Blog posts about FixMyStreet Pro

As a map-based reporting solution, FixMyStreet Pro can do lots of clever things to help users make accurate and actionable reports of local street, highway and environment faults.

From suggesting potential duplicate reports, to automatically diverting reports between different authorities – and even detecting when a report is being made on a private road.

How private road detection works on FixMyStreet Pro

Using an asset layer shared via integration with an asset management system, councils and other public authorities responsible for fixing local problems can detect when a user is trying to make a report on a private or unadopted road.

When making a report via an authority’s branded instance of FixMyStreet Pro, users find the location of their report either by typing in the area, postcode or street name if they know it, or by using their current geo-location.

The map then loads at that location, the pin can be placed on the map exactly where the problem is located and a category can be selected.

If the map pin is not placed on the asset layer which depicts the roads adopted by the council or authority in question, then the user can be shown a message to inform them and signpost to where they may be able to redirect their report.

In instances where certain assets on a private road remain the responsibility of the local council or authority, FixMyStreet Pro supports the triaging of this based on the report location and category.

This ensures the user never needs to worry about who’s responsible for what and the authority only receives reports they can deal with.

Private road detection on the national FixMyStreet site

As you may already know, FixMyStreet Pro was born out of FixMyStreet, the national reporting service launched by our parent charity mySociety in 2007.

Being a purposeful piece of technology which supports open standards to remove barriers to accessing useful services for the public sector, councils can opt to set up their own integration with FixMyStreet (for free) using a standard known as Open311.

Non-FixMyStreet Pro users who set up and run their own Open311 integration with the national reporting site can also supply their own asset layer for adopted or unadopted roads to help eliminate avoidable and incorrect reports. Find out more about the FixMyStreet Open311 API.

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For more information about how FixMyStreet Pro works, request a demo from our friendly team.

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A few weeks ago we blogged about how we are now using the OS Maps API for mapping tiles across all instances of FixMyStreet and FixMyStreet Pro, following the retirement of Microsoft’s Bing Maps API.

We mentioned the only difference users might notice is that the Bing Maps API provided an aerial view option which was sometimes used by our council cobrands. We suggested some potential solutions in the form of providing access to a GIS mapping server that can supply map tiles and aerial imagery, or providing OS imagery data for us to serve.

We’re pleased to report that this has been successful for Northumberland County Council, which is now able to serve aerial imagery from its GIS mapping server on its FixMyStreet Pro service.

Users can toggle between the ‘Aerial map’ and ‘Road map’ by clicking the satellite icon on the right side of the screen. 

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If you are a FixMyStreet Pro client and you would like to replicate this on your instance of the service, please open a ticket on our helpdesk service.

If you are not yet a FixMyStreet Pro client and you have questions about how the service works, please drop us a message and we’ll get back to you.

We’re delighted to announce that we will soon be launching a self-service version of FixMyStreet especially for parish and town councils.

FixMyStreet for Parish & Town Councils will enable even the smallest local councils to offer a user-friendly and responsive reporting service to local residents for issues under their responsibility.

Built into the robust FixMyStreet platform, parish and town councils will be able to set up and manage their service themselves, adding their own logo to the reporting page, choosing their own categories and managing responses to remove reliance on upper tier authorities.

Where councils share responsibility for certain issues depending on location or asset type, FixMyStreet will automatically triage reports according to the required criteria to help eliminate misreporting and duplication of effort.

Find out more about FixMyStreet for Parish & Town Councils.

On most of our FixMyStreet Pro instances, we use Ordnance Survey’s Maps API to supply the map tiles for our maps. Councils have free access to the API under the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA), so we can display mapping up to a very high zoom level.

Microsoft is now retiring its Bing Maps API, which we have used on fixmystreet.com and some other instances for many years, and so we have now switched these to also use the OS Maps API – in instances where we do not have PSGA access, we use OS OpenData served from our own tile server for more zoomed in levels.

