Just missed crashing from a pothole? Then you're probably like a lot of cyclists in Toronto. But now you can help make a bit of difference by calling 311! The city has launched the 311 service to better help residents access City services. If you're like me you've thought many times that you should report a pothole but forget by the time you get to work. Now you can stop your bike, and report the pothole right away! The City will issue a work ticket and will fix the pothole within four days of it being reported. It only costs the City $25 to fix the pothole which is much cheaper than hospital expenses.
Do you like the poster I made? Please use it and if you're artistic feel free to improve it (source and poster size attached).
From Councillor Joe Mihevc, September 24, 2009:
Dear Residents,
I am pleased to announce that Toronto's new "311" service was launched today. The new service, available by telephone by dialing direct to 311 or on line at Toronto.ca/311 will provide a "one stop" phone number for residents to access City services and report problems. 311 operators are trained to answer thousands of questions and can request service for potholes, broken watermains, and solid waste issues, among others. Residents will be given a service request tracking number and can easily follow-up on the progress of an issue. The service is available in 170 languages and through TTY for the hearing impaired. The 311 call centre is open 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
As always, my staff are here as your advocates at City Hall. Staff in my Community Office (416 392 7460) are knowledgeable in a wide variety of areas and are able to escalate issues and deal with complex problems. They provide a personal touch and are able to listen and provide advice on all manner of questions. Please feel free to contact my Community Office or City Hall Office (416 392 0208) with any questions or concerns that arise.
311 services, which have been successfully implemented in many cities across North America, are designed to make local government more accessible and accountable by making it easier for residents to get information and report issues. As your City Councillor, my staff and I strive to be as accessible as possible and do everything we can to make Ward 21 a clean, green and prosperous place to live. By phone, through my e-newsletter, on www.joemihevc.com or through my facebook and twitter pages, I am here to connect, engage new relationships and build better neighbourhoods in Ward 21.
For more information on 311, visit www.toronto.ca/311
Sincerely,
Councillor Joe Mihevc
Ward 21, St. Paul's West
Comments
chephy (not verified)
Don't patch - PAVE!
Mon, 09/28/2009 - 21:36The way this city fixes potholes, many are better off left unfixed! Really, that black goo they pour into them does not hold its shape at all: it only takes a few weeks and a few heavy trucks passing over it before it's a horrible wavy mess. They city needs to start actually PAVING the roads rather than shoddily patching up potholes. I understand that it's much cheaper to do the crappy job, and it kinda does something, but that's really just not good enough. Try riding your bike on Lawrence east of Victoria Park, Yonge north of Finch or Finch west of Bathurst. It's jarring and dangerous, unless you're in the LEFT tire track, where you have to fight for space with clueless irate motorists.
Seymore Bikes
Patches
Mon, 09/28/2009 - 23:07I've called in road repair before and it gets done. Some roads are beyond patching so I just keep on calling.