Update: Today I read (at
journalism.co.uk blog) that the paper apparently geotagged the comments and
put them on a Google Map. Now instead of the text survey you can add a new traffic issue directly on the map. When you click on the map a form comes up that has fields for:
Name:
Telephone:
Email:
Problem: You can pick from:
- The longest running roadwork
- Traffic lights which take too long to change
- Road safety schemes which hinder rather than help
- Inappropriate bus lanes or bus lane timings
Details:
I'll offer it'd be good to include a date stamp, but otherwise, this is a nice update! I like to think they listened to me, but perhaps this was the plan all along.
--- original story 12/28/07----------
Hold the Front Page reports that the Manchester (UK) Evening News
wants to gather information from readers on long term road work that's messing up traffic in the city. The collected information will be passed on to authorities to ideally get things cleared up. The
article in the paper asking for participation in the survey includes this quote from a rep from the AA (like our AAA here in the US):
Andrew Howard, of the AA, said of our plan: "Fundamentally, the M.E.N. survey makes for better knowledge.
"There should be more use of technology to make information available - and it's the sort of information drivers love."
Too bad there's no interactive mapping tools in the
survey! It's basically a text-based comment form...
