Public urged to take part in fixing island’s roads

The public should “play a role and take part” in drawing attention to problems on Cyprus’ road network, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said on Tuesday.

Vafeades was speaking to the Cyprus Mail on the first anniversary of the creation of the FixCyprus mobile application, which allows users to notify the authorities of any issues related to the country’s road network.

“The public’s contribution in the public sphere is always useful,” he said, adding that taking part in efforts to improve Cyprus’ road network is a “positive act for society”.

However, he said, “the effectiveness of such an application does not just depend on the public’s participation. It also depends on the competence of the relevant department to make the requisite repairs.”

The app allows people to notify the government about problems on the road network, and the state to quickly respond.

In its first 12 months of operation, the app was downloaded onto a total of 6,812 mobile devices. A total of 4,742 reports were submitted in that time, of which 3,760 were deemed to be within the scope of the app.

Of the reports, 30 per cent have now been repaired in their entirety, while a further 68 per cent are scheduled for repairs. The remainder are pending.

The majority of reports submitted so far pertain to cracks in pavements, obstructions on or damage to footpaths, street lighting, vandalism of road signs, or visibility issues.

Reports rejected include those submitted regarding illegal parking and issues on private property.

Four fifths of reports were made regarding minor roads and residential streets.

The ministry said “all reports are reviewed by the relevant administrators in the public works department’s district officers, and assigned for the handing of either the department’s technical branches or other competent authorities.

“The priority for handling reports depends on both the seriousness of the situation described and the type of the problem,” they added.