I can't find any trace of the app for iPhone/Apple (not checked for Android). These reporting system only really work with a mobile app so you can record & report whilst standing at the hazard. Remember what, where, etc. for multiple hazards so you can spend longer once home scrolling round maps to find the position, etc. ... isn't going to happen.
The strength of the old app was it could record a hazard when offline out of mobile coverage. Most people with any privacy considerations stop their web browser accessing their location so the web site idea means it only works when you have mobile coverage (so a lot of my cycling - wont work) and with weakened privacy
As you are cycling around on how much of your route do you know the postcode of your location? Do CUK understard cyclists and cycling?
Me thinks more of a PR stunt than a useful solution.
MikeF wrote: ↑29 Jan 2023, 9:26am
The biggest problem is when a road issue is near a boundary. Many councils do not know where the exact boundary is and will try to pass any problem to the neighbouring one. This can result in very long delays before anything happens.
It seems "potholes are us" ( some quite serious) anywhere around here at the moment. However they are reported I don't think a quick fix can be expected.
I'm going to disagree with the 'most councils don't know where the exact boundary is' and go for something more prosaic.... road engineers know exactly where the road boundary is to the millimetre.... however if the pot hole is on a road which passes through the boundary and the customer hasn't or can't make it clear where exactly that pothole is then there may be some reticence to investigate...
..as some who used to deal with potholes, a customer wishing to report 'a really big pot hole in a lane between Taunton and Honiton' isn't exactly that useful.
On the plus side, there is a what3words app now, which unofficially almost every council has adopted, and knowing where the pothole is to 8 metres has improved things greatly..
What3words has big disadvantages, though. It needs a licence fee for what is really a pointless tool, since a long press on Google Maps gives you proper GPS coordinates. Ok, something like bath.croissant.antelope might be easier to remember than 51.563526,-1.763665 (accurate to less than 1 metre) but you don't need to remember the latitude and longitude of a pothole twice.
rogerzilla wrote: ↑20 Jan 2024, 7:22am
What3words has big disadvantages, though. It needs a licence fee for what is really a pointless tool, since a long press on Google Maps gives you proper GPS coordinates. Ok, something like bath.croissant.antelope might be easier to remember than 51.563526,-1.763665 (accurate to less than 1 metre) but you don't need to remember the latitude and longitude of a pothole twice.
Plus you need to be online/have data coverage/signal to find the What 3 Words for the pothole you're lying in. This is a major issue with a lot of cycling (round me) - hence the importance of an app that works offline like the FillThatHole app did before it was killed-off by CUK.
Psamathe wrote: ↑19 Jan 2024, 8:03pm
...
I can't find any trace of the app for iPhone/Apple (not checked for Android). These reporting system only really work with a mobile app so you can record & report whilst standing at the hazard. Remember what, where, etc. for multiple hazards so you can spend longer once home scrolling round maps to find the position, etc. ... isn't going to happen.
The strength of the old app was it could record a hazard when offline out of mobile coverage. Most people with any privacy considerations stop their web browser accessing their location so the web site idea means it only works when you have mobile coverage (so a lot of my cycling - wont work) and with weakened privacy
...
I'm going to do some experiments. But couldn't this work by recording the position by GPS even without real-time data network access?
Jonathan
Last edited by Jdsk on 20 Jan 2024, 12:31pm, edited 1 time in total.
rogerzilla wrote: ↑20 Jan 2024, 7:22am
What3words has big disadvantages, though. It needs a licence fee for what is really a pointless tool, since a long press on Google Maps gives you proper GPS coordinates. Ok, something like bath.croissant.antelope might be easier to remember than 51.563526,-1.763665 (accurate to less than 1 metre) but you don't need to remember the latitude and longitude of a pothole twice.
You can use what3words without a license, and I have done so... admittedly road engineers would love proper GPS coordinates, but on the provision everyone is extra careful when typing them out and don't miss or transpose any digits.
In an ideal world central government would come up with an app shared by all councils, whereby you take a photo of the pothole, the fly tipping, the abandoned car, or whatever... the photo and location goes to a central computer which then distributes it to the right council and you get a reference to your email address complete with a date that it's going to be sorted by...
....whoa! Almost got hit by a low flying pig, there.....
(We will leave advise the rumour that Google Street View offered every council a filter on their mapping system which clearly defined the edge of each council - as none of the councils wanted to stump up the subscription for that service)..
Psamathe wrote: ↑19 Jan 2024, 8:03pm
...
