A site called BostonAmigos.com (“Interesting news by cool dudes”) posted a story yesterday with the headline “Newton’s 311 System Is In Shambles” by Cyrus Vanatrov. It’s one man’s tale of using the 311 system to get a pedestrian crossing sign sign at the four way intersection of Lowell Ave., Highland St., and Hull St.
The gist of the story is that initially the 311 system worked miraculously – a 311 request was submitted and a sign went up within days. The problems came later. Twice in the intervening years the sign was removed during construction projects and didn’t go back up. These times, the 311 requests didn’t work as well and the situation only got resolved with calls to City Hall.
It definitely points up some bad handling of this specific 311 response. To leap from there to “311 System is in Shambles”” is quite a leap though. My best guess is that there’s probably some back-and-forth disagreement behind the scenes over whether this particular pedestrian sign was a good idea or not, rather than assuming its a breakdown of the entire 311 system based on a single incident.
In any case, it does sound like, at best, this 311 request was mishandled. Even if someone in the city thought the sign shouldn’t be replaced, the communication back to the requester was clearly botched.
My personal experience with the 311 system is that its usually very effective and continues to be. What about you? How’s the 311 system been working lately?
As I commented on the other blog, I think the 311 system is a mixed bag. Often great for the straight-forward stuff, but it’s oversold as a solution for all problems. When the task isn’t perfectly managed or there’s some non-trivial policy decision involved, it’s an exercise in futility since there’s no transparency or feedback mechanism. In my experience, there’s never any notes or feedback available to citizens. All that sort of information is kept internal.
Since there were pedestrian crossing signs at this intersection, then the city has already classified the intersection as dangerous enough to have a sign. If there are limited amount of signs in the city and the administration keeps flip flopping them from one intersection to another, then he should take a couple hundred dollars from the rainy day fund which is roughly 10-15 Million dollars and spend a couple of dollars on the public’s safety. Maybe Cyrus should go to his Alderperson, maybe you can have better luck that way. I believe the intersection is in ward 2 so that would be Marcia Johnson, Susan Albright or Emily Norton.
I agree with Adam. I’ve used it a handful of times. Half the time the issue is addressed. The other half it is ignored. Either way, there is never any communication back from the city.
I am disappointed to hear about this incident. It sounds like the issue is not just that the 311 system fell short, but rather that the 311 system was required at all — the city should know to replace signs after doing road work. I have received numerous complaints about this particular stretch of Lowell, all the way north to the bridge, and can report that our traffic engineers are making plans to improve the safety of each of the intersections when the road is repaved next summer.
Emily, as you know, the city takes those signs down just prior to the winter. I’m guessing that’s just one of the many concerns/misunderstandings rolled up here that the 311 system failed to communicate. Roadway improvements, through aldermen and traffic council, are the way to go.
There is nothing wrong with the 311 system itself, the only problem is the lack of city personnel to handle all of the requests that come in to the Public Works Dept on a daily basis. I was suprised to hear that there are only two engineers working for the department that handles all the requests for signs and signals. Imagine all the signs in Newton, and all the requests that come in for knockdowns, and new sign requests (stop signs, crosswalks, no parking), and everything else that needs to be verified, and all the hours it would take to respond to each one. Then add in all the major projects and plan reviews that need to be completed around the city too. Seems overwhelming.
Wouldnt it be reasonable to expect that these signs come down in the winter due to snow removal and that when the request comes in in January for a missing pedestrian sign that it is seen as “No Problem Found” because those signs are not put up in the winter? I would think so.
@Adam, if they take them down during the winter, do they do anything else to increase pedestrian safety in the troubled areas, or do they just assume that the problem will spontaneously go away? Something doesn’t add up..
Fantasia, those little paddles aren’t a year-round solution. They don’t necessarily solve the problem while they’re in place either. Signs are just one tool, and they sometimes provide a false sense of security. Ultimately, it’s all about roadway design.