Street Repairs to Solve Pothole Issue with Crowdsource Funding

LEYLAND, England--April 4, 2014: StreetRepairsUK, an online pothole reporting system that enables the general public to report street-level faults such as potholes quickly and easily to local authorities, is seeking investment from backers via the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. Indiegogo Street Repairs

A report published yesterday has revealed a steady decline in the condition of the nation's roads, despite more than 2 million potholes undergoing repair in 2013.

The ALARM survey from the Asphalt Industry Alliance revealed that to get Britain's streets back to an acceptable condition it would take more than 10 years of work. The cost of road repairs has risen by £1.5 billion in the last 12 months, to £12bn.

The wet weather endured by much of Britain has been blamed for the increase in potholes. As the ground beneath the road becomes saturated with rain water, it becomes loose, and the asphalt is no longer supported by a strong base. The pressure of traffic passing over the asphalt causes the surface to crack and erode. This is further worsened by freezing weather. As water in the pothole turns to ice it expands, further weakening the edges of the hole, causing it to get bigger.

According to the AIA report, in the last 12 months the number of compensation claims for personal injury or vehicle damage caused by potholes has increased to an average of 540 per council in England (excluding London), a rise of 20%. These repairable hazards are a danger to all road users, with cyclists and motorbike riders being particularly vulnerable.

Street Repairs is a revolutionary online fault reporting system. Anyone with a smartphone can file a report about a pothole as soon as they see it, by simply accessing the free mobile-friendly Street Repairs website, and logging the location, details of the problem and if possible, a photograph. The relevant authority is then notified of the problem and details of the report are published on the website.

By encouraging the general public to report potholes as and when they see them, local authorities will have better awareness of the condition of their roads.

Additionally, by making information such as the number of reported faults and the time taken to repair them available to the public, it is hoped that interest from local people will help keep street maintenance high on the local authorities' list of priorities.

To help raise awareness of the Street Repairs system, and encourage the public to report street-level faults, the Street Repairs team are seeking investors, via the crowdsourcing site Indiegogo.

Speaking about his selection of investment source, Colin Mahoney, founder of Street Repairs, said: "Street Repairs is a nationwide system designed to improve local communities. It made sense to use this industry-leading, crowdsourcing platform to appeal for investment from across Britain. We want as many people as possible to have a stake in Street Repairs."

The Street Repairs fault reporting system is available nationwide.