Casper's streets concern residents, and a new city survey hopes to find out why.

The "driving experience" in Casper is at an all-time low, according to a recent citizen survey the city conducts every other year.

Only 24 percent of citizens are satisfied with their driving experience, and city streets rank as one of the most important issues for residents. This is why the city plans to conduct another survey to uncover exactly what it is that is so dissatisfying, said Jolene Martinez, an administrative analyst for the city

Unfortunately, the results from the larger citizen survey don't list what the actual issues are and leave city staff to guess what is bothering residents.

It could be anything, including litter, potholes, rude drivers or speeding, Martinez said.

The new survey will serve to narrow citizens' issues with the streets and find out exactly what bothers them.

"We decided we want to drill down and expend our money in a way that will increase resident satisfaction," Martinez said.

The survey will be conducted by city streets staff, which is a little different than normal, she said. A survey company will help the streets staff write questions for the survey and train them to ask the questions and record the answers in an "unbiased" way.

It will be an opportunity for Casper residents to tell city staff what they think about the streets, and city staff members will be able to interpret the information.

For example, if a resident says he doesn't like a bump in the road, a city streets worker will be able to ask the right questions to find out what the bump is and where it is located, Martinez said.

The Casper City Council recently approved $8,500 for the survey, which will poll several hundred people and produce raw results by December.

Council member Maury Daubin said street repairs are one of the biggest issues he's heard during his campaign for re-election this year.

Most of the money for street maintenance comes from optional 1 percent sales tax funds, Daubin said. If additional money is needed for Casper's streets, the council may turn to the 1 percent fund or go to the state Legislature.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com.