VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- The city of Virginia Beach released the results of its 2017 citizen satisfaction survey.
Every two years, the city interviews residents to find out how it can better serve the community. Five-hundred residents were interviewed in December. They were asked about a number of different services.
According to the results, the high satisfaction scores go to the fire department, libraries and paramedics. People also said they're happy with the overall appearance of the city and its parks.
On the other hand, there's still work that needs to be done. People want improvements to traffic and roads, citing potholes and congestion near schools.
One person told researchers, "They should design a better transportation system. There are too many cars and too much traffic and it's hard to get from place to place because of the congested roads."
Data also shows that for more than a decade, there's been a gradual decrease in perception that Virginia Beach neighborhoods are safe.
In a statement to 13News Now, Virginia Beach police spokeswoman Linda Kuehn said "the reality of crime and safety issues as is evident in our crime stats released recently, shows crime levels equivalent to those in the early 1960s. We do, however, understand the public’s perception (those that participated in the survey) may be different than that."
Kuehn went on to say, "We are persistently looking for ways to improve community engagement and to assure the public that their perception of safety and crime is important to us, and we hope that through the information received from the surveys, and continued dialog with the community, reassurance will be made that Virginia Beach is a safe place to live."