | 87% | - | - | 13% | - | - | n=38 |
| Haddington | 88% | 2% | - | 9% | - | - | n=55 |
| Musselburgh | 98% | 2% | - | - | - | - | n=30 |
| Edinburgh | 94% | 4% | 1% | 1% | - | - | n=146 |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed | 50% | 19% | 9% | 9% | 12% | 1% | n=291 |
| Newcastle | 99% | 1% | - | - | - | - | n=61 |
| Other | 85% | 6% | 3% | 2% | 3% | - | n=78 |
Similarly, most respondents had travelled to each location for leisure purposes up to five times in the last 30 days (see Table 13). However, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Eyemouth, and to a lesser extent, Dunbar were more likely to be visited more often.
| Leisure Travel | Up to 5 times | 6-10 times | 11-15 times | 16-20 times | 21-30 times | >30 times | Base: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyemouth | 54% | 19% | 6% | - | 16% | 5% | n=119 |
| Dunbar | 83% | 4% | 4% | 9% | - | - | n=59 |
| North Berwick | 100% | - | - | - | - | - | n=18 |
| Haddington | 100% | - | - | - | - | - | n=36 |
| Musselburgh | 100% | - | - | - | - | - | n=17 |
| Edinburgh | 97% | 2% | - | - | - | - | n=122 |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed | 51% | 25% | 5% | 12% | 7% | <1% | n=214 |
| Newcastle | 99% | 1% | - | - | - | - | n=50 |
| Other | 89% | 6% | 2% | 1% | 2% | - | n=79 |
Travel Mode
Table 14 and Table 15 show that respondents had a heavy reliance upon private vehicle use to access all locations for both personal business and leisure-based travel, with most indicating that they would drive themselves in each instance. Where rail travel was used, this was generally for trips to Newcastle and Edinburgh, while walking was more likely to be used for trips to Eyemouth compared to all other destinations. Bus use was more common when travelling to Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed and ‘Other’ locations for leisure purposes.
| Personal Business Travel | Eyemouth | Dunbar | North Berwick | Haddington | Musselburgh | Edinburgh | Berwick-upon-Tweed | Newcastle | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walk | 14% | - | - | 1% | - | - | 1% | - | - |
| Cycle | <1% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bus | 5% | - | - | - | - | 1% | 5% | 2% | 8% |
| Bus & Rail | - | - | - | - | - | <1% | - | - | - |
| Rail | - | - | - | - | - | 9% | - | 29% | 2% |
| Park & Ride (Bus) | - | - | - | - | - | 1% | <1% | - | - |
| Park & Ride (Rail) | - | - | - | - | - | 5% | - | - | - |
| Car/Van (dropped off) | 6% | 6% | 17% | 13% | 2% | 4% | 10% | 11% | 3% |
| Car/Van (drove self) | 74% | 93% | 80% | 84% | 98% | 78% | 84% | 58% | 87% |
| Other | 1% | 1% | 3% | 1% | - | 2% | <1% | - | - |
| Base: | n=160 | n=94 | n=38 | n=55 | n=30 | n=146 | n=291 | n=61 | n=78 |
| Leisure Travel | Eyemouth | Dunbar | North Berwick | Haddington | Musselburgh | Edinburgh | Berwick-upon-Tweed | Newcastle | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walk | 22% | - | - | - | - | - | 2% | 1% | 1% |
| Cycle | 1% | - | - | - | - | - | <1% | - | - |
| Bus | 1% | - | - | - | - | 1% | 6% | 12% | 8% |
| Bus and Rail | - | - | - | - | - | 1% | - | - | - |
| Rail | - | - | - | - | - | 16% | - | 28% | 4% |
| Park and Ride (Bus) | - | 2% | - | - | 4% | 1% | - | - | - |
| Park and Ride (Rail) | - | - | - | - | - | 5% | - | 2% | - |
| Car/Van (dropped off) | 7% | 9% | 14% | 4% | 8% | 5% | 11% | 14% | 17% |
| Car/Van (drove myself) | 68% | 89% | 79% | 93% | 88% | 70% | 78% | 43% | 69% |
| Other | 1% | - | 7% | 3% | - | 1% | 3% | - | 1% |
| Base: | n=119 | n=59 | n=18 | n=36 | n=17 | n=122 | n=214 | n=50 | n=79 |
Bus Services Used
Bus services which were noted to be used for both personal business and leisure purposes included:
- Border Buses and Travel Sure for travel to Eyemouth
- The No. 31 and 51 buses, using Lothian and Border Buses respectively, for travel to Edinburgh
- A range of Border Buses and Travel Sure, including No. B1, 60, 64, 67, 68, 235, 260, and 767 for travel to Berwick-upon-Tweed
- Travel Sure and Glenn Valley buses for travel to Newcastle
- Border Buses for travel to ‘other’ locations
Journey Times
Respondents were also asked how long the journey took to each location they visited for personal business and leisure purposes. Table 16 and Table 17 show the breakdown of the results. Respondents generally travelled for the least amount of time to reach Eyemouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed, with most journeys to these destinations taking up to 30 minutes. Conversely, respondents travelled the longest to reach Newcastle, Edinburgh and Musselburgh.
