Good practice:

Meldeplattform Radverkehr (reporting platform for cycle traffic)

The reporting platform for cycling gives cyclists the opportunity to report defects, obstacles and damages of the cycle path network directly. The reporting platform for cycling can be used by cyclists throughout Hessen and is made available free of charge to Hessen's municipalities by the state. In just a few steps, a report can be created and forwarded to the right place in the municipality. This saves cyclists from time intensive searching of the right place in the administration themselves. The report thus has an official character and can be edited. After the cyclist has marked the address on a map or entered the address, he or she can submit a description of the situation and a report. There is also the possibility to attach photos. The cyclists leave their personal contact details and can be contacted in case of doubt. This is done in a few steps and in a user-friendly way with an attractive design. The reporting platform is an instrument of direct participation and co-planning. Inquiries are forwarded directly to the responsible person in charge, who communicates with the responsible municipal office. As a result citizens are take an active role in the planning process.

Municipalities do not need additional resources for this. The reporting platform is operated by the state and made available free of charge.

The reporting platform is used by numerous cyclists and local authorities, and there have been thousands of reports since work began.

For an effective implementation, active communication from as many bodies as possible and the municipality itself is a key factor of success. The better known the reporting platform is, the more intensively it is used. It is crucial to consider the platform within planning processes.

The potential of the transfer is given. The decisive factor is an existing cycle path network and a financial arrangement of the project from a higher administrative level. Municipalities do not have the resources to develop a reporting platform on their own; if they are to use the service, it must at best be free of charge. Furthermore, an appealing, comprehensive solution is necessary for user-friendliness if the registration platform is to be positively accepted by citizens. For the municipalities, there is a learning potential in the area of direct contact with citizens. In this case, infrastructure can be improved from the perspective of the end user. This will make the future development of cycle paths much more user-oriented, infrastructure will be better accepted.