I can't find any trace of the app for iPhone/Apple (not checked for Android). These reporting system only really work with a mobile app so you can record & report whilst standing at the hazard. Remember what, where, etc. for multiple hazards so you can spend longer once home scrolling round maps to find the position, etc. ... isn't going to happen.
The strength of the old app was it could record a hazard when offline out of mobile coverage. Most people with any privacy considerations stop their web browser accessing their location so the web site idea means it only works when you have mobile coverage (so a lot of my cycling - wont work) and with weakened privacy
...
I'm going to do some experiments. But couldn't this work by recording the position by GPS even without real-time data network access?
Jonathan
It could ... but then when you get home you have to search on their web site for your GPS location and re-enter everything a 2nd time, repeat again and again for each pothole. Their website does not accept Lat/Long but wants a postcode, street name with area. For Location Services you have to do it all from their web site using your current location (ie with a data connection standing at the hazard).
Whereas the old app: standing by pothole, from app take photo, select hazard from list and it's done. If no coverage it will submit the report automatically once you get a data connection (once in coverage or in Wi-Fi).
CUK really have not thought this through - hence my suggestion it's all about a Press Release than actually trying to help cyclists.
Psamathe wrote: ↑19 Jan 2024, 8:03pm
I can't find any trace of the app for iPhone/Apple (not checked for Android). These reporting system only really work with a mobile app so you can record & report whilst standing at the hazard. Remember what, where, etc. for multiple hazards so you can spend longer once home scrolling round maps to find the position, etc. ... isn't going to happen.
The strength of the old app was it could record a hazard when offline out of mobile coverage. Most people with any privacy considerations stop their web browser accessing their location so the web site idea means it only works when you have mobile coverage (so a lot of my cycling - wont work) and with weakened privacy
As you are cycling around on how much of your route do you know the postcode of your location? Do CUK understard cyclists and cycling?
Me thinks more of a PR stunt than a useful solution.
Ian
If you take photos and allow the location to be recorded in the metadata (maybe you don't/wouldn't), you could find local council, postcode, etc later. That would not need mobile coverage to be available. But a bit labour-intensive.
Psamathe wrote: ↑19 Jan 2024, 8:03pm
I can't find any trace of the app for iPhone/Apple (not checked for Android). These reporting system only really work with a mobile app so you can record & report whilst standing at the hazard. Remember what, where, etc. for multiple hazards so you can spend longer once home scrolling round maps to find the position, etc. ... isn't going to happen.
The strength of the old app was it could record a hazard when offline out of mobile coverage. Most people with any privacy considerations stop their web browser accessing their location so the web site idea means it only works when you have mobile coverage (so a lot of my cycling - wont work) and with weakened privacy
As you are cycling around on how much of your route do you know the postcode of your location? Do CUK understard cyclists and cycling?
Me thinks more of a PR stunt than a useful solution.
Ian
If you take photos and allow the location to be recorded in the metadata (maybe you don't/wouldn't), you could find local council, postcode, etc later. That would not need mobile coverage to be available. But a bit labour-intensive.
True, but it's a lot of work to do once you get home. Load photo to get lat/long from geotag, load into eg Google to get map, find street and nearest town (often ambiguous on rural roads. But most roads are too long for a report to be useful by Council eg "it's on Brick Kiln Lane" would narrow it down to maybe a couple of miles!
Which is probably why other reporting systems use mobile apps eg FixMyStreet. CUK/FillThatHole used to have an app to make mobile reporting viable. No longer -hence this partial resurrection being little more than an excuse for a Press Release.
When I used to report potholes when out cycling I'd be reporting maybe 10+ per ride. On a ride with an app takes no time but doing it through photo, geotag, Google search, etc. once home becomes ludicrous amount of work - so you quickly don't bother, just steer to avoid the hazard and curse the Council.
Psamathe wrote: ↑19 Jan 2024, 8:03pm
I can't find any trace of the app for iPhone/Apple (not checked for Android). These reporting system only really work with a mobile app so you can record & report whilst standing at the hazard. Remember what, where, etc. for multiple hazards so you can spend longer once home scrolling round maps to find the position, etc. ... isn't going to happen.
The strength of the old app was it could record a hazard when offline out of mobile coverage. Most people with any privacy considerations stop their web browser accessing their location so the web site idea means it only works when you have mobile coverage (so a lot of my cycling - wont work) and with weakened privacy
As you are cycling around on how much of your route do you know the postcode of your location? Do CUK understard cyclists and cycling?
Me thinks more of a PR stunt than a useful solution.
Ian
If you take photos and allow the location to be recorded in the metadata (maybe you don't/wouldn't), you could find local council, postcode, etc later. That would not need mobile coverage to be available. But a bit labour-intensive.