For the OS Leisure map tiles, this should provide an increase in image quality, and should also be more up to date in general. In Northern Ireland, fixmystreet.com is now using OpenStreetMap, ongoing thanks to them for their services.

Functionally, the only difference users might notice is that the Bing Maps API provided an aerial view option which is not currently replicable. One way around this for FixMyStreet Pro council cobrands could be to utilise an internal GIS mapping server that can supply map tiles and aerial imagery, or to provide us with OS imagery data for us to serve. If you’re a Pro client and you think this may apply to you, please open a ticket on the helpdesk system.

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For more information about the FixMyStreet platform, please get in touch.

Although often associated with the reporting of potholes and fly-tipping, did you know that FixMyStreet Pro can also improve the way authorities handle reports of problems found on public rights of way?

With over 14,000 miles of public rights of way in England and Wales, managed by a combined network of local councils, highways authorities and private landowners, it would be unreasonable to expect members of the public to always know who can respond to the problem they have found, be it a broken stile, overgrown hedgerow or wonky signpost.

As the only reporting solution capable of automatically triaging reports between different authorities (not to mention triaging between different internal departments within those authorities), FixMyStreet Pro makes it easy to successfully report and respond to problems on public rights of way.

Categories

Authorities using FixMyStreet Pro can set up as many or as few categories as required, comprising different service areas. As an example, if you’re a FixMyStreet Pro client and you originally set up the service for the reporting highways issues, but you would also like to incorporate public rights of way, you can do so!

Categories can be set to reflect whatever issues you can deal with, while subcategories help report-makers to narrow down the problem they want to report.

Reports within different categories and subcategories can be triaged either to different email addresses or sent directly into CRM systems through API integration.

Asset layers

API integration can also be established between FixMyStreet Pro and asset management systems. This enables authorities to display asset layers on the reporting map to visually show to report-makers which public rights of way are their responsibility.

For users making reports when they are not currently at the location of the problem, asset layers can be particularly useful in improving the accuracy of the map pin’s positioning.

If available from the integrated system, individual assets, such as bridges, can be displayed on the map to help report-makers accurately select where the problem is.

Where a user attempts to report a problem that is the responsibility of another authority (e.g. National Highways or a neighbouring council), asset layers can be used to automatically divert reports. This is really useful in urban areas where public rights of way commonly overlap with roads and cross boundaries managed by other authorities.

If no such layer is available, FixMyStreet Pro can triage the report to the correct authority via the national FixMyStreet site.

Where the problem is on private land, or is managed by another public body, it’s possible to display a message to alert the report-maker of this and to signpost to the correct place if known.

Extra questions

Additional questions can be added to FixMyStreet Pro’s reporting form to enable report-makers to self-serve all necessary information and prompt an appropriate and efficient response from the recipient authority.

Questions can be displayed at different points within the reporting workflow, according to the category and/or subcategory selected.

Offline reporting

Because FixMyStreet Pro is a progressive web app, it permits offline capability to authorities’ individual Pro sites.

This means members of the public can start reports on-the-go without internet connection, and finish them later when back online.

With many public rights of way traversing more rural areas where connectivity is poor, this functionality is essential in helping keep reports accurate and accessible to all.

Preventing duplication

With all reports displayed publicly on the map, FixMyStreet Pro helps users to see which problems have already been reported, and if any updates have been left on the report.

If a user attempts to report a problem in the same location and category of an existing report, FixMyStreet Pro will suggest that report to the user and, if it is the same problem, ask them to subscribe to the existing report instead of reporting again.

This saves time for the report-maker and helps authorities save money by reducing the costs associated with duplication of effort and manual intervention.

The radius within which duplicate reports are suggested to users can be modified per category. This is particularly useful for some public rights of way issues, such as overgrown vegetation, for which you may want to set a wider radius to compensate for the possibility of map pins being placed at multiple different points for the same issue.

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For more information about including public rights of way categories on FixMyStreet Pro, or to discuss any other functionality, get in touch.

