From June 13 through June 24,  Omidyar Network and OATV went head-to-head to see which organization could report the most issues in just two weeks---while simultaneously improving their communities. It was an action-packed 2 weeks for both our teams. Issues were reported, problems were acknowledged, concerns were closed and neighborhoods were improved thanks to the hard work of Team Omidyar and Team OATV.

In two weeks, Team OATV reported 22 issues, 6 of which were closed and 10 of which were acknowledged by San Francisco 311. Through reporting issues, commenting on their neighbors concerns, and creating a public watch area in the Bay Area, OATV racked up a whopping total of 880 Civic Points, launching the team to Municipal Avenger status!

Civic Crusader Team Omidyar reported a total of 15 issues, with 10 issues closed and 4 issues acknowledged. The team helped to improve their community while earning an impressive 500 Civic Points during the 2 week challenge. 



The SeeClickFix team would like to give special recognition (aka mad props) to Team Omidyar reporter KLM. Having reported the most issues of any other participant, we're happy to award KLM the title of official SeeClickFix VC Battle Royale MVP. 

Thank you to both teams for your hard work and commitment to your communities. Although the challenge is over, we hope both teams continue SeeClickFixin' issues and improvements around the Bay Area and beyond!

New Haven, Conn. (June 27, 2011) – Southern Connecticut State University and SeeClickFix announce a new partnership to simultaneously empower the campus community and improve the institution’s physical environment. The university will leverage SeeClickFix’s place-based reporting platform to address non-emergency problems reported on campus, ranging from broken windows and glass to damaged sidewalks and graffiti.

“Since our launch a few years ago, we’ve partnered with countless cities, media outlets, and community groups nationwide and overseas,” said Ben Berkowitz, SeeClickFix CEO. “Now, that list has expanded to include academic institutions thanks to SCSU. We look forward to seeing how our online technology helps create offline results.”

With the reporting platform, students, faculty, and staff can report quality-of-life campus concerns through custom service request categories through the online, mobile (iPhone, Android, and Blackberry), and Facebook platforms, and also provide additional information about the problem through the description or image options. Once someone submits an issue, the reporter and those responsible for fixing the problem will receive email notifications. The facilities department can then acknowledge the service request and update the issue page once it’s been resolved.

The partnership allows individuals to not only report campus issues, but also view, comment on, and vote to fix problems submitted by others. They can even create “watch areas” to receive notifications about issues reported on campus, enabling individuals to follow the progress of all service requests.

Robert G. Sheeley, Associate Vice President for Capital Budgeting & Facilities Operations, introduced the idea of partnering SCSU with SeeClickFix. Sheeley believes SeeClickFix will enhance the capabilities and responsiveness of the facilities department through its transparent and accessible platform.

“With this public, user-friendly forum, we can more efficiently address campus concerns and more closely connect with students, faculty, and staff to solve these problems that impact everyone,” he said.

Thomas Struble, Coordinator of Property/Inventory/Stores/Receiving, will administer SeeClickFix on campus.

“It will improve the lines of communication between campus facilities and the people it serves while also creating a safer and more vibrant environment,” he said.

With commuters comprising the majority of SCSU’s student population, interim president Dr. Stanley Battle hopes SeeClickFix will engage both on-campus and off-campus students.

“Our goal is to engage all students, not just the ones living on campus, and encourage them to improve their surroundings,” he said. “SeeClickFix places the power directly in the hands of the campus community.”

The SeeClickFix widget, mobile applications, and Facebook App can be found here.

About SeeClickFix

SeeClickFix allows citizens anywhere in the world to report and monitor non-emergency community issues ranging from potholes and planted trees to garbage and graffiti. Launched in 2008, it empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations, and governments to work together and improve their neighborhoods. Through mobile web, web, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps, the SeeClickFix platform is the most widely-distributed citizen reporting tool in the country. The platform is fun and easy to use for citizens while being inexpensive and easily adaptable for governments. For more information on SeeClickFix or to report an issue, visit www.seeclickfix.com.

