App helps tackle potholes

A mobile application (app) recently launched in a collaboration between the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) enables motorists to alert authorities to the location of potholes on roads in Gauteng province. The PotholeFixGP app has already recorded 4 861 downloads, with 1 547 potholes reported by users so far.

“The app was designed with user-friendly principles in mind,” explains CSIR Impact Area Manager Dr Mathetha Mokonyama. “As part of a much larger programme to institute a fit-for-purpose road network asset management system, the GDRT has been working with the CSIR to improve the detection and reporting of potholes by members of the public.”

Potholes are a road surface defect resulting from a failure of the road base, and their severity is accelerated by increased water seepage, heavy road traffic, poor road construction methods and poor maintenance.

The app allows the user to provide the exact location of a pothole by using the phone’s Global Positioning System functionality or by dropping a geo-location pin on a map. In addition to providing the location of the pothole, the user can also provide information on the estimated size of the pothole and a corresponding photograph of the pothole. The app has a public dashboard where users can view reported potholes and their repair status. To track a reported pothole, a user captures the reference number initially received when the pothole is reported on the app. PotholeFixGP provides a status update of the pothole, for the GDRT and the app user.

Mokonyama said, “We decided to use an app because it gives users full power to report potholes. By using an app, users receive feedback at various stages of the repair process.”

Gauteng Public Roads and Transport Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo has expressed his appreciation for the increased use of the PotholeFixGP app since its launch. “Since the launch of the app, we have received the first set of data, which gives us insights into maintenance challenges on our roads. This data is very important as it provides us with a clear picture of maintenance work required, assisting us to plan better on resources (human and otherwise),” said Mamabolo.

Monthly updates on the data collected through the app will be made available to the public to promote transparency and accountability. The app is currently available on the Google Play Store and the iOS version will be made available soon.