Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, expressed his appreciation about the increasing use of the PotholeFixingGP application since it was launched two weeks ago.
“We are pleased with the take-up, seeing that more people are downloading and using the app. So far more than 4 000 people have downloaded the app and are putting it to use,” said Mamabolo.
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The Department of Roads and Transport partnered with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to develop the app to improve the condition of the provincial road network.
He said the app offers users a platform to report road-maintenance issues, and updates are also provided on issues reported. The app is currently available on the Android platform.
Since its launch, we have received the first set of data which give us insights into maintenance challenges on our roads,” added the MEC.
Over the past two weeks the app was used to log 73 defects on provincial roads and 650 on municipal roads across the five developmental corridors of Gauteng.
In the metros the City of Joburg accounted for 239 defects; City of Ekurhuleni had 172; whilst 137 were reported in the City of Tshwane.
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In the local municipalities Emfuleni had 39 defects reported, followed by Mogale City with 32. Rand West City had 21 complaints, and Lesedi and Merafong had one each.
“This data is very important as it provides us with a sample of the maintenance work required, and assists us to plan resources deployment better. This ensures that resources – human and material – are made available where they are needed most.
The partnership with municipalities continues as we work closely to attend to those defects reported through the app to their maintenance teams,” added Mamabolo.
The app is an integral part of the tools identified in the Department’s Growing Gauteng Through Smart Mobility 2030 Strategy to leverage the deployment of smart technologies to improve delivery. It also outlines plans to facilitate the provision of critical transport infrastructure to assist with the recovery and growth of the economy in the province.
Monthly updates on data collected through the app will be made available to the public to promote transparency and accountability.