True, but it's a lot of work to do once you get home. Load photo to get lat/long from geotag, load into eg Google to get map, find street and nearest town (often ambiguous on rural roads. But most roads are too long for a report to be useful by Council eg "it's on Brick Kiln Lane" would narrow it down to maybe a couple of miles!
Which is probably why other reporting systems use mobile apps eg FixMyStreet. CUK/FillThatHole used to have an app to make mobile reporting viable. No longer -hence this partial resurrection being little more than an excuse for a Press Release.
When I used to report potholes when out cycling I'd be reporting maybe 10+ per ride. On a ride with an app takes no time but doing it through photo, geotag, Google search, etc. once home becomes ludicrous amount of work - so you quickly don't bother, just steer to avoid the hazard and curse the Council.
Ian
Agreed, it's a faff. But why would you be able to give location only to within a couple of miles if you had the exact coordinates?
Psamathe wrote: ↑20 Jan 2024, 6:33pmit's a lot of work to do once you get home. Load photo to get lat/long from geotag, load into eg Google to get map, find street and nearest town (often ambiguous on rural roads. But most roads are too long for a report to be useful by Council eg "it's on Brick Kiln Lane" would narrow it down to maybe a couple of miles!
It doesn't have to be that complicated - just open FixMyStreet in a browser when you are back in signal range, and change the lat/long in the address bar to what's shown in your photo exif, or GPS mark.
Round here (Gloucestershire), the council use FixMyStreet as the pothole (etc) reporting tool on the council website. It's quite a bit better than the main FixMyStreet site as you get proper detailed mapping when you zoom right in. https://fixmystreet.gloucestershire.gov ... on=-2.2481
Other councils may do the same.
Psamathe wrote: ↑20 Jan 2024, 6:33pmit's a lot of work to do once you get home. Load photo to get lat/long from geotag, load into eg Google to get map, find street and nearest town (often ambiguous on rural roads. But most roads are too long for a report to be useful by Council eg "it's on Brick Kiln Lane" would narrow it down to maybe a couple of miles!
It doesn't have to be that complicated - just open FixMyStreet in a browser when you are back in signal range, and change the lat/long in the address bar to what's shown in your photo exif, or GPS mark.
Round here (Gloucestershire), the council use FixMyStreet as the pothole (etc) reporting tool on the council website. It's quite a bit better than the main FixMyStreet site as you get proper detailed mapping when you zoom right in. https://fixmystreet.gloucestershire.gov ... on=-2.2481
Other councils may do the same.
Not Somerset, when i'vr been working there, we've always maintained that any damaged road reports should come to us directly either through our own website or by telephone.
Somerset Council cannot guarantee that any damaged road report from any third party will reach the council in a timely manner, if at all.
cycle tramp wrote: ↑20 Jan 2024, 10:18pm
Not Somerset, when i'vr been working there, we've always maintained that any damaged road reports should come to us directly either through our own website or by telephone.
All the better to hide them from public scrutiny and the FixMyStreet league table!
Somerset Council cannot guarantee that any damaged road report from any third party will reach the council in a timely manner, if at all.
Who expects them to? Just guarantee that they're addressed once received and it'd do.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
cycle tramp wrote: ↑22 Jan 2023, 6:38pm
Unitary and County councils are kinda big - for example Somerset County Council spans all of Somerset, and Devon Council spans all of Devon and Cornwall Council spans all of.... anyway you get the idea. So unless the road issue happens close to the boundary, its not going to be an issue..
Unless something changed recently, Somerset County Council doesn't cover the two northernmost districts and Devon County Council doesn't cover Torbay or Plymouth.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
Psamathe wrote: ↑20 Jan 2024, 6:33pmit's a lot of work to do once you get home. Load photo to get lat/long from geotag, load into eg Google to get map, find street and nearest town (often ambiguous on rural roads. But most roads are too long for a report to be useful by Council eg "it's on Brick Kiln Lane" would narrow it down to maybe a couple of miles!
It doesn't have to be that complicated - just open FixMyStreet in a browser when you are back in signal range, and change the lat/long in the address bar to what's shown in your photo exif, or GPS mark.
Round here (Gloucestershire), the council use FixMyStreet as the pothole (etc) reporting tool on the council website. It's quite a bit better than the main FixMyStreet site as you get proper detailed mapping when you zoom right in. https://fixmystreet.gloucestershire.gov ... on=-2.2481
Other councils may do the same.
I agree - my comment was about CUK's new FillThatHole where location seems based on postcode or street name(/area) not Lat/Long.