In the last few months you may have noticed some new team members at SCF. We wanted to give a belated welcome and a huge thank you to Jeff Mooney, Megan Dalton, Emma Richards and Greta Hotop. I'll be following up with individual posts on each of them in the coming weeks but we wanted to start by highlighting the community management and partner development team as a whole as we're truly impressed with their ability to strengthen and grow the SCF neighborhood. We also wanted to offer a big thank you to Amanda Smyth from Fairfield University and Thomas Gaudett from Harvard University who are interning with us this Summer and providing support to the team while learning about working at a rapidly scaling start-up.

The new team has been busy with new media partners, existing media partners, new and old SideClicks on 6 continents and signing on the host of new governments to SCF Plus. Also, as the default frontman for SCF its been really exciting to see that role distributed to Megan who recently did an Ignite presentation at Sparkcamp, Emma who spoke in Barcelona at Barcelona Digital Congress and Jeff who has spoken at City Camp Raleigh and MCitizen in DC. Its a great feeling as a founder to be able to trust that our initial vision is being represented equally passionately through the evangelism of early employees.

As a last note I also wanted to acknowledge the hard work that some of the team members have been putting into improving our own community here in New Haven and surrounding areas. Emma and Greta haven been helping to fix an SCF issue that I raised a few years ago and soon Megan, Tom, Amanda, Kam and I will be assisting as well. Through a tree planting initiative with the Urban Resources Initiative in New Haven the team has and will be planting trees under the Humphrey Street Overpass so that it becomes equally an Underpass. It is important to us that team members at SCF not only talk about fixing communities but also get their hands dirty and do some fixing themselves. Read more about the trees being planted here:

Community Manager Emma Richards and SCF Super User David Streever Fixing up the neighborhood

A huge welcome and thank you to the new team members helping communities around the world help themselves.

Stonington, Conn. (June 23, 2011) – Today, First Selectman Edward Haberek, Jr. announces a new partnership with an online reporting platform that will enable Stonington residents to submit non-emergency problems and request city services. Powered by SeeClickFix, the place-based reporting platform allows residents to document neighborhood concerns and improvements alike, ranging from potholes and graffiti to tree requests and community murals.

“Through this public forum, we’re hoping to simultaneously engage and empower our residents to assist us with improving the community,” Haberek said. “We like the idea of connecting government with the governed, and the governed with each other.”

With the online reporting platform, residents can report quality-of-life concerns through custom service request categories via SeeClickFix.com, Facebook app, or mobile application, and provide additional information about the issue through the description or image options. Once someone submits an issue, the reporter and the town of Stonington will receive email notifications. The local government can then acknowledge the service request, route it to the proper department, and update the issue page once it’s been resolved.

“SeeClickFix is one way that we can improve our communication with the people we serve while also addressing issues in a timely fashion as they arise,” said Joe Bragaw, director of public works. “By allowing the public to email us issues with pictures, we can quickly assess the priority of the issues and by using this program, we can either ask for additional information and/or send out an email telling the person that the issue has been resolved.”

The partnership allows residents to not only report community issues, but also view, comment on, and vote to fix problems submitted by others. Citizens can even create their own “watch areas” to receive notifications about issues reported throughout the town or just in their neighborhood, enabling them to follow the progress of all service requests.

“Since Gutenberg’s printing press, technology has been used to connect citizens with their government. SeeClickFix extends this tradition by enabling citizens to harness the power of the open web,” said Ben Berkowitz, SeeClickFix CEO. “We’re excited to see how Stonington uses our online technology to empower its residents to take care of their offline community.”

The SeeClickFix Stonington website can be found here: http://seeclickfix.com/stonington and residents can download iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps here: http://www.seeclickfix.com/apps

About SeeClickFix

SeeClickFix allows citizens anywhere in the world to report and monitor non-emergency community issues ranging from potholes and planted trees to garbage and graffiti. Launched in 2008, it empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations, and governments to work together and improve their neighborhoods. Through mobile web, web, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps, the SeeClickFix platform is the most widely-distributed citizen reporting tool in the country. The platform is fun and easy to use for citizens while being inexpensive and easily adaptable for governments. Over 40 percent of issues reported on SeeClickFix are ultimately resolved. For more information or to report an issue, visit www.seeclickfix.com.

