It so happens that roads in the capital are repaired mainly only before global events, such as Eurovision or Euro-2012. This is a problem that has been accompanying Kyiv for many years. It's no secret that the condition of road surfaces in courtyards and adjacent areas is sometimes simply terrible. And if the main arteries of Kyiv are still periodically repaired, then courtyard roads are far from a priority. Not surprisingly, this problem pushes citizens to search for solutions on their own.
"Yamobortsy" (pothole fighters) is a new way to solve the eternal problem of roads in the capital. Currently, drivers have united around restoring asphalt pavement in courtyards and adjacent areas, since there are legislative restrictions on access and repair of roads of national importance.
However, there is plenty of work here too: broken sidewalks and continuous potholes in the pavement of courtyard roads are the realities faced by residents of every second house in the capital. Every day, motorists are forced to compete in the ability to drive in a zigzag, overcoming many potholes, test their intuition during rain when the road is covered with puddles, lose precious time and spend a lot of money on repairing their cars. But pedestrians are no luckier: in many courtyards, only a trace remains of the sidewalks, and after rain or snowmelt, adjacent areas turn into continuous lakes. There is no need to mention the convenience of mothers with strollers or grandmothers with canes who daily cross areas with "obstacles." Local self-government bodies have neither money nor resources for repairing such courtyards, so "saving a drowning person is the work of the drowning person himself..."
Joining the "Yamobortsy" initiative is not difficult: all you need to do is register a road problem on the project's website and show your own concern for the task.
The project's work scheme is quite simple:
• The user photographs the pothole, submits a repair request on the website
• Their request is evaluated, posted on the website, and fundraising begins.
• If the necessary amount is collected within a month, repairs are carried out; if not, the money is automatically returned to contributors.
After registering a new request on the company's website, a team assesses the condition of the problem area, draws up a repair plan and estimate. The request is posted on the website under a unique number indicating the repair cost. From this moment, fundraising begins, which will last for a month. Car owners are invited to unite with friends, neighbors, or simply concerned citizens to collect the necessary amount. If the specified amount is successfully collected, the repair team performs all necessary repair work according to the plan and estimate, and the completed request goes into the section of repaired areas.
The uniqueness of the "Yamobortsy" platform also lies in the fact that citizens have the opportunity to locally repair a road section, no matter how small it is. After all, if you order pothole repair directly from a contractor on your own, no repair team will agree to go to a site of, say, 1 square meter. This is inefficient from an economic point of view, and it's not something you can make money on.
More details about the initiative can be found on the project's website www.yama.kiev.ua
