The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has launched a smartphone application to help residents of the city report potholes and faulty traffic lights.

The Find & Fix app forms part of the JRA’s turnaround strategy and focus on service delivery. “The organisation is committed to becoming more accessible to citizens and road users and to developing itself into a centre of engineering excellence with enhanced services delivery and satisfied customers,” says MD Skhumbuzo Macozoma.

The Find & Fix app, which is available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8 devices, lets the city’s residents report potholes, faulty traffic lights, missing manhole covers and other infrastructure defects.

The Android and Windows versions are already available, while the JRA is still waiting for approval from Apple, says the JRA.

The app launch follows the agency’s “just tell us” campaign, which supports the city’s “active citizenry” project to promote the involvement of Johannesburg’s residents in the running of the city.

The app allows residents to report the location of an infrastructure defect and upload a photo as evidence of the problem. It also assists the JRA to plan repairs more “scientifically” based on the reports and data received.

Once a fault has been logged, a user will be able to monitor and view progress towards a repair. The app also provides media alerts on hotspots and issues in a specific area.

According to Macozoma, this app allows the JRA to respond more effectively to logged calls as the exact location of a report can be pinpointed and the closest teams can be called out to the problem. — (c) 2014 NewsCentral Media