As you've been improving your surroundings by reporting community issues to SeeClickFix, you may have noticed yourself checking out some changes on our main site! Launched last week, our slick new reporting form makes it simpler than ever for our users to See, Click and Fix problems in their neighborhood. What makes SeeClickFix convinced you'll love our new reporting form? Glad you asked!

It has Beauty AND Brains
New features mean aesthetically pleasing, accurate reporting

Aside from being ridiculously good looking, our new reporting form is pretty darn smart. Know the physical address of your issue? Can you pinpoint your problem on a map? Or perhaps a combination of both will help you locate what you want to report?



What if you're reporting an issue in a park or public place without a defined street address? No sweat! Just uncheck the "Updating map and form automatically" box, drop the pin where your issue is located, and enter an approximate address in the form. Below is an example of how to report an issue in a park. By dropping the pin where my issue is located and entering an approximate street address, I'm ready to move on to step 2!


It Isn't Afraid of Commitment 
Locking in your location ensures you'll commit to the right category

Once you've mapped your issue location, it will be locked in as you proceed to step 2, to ensure that the service categories you can select from are appropriate for your location. However, you can always go back to update your address or map marker (or both!) if need be by clicking "Change" in the top right corner of the map. 


It Gives you Your Space 
Report anonymously, even when you're logged in.



If you're logged in, but wish to report an issue anonymously to SeeClickFix, simply click "Report as Another User" at the bottom of step 2 and enter the display name and email address you wish to use.  Change your mind? That's okay! Hit "Report as Logged in User" to report under your account.


Ready to fall in love with SeeClickFix all over again? Get to know our new reporting form by reporting an issue today! Start a report from your community's issue page, or hit the quick report button (right) to start from any page on our site. Once you're done, be sure to let us know what you think! Share your feedback as a comment here, email it to us, or tweet it @seeclickfix.

With the help of Eric Melchor, the game of Bingo will be getting a SeeClickFix makeover. A Houston native, marketing pro, and superstar SideClick, Melchor recently launched Htown Bingo--a citywide Bingo tournament designed to empower citizens to take care of their community using SeeClickFix.

Having recently become a first-time homeowner in Houston, Melchor found himself wanting to become involved in his community, Midtown Houston. After reading about SeeClickFix in FastCompany,  Melchor thought the online tool could help him and his fellow residents become engaged in their communities:

I read how other cities were using the tool to fix potholes, recommend bike paths / racks, recommend community gardens, help reduce crime, remove graffiti, etc. The thing that really fascinated me was how residents could see other issues that were reported by their neighbors and they themselves could vote to fix these issues and comment on them as well. Much more effective than using 311 - since multiple voices are being heard and the issues could be tracked as well.

This is where Htown Bingo comes into play. Melchor hopes this fun and competitive game will not only raise awareness about issues in his environment, but also increase SeeClickFix activity in Houston--active citizenship with a competitive twist!

To participate, download the Htown Bingo board, and get ready to see, click, and fix issues in Harris County. The rules are simple:

Look at the revealed squares on the bingo board. When you find something around Houston that matches one of the squares (like graffiti or a pothole), take a picture of it and upload the information to SeeClickFix.com. You can use either the mobile app or SeeClickFix.com to make the report. After you’ve reported your finding to SeeClickFix, tweet the information and picture using the hashtags #htownbingo and #houston – or post it directly to Htown Bingo’s Facebook wall. Mark off that square off your Bingo board.

Every two to three weeks, new squares will be revealed by someone in the Houston community including bloggers, media outlets, and community centers. MommaFindings recently revealed the first Bingo square clue: Cleanup Day. You can get clues about the upcoming bingo squares on the site's 'Hint' section. Melchor believes this twist distinguishes Htown Bingo from the traditional game:

I'm realistic in the sense knowing that I won't be able to get all Houston residents using SCF over night, thus I created a game that will span out over the course of about a year.

Instead of yelling "Bingo," participants will be using social media channels to announce their win. After you've marked off five squares in a row, tweet the famous catchphrase using the hashtag #htownbingo OR post your win to Htown Bingo’s Facebook wall. The first ten people who get Bingo will receive prizes ranging from a Snuggie to $25 Amazon gift card.

