Potholes have been dominating conversation across Victoria, and ABC Radio Melbourne's Waleed Aly wanted the numbers behind the headlines. He invited our CEO, Danny Gorog, on air to talk through what Snap Send Solve's data is actually showing on the state's roads, and what's changed over the past year.
Waleed opened by asking Danny straight up whether the app was seeing a lot of "pothole action":
"We are seeing a lot of pothole action, and an absolute rise."
The key stats Danny shared:
- Victoria has recorded more than 40,000 pothole-related reports in the past 12 months, up nearly 57% year-on-year.
- Comparing August this year with August last year, pothole reports were up 120%, growth Danny noted was well beyond Snap Send Solve's overall growth in the same period.
- Pothole reports have grown as a share of all Victorian reports, climbing from around 4% last August to more than 7% this August.
Waleed pressed further, asking whether the data pointed to something specific happening in Victoria compared to the rest of the country. Danny explained that while dumped rubbish remains the most commonly reported issue for Victorians overall, potholes have climbed sharply up the list over the past year:
"The data is clear to me. It is getting worse, and it is something that I think, you know, it's great that the government is getting in front of and addressing."
The conversation also touched on the experience of reporting an issue and waiting to hear back. Danny spoke about the value of authorities keeping Snappers in the loop once a report comes in, noting that people simply want to feel heard:
"One of the things that I'm really proud of is we give the solvers a channel to kind of tell the Snappers what's happening out there."
Check out the full segment below.