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South Kesteven District Council is the latest local authority to adopt SocietyWorks’ FixMyStreet Pro solution as its online street and environment reporting service.

Taking advantage of FixMyStreet Pro’s dedicated offering for district councils, which ensures districts only pay for the elements of the software they need, South Kesteven has invested in a fully branded, hosted and managed installation of FixMyStreet Pro.

“This platform not only streamlines reporting but also gives residents the chance to directly participate in the care and enhancement of their community.”

— Councillor Ashley Baxter, Leader of South Kesteven District Council

South Kesteven’s FixMyStreet Pro handles reports from members of the public about local street and environment issues, such as broken street lighting, fly-tipping and overflowing bins. 

Categories for issues that are the responsibility of Lincolnshire County Council are also available for report-makers to select via the service. Reports within these categories will be automatically diverted to Lincolnshire, which also uses FixMyStreet Pro. 

Should a user attempt to make a report of a problem outside of South Kesteven or Lincolnshire’s boundary, the service will redirect them to the FixMyStreet site. 

As a map-based reporting solution, FixMyStreet Pro displays individual assets such as public bins and street lights to increase the accuracy of reports. 

In instances of crossover, where some assets are managed by South Kesteven and others are managed by Lincolnshire County Council, such as street lights, FixMyStreet Pro ensures that reports always go to the correct authority. 

Assets for South Kesteven are shared with FixMyStreet Pro directly from the Council’s map server.

Members of the public are able to view existing reports on the map and can subscribe to updates on any which are of interest. Updates on the progress of reports are sent via email to the report-maker and to any other subscribers. 

South Kesteven can make use of FixMyStreet Pro’s comprehensive case management tools, including response templates and site-wide messaging to help manage expectations and divert emergencies.

Additionally, FixMyStreet Pro suggests potential duplicates to users at the point of making a report and encourages them to subscribe to the existing report to help reduce unnecessary contact. 

Leader of South Kesteven District Council, Councillor Ashley Baxter, said: “Many of our residents are already familiar with using FixMyStreet to report county council issues such as potholes and flooding.

“They can now use the same platform to report issues to South Kesteven District Council including fly-tipping, graffiti and dead wildlife.

“We are delighted to introduce FixMyStreet technology to residents of South Kesteven. This platform not only streamlines reporting but also gives residents the chance to directly participate in the care and enhancement of their community.

“By making it easier to report concerns, we are ensuring that every voice is heard, and that every contribution helps keep the district safe, clean and well maintained.

“I would personally encourage anyone who spots any issues to explore FixMyStreet and take an active role in shaping their local environment.”

Angela Dixon, Managing Director at SocietyWorks, said: “It is wonderful to welcome South Kesteven District Council into our community of FixMyStreet Pro users, which already includes Lincolnshire County Council. 

“Our vision for FixMyStreet Pro has always been to enable councils to provide a truly united reporting service that meets each authority’s different needs. We are excited to see the impact the technology will have for South Kesteven.” 

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Find out more about FixMyStreet Pro.

A new integration has been completed between Bristol City Council’s installation of FixMyStreet Pro and their Alloy asset management system.

The integration enables reports relating to street cleansing issues made via Bristol’s FixMyStreet Pro service and those made via the national FixMyStreet site to be sent directly into Alloy, along with accurate map location data and supporting information.

With both systems connected via an API, any updates or status changes made by authorised council staff or contractors to street cleansing reports in Alloy can be sent back to report-makers, as well as to anyone subscribed to the report, helping to close the feedback loop and manage expectations. 

Likewise, any updates made to reports by users on FixMyStreet or Bristol’s FixMyStreet Pro are shared back to Alloy. 

Councillor Martin Fodor, Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee at Bristol City Council, said: “We’re delighted that this new integration will enable Bristol City Council to deliver a more comprehensive service for residents via FixMyStreet.

“Securing greater communication between FixMyStreet and council services will allow people to report street scene issues directly into our systems, meaning jobs are sent to the appropriate team quickly with a higher degree of accuracy, and with jobs not for the council making their way to the right organisation.