| Personal Business Travel | 10-15 mins16-30 mins31 mins - 1 hour>1 hourBase: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyemouth | 21% | 38% | 22% | 11% | 7% | n=160 |
| Dunbar | 1% | 6% | 48% | 45% | - | n=94 |
| North Berwick | - | 1% | 18% | 75% | 5% | n=38 |
| Haddington | - | 11% | 30% | 51% | 9% | n=55 |
| Musselburgh | 2% | - | 24% | 40% | 35% | n=30 |
| Edinburgh | <1% | <1% | 2% | 72% | 26% | n=146 |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed | 3% | 46% | 46% | 4% | <1% | n=290 |
| Newcastle | 1% | - | - | 51% | 48% | n=61 |
| Other | 3% | 18% | 25% | 30% | 24% | n=78 |
| Leisure Travel | 10-15 mins16-30 mins31 mins-1 hour>1 hourBase: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eyemouth | 32% | 39% | 21% | 4% | 4% | n=119 |
| Dunbar | - | 3% | 64% | 32% | 1% | n=58 |
| North Berwick | - | - | 7% | 89% | 4% | n=18 |
| Haddington | - | - | 10% | 75% | 14% | n=36 |
| Musselburgh | - | 3% | 11% | 51% | 34% | n=17 |
| Edinburgh | - | 1% | 2% | 70% | 28% | n=122 |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed | 4% | 50% | 41% | 4% | <1% | n=214 |
| Newcastle | 1% | - | - | 29% | 70% | n=50 |
| Other | 3% | 17% | 31% | 20% | 28% | n=79 |
Use of the Rail Network
From the travel patterns for work/education, personal business and leisure activities identified above, respondents were categorised into those who use the rail network and those who do not. Most respondents (86%, n=305) did not use the rail network for travel, compared to 13% (n=47) who did, most of whom caught the train from Berwick-upon-Tweed (89%, n=42), with the remainder using Dunbar, Stow and Tweedbank.
Of those who used the rail network, over half travelled to the station via car/van (67%, n=32), while 15% (n=7) used the bus to get to the train station and 13% (n=6) walked.
Respondents were also asked to rate the extent to which they were satisfied with a range of journey aspects. Figure 9 details the responses, and shows that the highest levels of satisfaction were recorded for:
- Journey times - where 96% (n=45) of respondents were satisfied to some extent
- The availability of seats on the train - where 92% (n=43) of respondents were satisfied overall
- On-board comfort - where 89% (n=41) were satisfied to some extent
- The reliability of train services on the line - where 84% (n=39) were either very satisfied or satisfied
Those aspects with the lowest levels of satisfaction, and the highest levels of dissatisfaction were:
- The time of the first/last train - where 44% (n=20) were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied
- The availability of parking spaces at the local station car park - where 30% (n=13) of respondents were generally dissatisfied to some extent
The frequency of train services on the line - where 23% (n=11) were dissatisfied overall
The main complaints regarding frequency were that there were too few trains in general or that they did not start early enough or run late enough. Several respondents also commented that not all existing stations were served by all trains passing through them.
Reasons given for dissatisfaction with the time of the first/last train largely focused on perceptions that the last train left too early, meaning that they were seen as not serving evening entertainment needs. This was a view held about trains to both Edinburgh and Newcastle, and was considered to impact respondents’ ability to attend the cinema, the theatre, football matches, and other general evening social activities:
“Lack of late service, last is 9pm and is too early and rules out going to theatre.”
“I would like a later one coming into Berwick from either Edinburgh or Newcastle. This would make me use them more because then I could have a meal or have a night out.”
Parking at train station car parks was another area where several respondents were dissatisfied. The main reasons given were that the car parks were too small for the volume of people who wanted to use them. A few also felt that they were too expensive:
“The car parks too small and full almost all the time.”
“There's not enough and it costs a fortune.”
Reasons for Not Using the Rail Network
Those who did not use the rail network were asked to outline their reasons, with just over 40% indicating they did not travel to destinations served by the rail network (41%, n=124) or that they would like to use the rail network but were unable to (42%, n=129).
Respondents were also asked to identify the issues related to their reasons for not travelling by train, with the results detailed in Figure 11. This shows that three quarters (76%, n=137) of those who did not travel by train, indicated that a major reason for this was that they liked the convenience of travelling by private vehicle. The availability of other public transport connections was also a major factor for around half of the respondents:
- Public transport options between respondent’s house and the station were not convenient/did not exist – this was a major factor for 60% (n=110)
- Public transport options between the end station and respondents’ desired destination were not convenient/did not exist – this was a major factor for 50% (n=91)
Other reasons given included convenience or speed of travelling to destinations by car versus rail, with several noting that it would take longer to travel to the train station and catch the train than to drive to their destination. Others noted that the train station took them out of their way for the journey and so it was more direct to drive or use other means. A lack of stations nearby and/or at the destinations they wished to visit, or lack of rail services connecting locations were also issues for some. In addition, a few also discussed the difficulty of travelling with additional needs, and the requirement to pre-book this meaning short notice or spontaneous journeys are not possible.
Anticipated Impact of a Reston Rail Link
All respondents were asked whether they planned to use the new train station at Reston once it opened. Overall, 40% (n=141) said they did plan to use it, and a further 22% (n=77) were unsure. Just over a third of respondents (38%, n=134) said they would not use it.
All respondents, regardless of their plans to use the station or not, were asked what types of journeys they thought they might use the station for. Around three quarters (74%, n=261) indicated that they would use it for leisure purposes. All other journey purposes were noted to be likely by much fewer respondents, with personal business identified as a likely reason for using Reston station by 18% (n=62), for employment and work purposes by 9% (n=30), and education given as a reason for 7% (n=23) of respondents. At this question, less than a quarter (21%, n=73) of the respondents selected ‘None of the above’. All these respondents indicated that they either did not plan to use the station or didn’t know whether they would use the station in the previous question.