The SeeClickFix team would like to thank Eric for not only spreading the SeeClickFix word, but also for demonstrating how one person can make a difference in his community. We look forward to seeing how the competition pans out, and hope you'll follow the action on Eric's blog, @HtownBingo, or Facebook!

Back in April, we told you about the Newbold Neighbors Association's SeeClickFix contest. Well, the contest recently ended and the results are in. Drumroll, please!

With a total of 31 submissions, Mr. T (willey) takes home the 'Squeakiest Wheel award' with reports submitted about issues ranging from graffiti to overgrown lots. With 10 entries, Sammy Pants takes home the 'Captain Random award.' Both individuals will receive their delicious and aromatic awards at the the organization's next meeting. Congrats to both SeeClickFixers and a huge thanks to everyone that participated!

While the contest may have ended, that doesn't mean that Newbold residents should stop submitting reports. In fact, this should encourage fellow neighbors to step up their game and continue reporting issues and improvements here!

The SeeClickFix Team, with help from Yale's Urban Resources Initiative and the Upper State Street Association, will be kicking off our "summer planting series" (unofficial title) tomorrow, Tuesday June 14th near the Humphrey Street underpass!

Want to join the SeeClickFix team and help us plant two cherry trees tomorrow night? Leave a comment here, on SeeClickFix Issue #106353 - Trees Needed, or just show up. We will be meeting near the Humphrey Street underpass at 6PM sharp. Bring your friends and your green thumb! Can't make it tomorrow? Stay tuned for updates on our future plantings, right here on the SeeClickFix Blog!

Recently launched by Al Jazeera English, 'The Stream' (@AJStream) focuses on the 'extraordinary potential of social media to disseminate news.'  A few days ago, contributor David Cohn (@DigiDave) discussed his experience using SeeClickFix in its episode focused on micro-blogging and crowdsourcing:

Spot.Us has used a similar tool called SeeClickFix to map potholes in Oakland. We got 15 bikers, they all went in different directions, found the biggest potholes, and we mapped them. I'll say that the potholes weren't as bad as that flood [in Saudi Arabia] looked, but still that was the kind of thing where we could go in and bring it to the city officials' attention and see what we could do to fix them.

Cohn added that you can't fix something unless you have information about it. We couldn't agree more. Online tools like SeeClickFix display information publicly, making it accessible to anyone in the world. With that information comes power. And with that power comes the ability to make change.

Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association (CoWNA) member Brad Kerr had a neighbor with a seemingly simple request: a bike rack in front of his home. Realizing that the lack of racks was widespread in their neighborhood, Brad spearheaded an effort to bring more bike parking to the Columbia Waterfront last year. Brad's research on how to fix an issue for his neighbor ended up empowering him to fix the issue for the entire neighborhood! After speaking with Dave Abraham from Transportation Alternatives and SeeClickFix bike rack expert Dan Latorre, he learned while it was a hard mission to accomplish it wasn't impossible.

SEE: An empty sidewalk in need of a bike rack

The key to getting a bike rack? Ask for a lot! Armed community manpower and the SeeClickFix mobile app, Brad and 10 of his neighbors set out to document the need for bike racks. The crew met at the corner of Columbia and Union where they received a quick lesson on how to use the SeeClickFix app, and how to identify potential bike rack locations to report. The group fanned out around the neighborhood, SeeClickFixin' locations that needed a proper place to park a bike. In total, the group reported over 30 issues with their suggestions from their mobile phones.

CLICK: CoWNA organized a team to hit the streets and map locations for bike racks using the SeeClickFix mobile app

Nearly a year after the bike rack blitz, CoWNA board member Chris Barker woke up last week to see some welcomed additions to the neighborhood. Bike racks had been installed overnight, and in the places suggested on SeeClickFix! He quickly shared the news on Twitter, showcasing this community accomplishment to the world. Chris was even kind enough to share a slew of pictures of the new bike racks with us and our followers.

FIX: One of many bike racks recently installed in the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood!

According to Brad, residents have been putting the racks to good use since the moment they were installed last week. However, a mystery remains: who was responsible for the fix? If anyone knows who was behind the bounty of new bike racks, let us know! Leave a comment here, or give us your tip @seeclickfix! Whoever the fixer may be, the SeeClickFix team couldn't be happier to see the positive changes Brad, Chris and all at CoWNA made to their neighborhood using our platform!

