Pudong police app clears road hazards

Pudong traffic police and Tongji University have developed an app to report hazards on the streets and raise the efficiency of repairs.

Since April, officers have reported 1,012 problems to other government bodies through the app.

Liu Wenxuan patrols Yanggao and Minsheng roads regularly. He noticed buses stopping at the red light at the junction but not pulling away as the light turns green.

"I saw drivers bend down in their seats," said Liu, "as if they were looking for something." Liu figured out there was an overpass bridge at the junction and since the bus drivers' seats are a little higher than most vehicles, they had to bend down to see the lights.

He took photos and uploaded them on the app. Workers came and moved the light about 10 centimeters lower the same day and the problem was solved.

Before the app, officers who found such problems had to write a report for other officers who specialized in traffic hazards and repairs would sometimes took months.

More than 600 officers now use the app.

Some of the problems, like the one Liu spotted, can be hard to find. "Police cars don't have the same problems as bus drivers face," said Liu.

According to the data from the app, most of the reports are about aging and blurring traffic signs or marks.