Cambodia ‘pothole app’ app chalks up 6,000 reports of road damage

From December 2018 – when the app launched – until July 2022, the ministry had received 5,922 reports through it, a ministry spokesman said on Sunday.

It had addressed most of the reports as quickly as possible, although some had been incorporated into long-term development plans and would have to wait, he said.

“Occasionally, some members of the public will complain that we have not addressed their issue promptly enough, but [the app] certainly helps us to prioritise our long-term development plans,” he added.

On Sunday, the ministry issued a social media call for people to report potholes immediately via the Road Care app.

Kim Pagna, country director of Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP), said the creation of the app was a good thing. However, he thought the ministry should examine ways it could respond to people’s comments so that the public would see the importance of using the app.

He added that when they saw their contributions brought positive changes, they would place more value on using the app.

In addition to addressing potholes, Pagna said that the ministry should disseminate the results of reports from the app so the public could see how effective the ministry’s responses were.

“To encourage more participation, I think the public works ministry should focus on the youth by training those from the Red Cross, young scouts and the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia so they will understand how to use the app to make their voices heard,” he added.

Long Kimmarita

The Phnom Penh Post

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