8/4/2019 Public Advocate's Red Tape Report - Potholes & Sinkholes

1/2Office of Public Advocate Bill de Blasio | 1 Centre St, 15th Flr, New York, NY 10007 | Hotline: 212.669.7250 | www.advocate.nyc.g

Potholes and sinkholes are common hazards that pose a safety threat to motorists,yclists and pedestrians alike. More than 80,000 New Yorkers called 311 this year toequest repairs for a damaged street in their neighborhoodand filling those requestshould be among the most routine of local governments responsibilities. But complaintseceived by the Public Advocates office show that the process of making street repairss plagued by bureaucracy and a lack of communication between City agencies.Combined with a sharp increase in overall pothole complaints, the Citys flawed processesults in frustrating hurdles for residents and unnecessary delays before repairs are

made. With one policy change, the City can cut waste, save taxpayer dollars and

ccelerate repairs for safer streets and a better government.

More Potholes, More Delays

With a 56% increase in calls over the past five years, 311 experienced aramatic uptick in the number of service requests for damaged streetsetween 2006 and 2010. With 82,572 calls logged this year already, the

otal number of requests is expected to reach its highest level in 2011.

Compounding this problem, Public Advocate Bill de Blasios ConstituentServices hotline has experienced a recent surge in calls from NewYorkers complaining that potholes previously reported to 311 had not

een repaired. At issue was a difference between the technical termssed by 311 to classify street damage. Some callers waited weeks andven months for the repairs before seeking the Public Advocates help

o cut through the red tape.

The bottom line: demand for street repairs has reached an all-timeigh, and government is failing to meet it.

An Inefficient Process

Public Advocate de Blasio conducted a survey of New Yorkers whoalled his Constituent Services hotline to report unfilled potholes. These

rustrated New Yorkers were all snared by the same inefficient systemwhen requesting repairs for street damage:

. Individuals call 311 to report damage, and tell the dispatcher the problem is a pothole.

. 311 creates a complaint report, which generates a 311 reference number, and the problem is then referred to the Department ofTransportation (DOT).

. The DOT dispatches an inspector to verify and evaluate the problem.

. If the problem is identified as a pothole, the inspector reports back to DOT and a repair crew is assigned to fix it. If the inspedeems the damage a sinkhole, he or she alerts 311 that the problem does not fall underDOTs jurisdiction and closes the case

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

66,880

79,067

89,704

104,136 104,610

Number of 311 Service Requests: Road Conditions

8/4/2019 Public Advocate's Red Tape Report - Potholes & Sinkholes

2/2

Office of Public Advocate Bill de Blasio | 1 Centre St, 15th Flr, New York, NY 10007 | Hotline: 212.669.7250 | www.advocate.nyc.g

Current Process for Fixing Street Defects A Streamlined,

More Efficient Model

. The constituent calls 311 to check on the status of the repair. 311 tells the caller thatthe case has been closed because the damage was a sinkhole, not a pothole.311 explains to the caller that the problem falls under the purview of a different CityagencyDOT fixes potholes, while the Department of Environmental Protection(DEP) fixes sinkholesso a separate call is necessary.

. If re-reported, 311 re-routes the problem to the appropriate agency, which thendispatches a DEP inspector for evaluation, repeating the process once again.

As a result of this convoluted and inefficient process: New Yorkers are forced to waste time making multiple calls to report the same

problem;

The DOT and DEP waste money sending multiple inspectors to evaluate the sameproblem; and

Holes in streets remain open longer, magnifying the inherent safety risk of potholesand sinkholes.

Recommendations: Streamline & Save Taxpayer Dollars

New York City can do better. In todays challenging economic climate, government is often forced to make difficult decisions an

ssential City services. But by identifying wasteful practices like the one above, the City can prevent those cuts and more effectimanage the extraordinarily high demand for street damage repairs. New Yorkers simply cannot afford the waste and inefficienceduntant procedures.

Fortunately, the process can be improved with a simple policy change that establishes better lines of communication betweengencies. To that end, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio recommends: when an agency inspector (DOT or DEP) diagnoses street dam

hat lies outside its jurisdiction, he or she should automatically transfer the constituents case and complaint reference number toppropriate agency for resolution. This simple solution (outlined below) will simplify the process for constituents reporting street damave the City money by cutting redundant inspections, improve the speed of repairs and reduce the safety risk of unfilled potholes.

Potholes v. Sinkholes:

What's the Difference?

While most New Yorkers use the wopothole to describe any hole in the streeCity agencies use up to ten differeclassifications for these street defects. Beloare the two most common:

Potholes have definable bottomsurfaces, such as dirt or gravel.

Sinkholes (or cave-ins) generally looklike depressions, with a jagged hole ana deep void underneath.

(Source: NYC Department of Transportatio