The Sutton Guardian has a happy report that people from Benhill Estate in central Sutton have been cleaning up their neighbourhood. They’ve painted out the graffiti, picked up the litter, coralled the wayward shopping trolleys and had the abandoned and untaxed cars cuffed and stuffed. So a big thumbs up goes to the hardworking Benhill folk, to the police’s Sutton Central Safer Neighbourhood Team and to B&Q for providing tools and materials. (In the future, we’ll all be sponsored for fifteen minutes.)
Archive for April, 2006
I’ve long considered that Transport for London‘s street fault reporting system is a wonderful example of how to discourage public participation through bad design.
By filling out a form on TfL’s website or phoning their call centre, you can let them know about a street problem that needs to be fixed. The hope and expectation is that they’ll do so with appropriate haste and keep you informed as they do so.
One of its fundamental flaws is that if the reporter wants to track the progress of the fault, they must keep returning to the website and enter the lengthy fault code to see its status. If someone has gone to the trouble of reporting a fault, it’s likely that they care about it getting fixed. Providing a simple mechanism for keeping the reporter notified without making them do any extra work is the least the system should do as a “reward” for the reporter’s efforts. As Lynne Truss would say, “Why am I the One Doing This?”
I can think of four ways to notify the reporter when a fault’s status changes; two that are obvious, two less so.
Continue reading ‘RSS feeds for street fault reporting websites’
Congratulations go to the “Monday Marchers” who are celebrating one year of walking towards better health, led by Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust.
Regular exercise is important for everyone to maintain good health and especially important for people with diabetes so that they can avoid serious complications to their condition.
If you’d like to join the Monday walk in Morden Hall Park, contact Sarah Wheatley by email at sarah.wheatley@smpct.nhs.uk or phone 020 8251 0511. Everyone from Sutton and Merton is welcome, including people without diabetes.
Living Streets promotes everyday walking as part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone by campaigning for cleaner, safer streets and more shops and local facilities in walking distance of home.