The SeeClickFix team proudly announces its inaugural SeeClickFix Venture Capitalist Battle Royale! Starting today and ending June 24th, Omidyar Network and OATV will be going head-to-head to see which organization can report the most issues in just two weeks---while simultaneously improving their communities. Who doesn't love some good ol' fashioned competition?

The two organizations must work as teams to fight blight through SeeClickFix's various reporting channels. Luckily, we've set up two team accounts, TeamOmidyar and TeamOATV, through which everyone can report their concerns or suggestions.  At the end of each week, we will track the progress and post the stats on this blog, Facebook page, and @SeeClickFix.

Both teams should keep in mind two things. When reporting issues, team members should include their full initials (first, middle, and last) at the bottom of their issue description. We will be using this information to identify a weekly team MVP. Similarly, points will not be rewarded for duplicate issues, so be sure everyone keeps track of what their fellow teammates are reporting.

To follow the action, check out their SeeClickFix profiles: TeamOATV and TeamOmidyar. We'll be periodically updating our social media channels with competition news during the two weeks, so stay tuned. Let the games begin!

A big congrats to SeeClickFix client La Plata County, CO for accomplishing their goal of becoming our Top Performing City! With a City Score of 111, La Plata County is now on top of our leader boards for their superstar response to citizens using SeeClickFix.

Since signing on with SeeClickFix in April, our partnership with La Plata County has allowed residents to report country road maintenance, damage, or other minor issues directly to the La Plata County Department of Public Works. Upon learning of their Top Performing City status, La Plata County spread the good news to the community in a press release on their website. In addition to some much earned bragging, Director of La Plata County Public Works Jim Davis also explained in their release the importance of our tool for the public. 

See click fix is another communication tool that the public can use to alert the County Public Works Department of public safety or maintenance issues impacting our county roads. Most comments have been relevant and about issues that we can address.

Want to know out how your city stacks up against La Plata County? Check out the SeeClickFix Top Performing Cities rankings by clicking here. If you think your city has what it takes to dethrone our new champ, let them know you think they have what it takes to become a SeeClickFix Top Performer! Report an issue, share it with your neighbors and friends, and be sure you sign up your local government to receive alerts about community concerns!
 

We know at first glance Issue #94891- Manholes sticking out of the road, is no laughing matter. However, SeeClickFix government client Raleigh, NC gave us a pretty good laugh while delivering a timely response to the citizen reporter. The issue description read:

When heading Eastbound on Morgan, if you are in the middle lane and traveling through Person St there are two manholes side by side protruding from the ground.It will give you a pretty good jolt as I have accidentally hit send many times on my Blackberry while texting through that intersection.

While SeeClickFix users were quick to point out the issue with this issue, the City of Raleigh officially (and hilariously) acknowledged both.


Shortly after the issue was acknowledged, the issue was closed out along with another friendly reminder to Raleigh residents (and everyone, really!).

Thank you to the City of Raleigh for demonstrating how governmental transparency helps promote both civic engagement and a good sense of humor!

Spoiler alert: the suggestions offered in the article discussed below are not only valuable and awesome, but also are being voiced by citizens on SeeClickFix each day!

According to the U.S. Census, the population of people 65 or older in America is expected to double by the year 2030. Worldwide, it is estimated that the global population of people over 60 will double by 2050. As the population of senior citizens continues to grow, the number of people living in urban areas does as well. What does this simultaneous surge in population mean for the aging? How will urban planners and local officials with limited resources ensure cities are accessible to everyone? A recent article in Governing titled Seniors and the City explores what is being done to make cities more age-friendly. 

...there are steps cities can take to make a place more attractive to the elderly without costing an arm and a leg. Take crosswalks. By adding more time, cities can turn what seem like fast dashes for some into less stressful pedestrian crossings. If lengthening crosswalk time might trip up traffic patterns, the use of pedestrian islands at major intersections could be another solution to this small but nagging problem.

The article illustrates how small, inexpensive changes in urban environments can make a positive impact on our aging population.  A few extra seconds on a crosswalk signal or additional handicap parking spaces are examples of the types of minor tweaks that can create a major improvement in quality of life for older residents. Furthermore, creating more accommodating urban public spaces that are inviting to all citizens benefits everyone who calls a city "home", regardless of age!

