Nothing makes us happier at mySociety than finding out that our work is doing some good in the world — and an unexpected email from a happy FixMyStreet user certainly put a big smile on all of our faces.
Michael, who lives and works in London, wrote:
- “FixMyStreet has allowed so many people to report so many issues that directly affect their lives, and get them fixed without delay, being able to hold councils to account by its transparency and nature.
- “Thousands of improvements up and down the country have been made possible by your team’s hard work and genius ideas to get this website up and running and continuing to function.”
Well! Once we’d come down from all that praise, we thought we’d ask Michael more about his experiences, and what has made him such a keen — and effective — FixMyStreet user. He began with a bit of self-reflection.
“What we are doing on FixMyStreet is making a long-term difference to our wellbeing and environment.”
“I’ve always been interested in urban design, streetscapes, architecture, and how our living environment can be improved,” he explained. “It all started when I was a child, building a beachfront city out of Lego. I also used to play a lot of SimCity, so am kind of used to being able to shape the urban environment, albeit in the virtual world!
“Architecture and the built environment is an interest I’ve kept into adulthood. But also, I’ve always been quite politically engaged — writing letters to MPs, trying to get things improved — and FixMyStreet is the perfect platform to combine my interests for hopefully the betterment of our communities and societies.”
These pieces fell into place in 2023, when Michael made his first report on FixMyStreet.
“Friends from other countries are amazed by the technology and the responsiveness of the councils thanks to FixMyStreet.”
“It was a blocked drainage gully: nothing very exciting! But when I realised the potential for change, and how easy it was to report things and get them fixed pretty quickly, I soon moved onto bigger things — with a particular interest in improving accessibility for wheelchair users and vision impaired pedestrians. Broken paving slabs, trip hazards, planters blocking routes, that sort of thing.
“But generally, I just keep my eyes open when I’m out and about, and try to see how I can improve things. I’ve even taught my grandmother how to use it — she’s pretty good at it!”
Michael’s original email contained an impressive list of everything he’s managed to get improved with FixMyStreet, so we asked him whether any of them stood out as particularly satisfying.
“Well, it’s great to get streetlights fixed, but no one really notices that when they are working again!
“On the other hand, I submitted reports of missing street trees, and to my surprise, the council responded by planting brand new ones! A cherry tree, and, following a report I made when visiting family on the Isle of Wight, a palm tree on the seafront.
“I was able to use Google StreetView to show that many years previously there had been trees at this location, which had since died and been removed.
“It’s also really pleasing to be able to report any maintenance issues with trees so the council can come out and tend to them. Trees don’t have computer access — or even hands to type — so it’s really good that we humans can do this for them!”
What’s really nice is that improvements like these will provide a lasting improvement.
“Once a street is fixed, it generally stays that way: new paving slabs can last 50 years or more, so what we are doing on FixMyStreet is making a long-term difference to our wellbeing and environment.”
“If one wheelchair user can have a more pleasant and easier day because of a fix I’ve reported on FixMyStreet, I can feel good about myself.”
And then there’s the feeling of doing good for our fellow humans: “If one wheelchair user can have a more pleasant and easier day because of a fix I’ve reported on FixMyStreet, I can feel good about myself. I quite like being able to point out something when I’m out with friends and say “I got that fixed!”, although I usually just keep it to myself. I will be very pleased to see the trees that I’ve requested grow over time.”
As one of our most enthusiastic users, what does Michael find most appealing about FixMyStreet?
“It’s quick, easy, and addictive! It’s the most satisfying thing to find a problem, report it, and return a few days later to see it’s been fixed: a new paving slab fitted, lines repainted, a new street nameplate installed.
“Once you start, you just can’t stop! It’s easy to report big or small problems: if there’s a dangerous wall, the council will come out to work with the landowner to make it safe, or even the tiny things like a wait button at a pedestrian crossing not working, the council will come out and get that fixed.
“I’ve got friends from other countries, and they are amazed by the technology and the responsiveness of the councils thanks to FixMyStreet. There is a lot of care and attention that we sometimes take for granted in this country, and a lot of people who want to make a difference.
“I feel like I’m working with thousands of like-minded people to get this country fixed up and working the way it ought to. I’m a big believer that we can all be improvers of our built environment — we don’t need to think “Oh, someone else will do something about that”.
“We can all do something, no matter how small, and FixMyStreet is an extremely easy way to manage that. We’ve all got to live on this planet, so we might as well all do something to make it a bit better, however we can.”
We were curious to see some examples of Michael’s successful reports, and he was happy to oblige, showing us a ‘look left’ marking changed to reflect the fact that cycles come from the right; loose paving slabs and broken kerbstones that have since been attended to; and a disintegrating planter now rebuilt.
He also sent us these photos (click to see them at a larger size), showing that cherry tree that he was instrumental in getting planted; and a cabinet box that was moved to make wheelchair access along the pavement possible.
Something that’s woven through mySociety’s values, and the services we provide, is the idea that we all contribute to making the world a better place — and that’s how Michael sees things, too.
“We all spend a lot of our time out and about, walking and driving in cities and the countryside, and it’s hugely important to me — and hopefully many others — that our streets are as clean and well-maintained as they can be.
“If we can all improve our environment, this will help people to feel better in their environments too. It’s easy to feel depressed in a depressing environment, and it’s easier to feel positive in a clean, well-maintained environment. It’s a win-win!”
Thank you so much to Michael for sharing his thoughts about FixMyStreet. We hope they will inspire others to feel the same way about their own neighbourhoods, and get reporting on FixMyStreet.
—
Banner image: Krzysztof Hepner