“These improvements to the council’s FixMyStreet integration and processes should result in residents seeing a difference made to the cleanliness of Bristol’s streets.”

In control of integrations

For non-street cleansing issues, there is an existing integration in place for Bristol, historically set-up and run by the council using an open standard endpoint which provides a two-way flow of such reports into and out of their Confirm highways asset management system. 

The addition of the Alloy integration for street cleansing issues is a great example of how councils can connect with FixMyStreet in different ways to best suit their needs and service areas – either by having us manage an integration for them, setting it up themselves, or, like Bristol, doing a bit of both!

Reports are triaged by FixMyStreet according to their location and category. 

In addition to triaging between Bristol’s own systems, the software also recognises when an issue is not the responsibility of the council and diverts reports accordingly, either by sending them directly to another FixMyStreet Pro-using authority (including National Highways) or by redirecting the user to the national FixMyStreet site.

Angela Dixon, Managing Director at SocietyWorks, said: “Interoperability is a core element of our proposition to the public sector.

“We are really pleased to be supporting Bristol City Council as they take advantage of FixMyStreet Pro’s flexibility and integrate it with another of their systems to make managing street cleansing reports easier and more efficient.”

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Find out more about FixMyStreet Pro.

Our front-end designer Lucas Cumsille Montesinos highlights some of the work he’s been doing recently to make FixMyStreet and all integrated co-branded versions of the service running on FixMyStreet Pro more accessible.

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Over the past year we have been collaborating with users of FixMyStreet and FixMyStreet Pro to enhance the solution’s accessibility, making improvements to the user experience for people using assistive devices. 

One of our clients, Transport for London (TfL), shared an accessibility audit of their installation of FixMyStreet Pro with us. The document listed issues detailing information regarding the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and some improvements that could be applied.

Here are some of the points they shared with us:

• Description of the issue.
• Level success criteria using the WCAG standard: Level A (lowest), AA, and AAA (highest).
• A link to the page and location of the component where the issue can be found, along with instructions for replicating the problem if necessary.
• Status of the issue: Pass, Pass with comments, N/A, Fail.
• They also provided recommendations made by the auditor.

What improvements did we make?

The report from TfL allowed us to work on different areas of improvement, for example:

• Meaningful Sequence: We focused on making the order in which assistive devices present the information match the order in which the page is visually presented.
• Non-text Content: We hid purely decorative elements from screen readers, reducing unnecessary clutter for users when navigating the site.
• Info and Relationships: We improved and updated the role and attributes of some HTML elements so assistive devices can better understand the context and how to use those elements.
• Focus Order: When someone is tabbing through a website (using their keyboard instead of a mouse), everything should flow naturally and make sense. It’s making sure that when you hop from one thing to the next, the order matches how you’d understand the content – no jumping around to random spots that leave you scratching your head.

What did we learn?

• Include the WCAG conformance level (from A to AAA), where level A is the minimum. Ideally, you would like the website you are working on to comply with all Level AA success criteria. Using the conformance level makes it easier for you to prioritise which issues should be tackled first and which ones can be done later.
• Some issues won’t require a lot of time to fix. This can be your second factor when it comes to prioritising which improvements to make first. For example, easy fixes like adding aria-labels or increasing the contrast between the text and the background colour can be done in little time and greatly improves the user experience of your website.
• If you find an accessibility issue, always try to provide as much detail as possible, especially if someone else will be doing the work to fix it. The TfL document made solving the issues much faster and minimised any back-and-forth. Even sharing which browser you were using when experiencing the error can make a difference.
• One of the most interesting experiences was solving issues that didn’t seem like an issue (at the time), but once you deprive yourself of literally looking at the screen and using an assistive device, then the problem starts making sense. For example, the action of a button can make sense when you are looking at the screen and the elements that are surrounding it, but if you can’t see the context, the elements around the button, then the button might not make much sense. Adding further instructions like an aria-label that provide the context that the eyes are missing can help users understand where they are and what they can do much better.
• Finally, it is a great exercise to be more conscious when designing a website. Yes, a certain text, link, or button colour can look great, but can it be read easily? What about colourblind users? You can install plugins in your browser to help you see the page the way they would see it.

