Zwickau activates defect portal: now report damage online again!

Zwickau activates defect portal: now report damage online again!

In Zwickau everything revolves around the return of the tried and tested defects portal “Where ZWICKt’s?”. The popular “Road and sidewalk damage” section will soon be accessible to citizens again. Mayor Silvia Queck announced that the function would be reactivated at the request of City Councilor Tristan Drechsel (BfZ) after it was deactivated to improve the service. This should make Zwickau residents happy, as many rely on this direct line to the city administration in order to report defects in their residential area. According to [freipresse.de](https://www.freipresse.de/zwickau/zwickau/zwickauer-maengelportal-schaeden-auf-strassen-und-gehwegen-koennen-bald-wieder-online-gemeldet- Werden-artikel13886126) this is an important step for rapid solutions in the cityscape.

But what exactly can be reported in the portal? The defects portal enables the reporting of damage to streets and sidewalks as well as garbage deposits and other urban defects. The categories have been deliberately chosen and cover the most common problems that can lead to quick processing. Concerns that do not fit into the specified categories can also be addressed to the city administration by email or telephone. The messages should be described in detail, including the exact location. Anyone who has photos available can also upload them, which makes editing much easier. The whole thing works via the platform wozwickts.zwickau.de.

The principle of the defect portal

As users of the portal already know, after creating their requests, reporters receive a confirmation on the screen and by email. This email also provides information about the status of the publication or the response to the report. What is interesting is that reports of defects are usually not made public immediately; They go through an examination phase between Monday and Friday. At this point it should be noted that the portal is not intended for expression of opinions or public criticism. However, reports of illegal parking or speeding are forwarded to the responsible authorities. This filtering of reports is very important for the city of Zwickau in order to process inquiries efficiently.

The users have it in their own hands: The most common reports often include problems such as randomly dumped rubbish, road damage and defective lighting. This is also shown by a survey about defect reporting systems in other municipalities. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, many cities use apps to report defects, which leads to more active citizen participation. The reports can be tracked via the app and the feedback from the municipal authorities is tailored to inform citizens about progress at short notice, as kommunal.de shows.

• Straßenschäden/Straßenbeleuchtung: 20,2%
• Verkehr: 25,7%
• Allgemeine Meldungen im Bereich Ordnung: 33,5%
• Grünpflege/Friedhöfe: 14,4%
• Kanalmängel: 3,5%
• Mängel auf Spiel- und Bolzplätzen: 1,5%
• Betroffene Sportanlagen: 1,2%

The ease of use of the portal and the ability to quickly report defects not only improves the efficiency of the city administration, but also strengthens citizens' sense of responsibility. In times when every voice counts, it is important to draw attention to grievances. The defect portal in Zwickau could be the key to a clean and well-maintained city.