Here at SeeClickFix, the idea of using our platform to benefit our elders isn't a new idea. With help from citizens of all ages, cities and towns can use our technology to promote an inclusive, age-friendly urban environment. As the saying goes, we're not getting any younger. We all must take an active role in making our cities accessible to everyone, not only to benefit our elders but for our own benefit as well. How would you improve your community to benefit an aging population? Know of a scary sidewalk or a bus stop that needs more benches? Tell us! Report an issue on SeeClickFix and share it with us here, on Facebook, or on Twitter @seeclickfix.

(June 7, 2011) – Today, Mayor Pedro E. Segarra announced a new partnership to increase and expand how Hartford residents can request city services and report non-emergency problems. Powered by SeeClickFix, the place-based reporting platform allows residents to document neighborhood concerns and improvements alike, ranging from potholes and graffiti to tree requests and speeding.

“This new partnership will engage and empower all of our residents to actively participate in improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Segarra. “With its online tool and mobile apps, SeeClickFix places the power directly in the hands of the people who live, work, and visit our City.”

Last month, City Council Minority Leader Luis Cotto invited city residents to start reporting quality of life issues via SeeClickFix.com and its mobile apps.

“311 is great for internal routing of work orders and intra-governmental accountability, but its user interface is somewhat opaque to residents,” Cotto said. “By using SeeClickFix, residents can see what others have identified as problems and interact to help solve quality of life and infrastructure problems in their neighborhoods.”

With the online reporting platform, residents and visitors alike can report quality-of-life concerns through custom service request categories via SeeClickFix.com, Facebook, or mobile application, and provide additional information about the problem through the in-depth description or image options. Once someone submits an issue, the reporter and Hartford 311 Call Center will receive email notifications. Hartford 311 will then acknowledge the service request, route it to the proper department, and update the issue page once it’s been resolved.

“SeeClickFix provides residents and our 311 constituent representatives with an efficient, transparent, and user-friendly forum where everyone can be kept informed about challenges (and projects completed) in their community,” said Andy Jaffee, Director of Emergency Services and Telecommunications which oversees the 311 Call Center. “It will not only improve the lines of communication between 311 and the people it serves, but also help improve our city services overall.”

The partnership allows individuals to not only report community issues, but also view, comment on, and vote to fix problems submitted by others. Citizens can even create their own “watch areas” to receive notifications about issues reported throughout the entire city or just in their neighborhood, enabling individuals to follow the progress of all service requests.

“Being based in Connecticut, we’re extremely excited to now count the city of Hartford among our government partners,” said Ben Berkowitz, SeeClickFix CEO. “The Internet continues to prove itself as a tool for civic empowerment. With our technology, we hope Hartford residents will actively engage with one another and their local government online to enact change offline.”

The SeeClickFix Hartford website can be found here: http://www.seeclickfix.com/hartford.
Residents can download iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps here: http://www.seeclickfix.com/apps.

About SeeClickFix


SeeClickFix allows citizens anywhere in the world to report and monitor non-emergency community issues ranging from potholes and planted trees to garbage and graffiti. Launched in 2008, it empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations, and governments to work together and improve their neighborhoods. Through mobile web, web, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps, the SeeClickFix platform is the most widely-distributed citizen reporting tool in the country. The platform is fun and easy to use for citizens while being inexpensive and easily adaptable for governments. Over 40 percent of issues reported on SeeClickFix are ultimately resolved. For more information or to report an issue, visit www.seeclickfix.com.

SeeClickFix media partner The Saratogian is at it again, bringing attention to a hazardous stretch of road in Saratoga Springs, New York. As part of their ongoing SeeClickFix Series, The Saratogian recently highlighted Issue #55010 - Large dip creates horrific accidents. The issue was anonymously reported nearly 9 months ago.

The large dip in Petrified Sea Gardens Road is quite a dangerous spot. I have seen three major accidents in which an ambulance took one or more severely injured people. At the very least, would it be possible to put signs at the top of the hill? If you take this hill too fast, you run a strong risk of wiping out. It is very steep, and cannot see who is coming until you crest over the hill.