Our accessibility improvements were rolled out to the national FixMyStreet site and all co-branded FixMyStreet Pro sites. However it is worth noting that FixMyStreet Pro is designed to accommodate the branding and styling of each authority that uses it, which can mean that some of our accessible default settings are overridden. This is why we always recommend that authorities carry out an accessibility audit on their own services.

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Thanks for sharing, Lucas!

Read more about how we design accessible digital services, or browse more posts from the SocietyWorks team.

Part of our promise to our public sector customers is that we will integrate our solutions with any combination of back office systems. 

This commitment to facilitating interoperability extends to single sign-on (SSO) identity providers, such as Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra ID (formerly known as Azure Active Directory).

SSO integrations into our solutions enable councils and other public sector organisations to make it easier for authorised staff to log in using existing SSO credentials. 

Existing SSO accounts for residents can also be incorporated into the integration, meaning they only ever need to have one set of log-in details to access digital council services.

Integration with SSO also reduces the administration associated with setting up staff user accounts for larger teams. Existing account roles associated with an authority staff member’s SSO identity can be mapped to corresponding roles on, say, FixMyStreet Pro or WasteWorks, to automate the account creation and permission-setting process.

To connect with an SSO identity provider, we use an OpenID Connect-compliant endpoint.

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For customers wanting to discuss setting up an SSO integration into your installation of a SocietyWorks solution, please speak to your account manager. 

If you’re not yet a customer of SocietyWorks but you would like to find out more, you can request a demo with our team.

We recently added a new feature to FixMyStreet Pro enabling authorities in London using the solution to export data on reports made within their boundary of abandoned hire bikes and e-scooters, even though the reports themselves are sent directly to the responsible operators.

This new feature comes at the request of several of our London-based clients, who wanted to know how many reports are being made within this category to help them identify trends, keep track of service levels and monitor usage.

CSV files containing this data are now available to export on a daily basis. Exports can be accessed by staff with the appropriate permissions through the FixMyStreet Pro administration dashboard, or programmatic access can be established via the API for automatic importation into a business intelligence platform. 

Reporting abandoned hire bikes and e-scooters via FixMyStreet

The ‘Abandoned bikes/scooters’ category has been available to users in London on FixMyStreet and FixMyStreet Pro since 2023. 

Reports submitted under this category, whether made on the national FixMyStreet site or via an authority’s own branded FixMyStreet Pro service, are sent directly to the operator responsible for the abandoned bike or e-scooter, including Lime, HumanForest and Voi. 

Abandoned Santander Cycles can also be reported under this category and will be triaged directly to Transport for London.

As part of the reporting workflow, report-makers are asked to select which operator is responsible for the bike or e-scooter they need to report. 

Reports are then sent to the corresponding operator, containing all of the other useful information included as standard in a FixMyStreet report, such as the report-maker’s details, easting and northing, latitude and longitude and the nearest postcode to the pin placed on the map.

Angela Dixon, Managing Director at SocietyWorks, said: “There is no doubt that the provision of hire bike and e-scooter schemes is an effective way for councils to reduce emissions and promote more active lifestyles, but when instances of abandonment occur they create nuisance and obstruct others from using roads safely.

“We hope the ability to easily access data on abandoned bikes and e-scooters reported via the FixMyStreet network enables councils in the capital to have better oversight of such schemes and can inform strategies to make them work well for everyone.”

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While the reporting of abandoned hire bikes and e-scooters is currently only available in London, we would love to be able to open up reporting of such issues to members of the public in other locations where hire schemes are in place. 

We are keen to hear from authorities and operators outside of London who share our appetite to make this happen. If that’s you, please send us a message and let’s see what we can do. 

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Image: Ben Wicks on Unsplash