Potholes Blamed for Ninety Percent of Traffic Issues in Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Data from the Traffic Conditions, Incidents and Traffic Accidents Monitoring Panel, a municipal service that reports real-time traffic issues in the city, using the Waze base, showed that potholes in city streets are the cause for ninety percent of traffic accidents.

Drivers pass on data from the App, which tracks the traffic conditions throughout the city. The overwhelming majority of alerts (over ninety percent in some cases) refer to potholes in the road. Notifications point to the issue’s location on the map.

Following potholes, the main issues affecting traffic, according to the Monitoring Panel, are cars stopped on the road, road works, and objects on the road.

The system also shows blocked streets and traffic accident occurrences, in addition to alerting to general traffic conditions.

The Municipal Conservation Secretariat (SECONSERVA) reported that it does not use this system. Regarding potholes, the portfolio says that the roads are continuously inspected and maintenance work is done daily by the 24 conservation managers that cover all of the city’s areas.

Regarding the partnership between the municipality and Waze, the municipal administration stated that the tool “enables the body to receive app users’ information spread throughout the city.” The note also says that “these reports, coming directly from the citizen, enable the activation of public resources for direct action to solve issues.”