Shortly after being reported, other residents began commenting on the issue and voting for it's fix. From speeding drivers to lack of signage, SeeClickFix users had a variety of opinions about what exactly makes this hill so dangerous to motorists and cyclists. A commenter named Von summarized the number of factors that contribute to this issue:

Even if both parties are traveling the speed limit this area is still a dangerous location. The problem is a combination of a blind hill and the fact that the road also bends at that point. This mean someone who's traveling south needs to adjust to the right as they crest the hill otherwise they'll find themselves in the oncoming lane. This is all compounded by the fact that few people adhere to the speed limits while traveling through here. Something certainly needs to be done to make this situation safe.

With the help of The Saratogian, and the 20 SeeClickFixers who voted on this report, this issue is getting the attention of public officials in Saratoga Springs. Public Safety Commissioner Richard Wirth told The Saratogian he was not familiar with the commenters’ particular concerns, but said that he would gladly send staff to investigate the SeeClickFix issue. Wirth also explained to the paper that the city can review the accident history on the road and see if it merits a traffic study.


We're proud to again see media, citizens and local government coming together to resolve community issues using SeeClickFix. Thank you to The Saratogian and all in Saratoga Springs who voiced their concerns about the hazardous street. SeeClickFix is looking forward to seeing the final fix for this problem!

New York, New York (June 6, 2011) -- With hopes of engaging public imagination and soliciting ideas from subway riders, SubSeries announces its new partnership with citizen-reporting platform SeeClickFix to transform the urban landscape of New York City subway stations. Curated by design partnership Baukunst Studio, SubSeries serves as an unsolicited design initiative to visualize the future of the public space at twelve subway stations.

The project brings together over 20 emerging New York-based architects, designers, and artists to address the question: "What are the most optimistic strategies for reforming this network of unclaimed public space?" SubSeries will not only highlight existing problems, but also envision a positive urban future that builds upon the existing subway infrastructure.

Through SeeClickFix's platform, SubSeries hopes to collect information and suggestions from NYC residents about how to improve these urban environments. The project opened one 'ticket' for each of the twelve SubSeries subway stations including Grand Central, Columbus Circle, and Harlem 125th Street. By posting comments, users can share what they think should change and suggest their visions for these spaces.

“Over the years, the Internet has proven itself as a powerful tool for empowering citizens and enacting change,” said Ben Berkowitz, SeeClickFix CEO and co-founder. “With our technology, we hope NYC residents will actively engage with one another and suggest offline changes to reclaim the city’s public spaces.”

This evening, SubSeries will continue sparking public dialogue at the “preview” of its upcoming fall exhibition (date TBD) at Columbia University’s Studio X gallery (180 Varick Street). The free event starts at 6:00pm and will be open to the public.

“We plan to present a rapid synopsis of the design ideas for the twelve subway stations followed by an open conversation about the future of SubSeries,” said Elizabeth Lasater, exhibition co-curator and Baukunst Studio co-founder. “The goal of this discussion is to develop a strategy to attract attention from city and community organizations so that the project reaches beyond the architecture community to penetrate the imagination of New York City residents.”

Throughout the year, SubSeries hosted 12 charrettes, or in-depth conversations focused on re-imagining the public space of subway stations, which resulted in visual documentation of these visions. SubSeries presented these work-in-progress sketches at the Festival of Ideas for the New City earlier this month. Next year, SubSeries is invited to display its exhibition in both Rio de Janeiro and Mumbai. These exhibitions will act as catalysts for two additional unsolicited design series about the public space and urban infrastructure within each of these cities.

About SeeClickFix

SeeClickFix allows citizens anywhere in the world to report and monitor non-emergency community issues ranging from potholes and planted trees to garbage and graffiti. Launched in 2008, it empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations, and governments to work together and improve their neighborhoods. Through mobile web, web, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps, the SeeClickFix platform is the most widely-distributed citizen reporting tool in the country. The platform is fun and easy to use for citizens while being inexpensive and easily adaptable for governments. Over 40 percent of issues reported on SeeClickFix are ultimately resolved. For more information or to report an issue, visit www.seeclickfix.com.