1,130 Transportation-Related Citizen/Biz Requests Handled in 2007: Whew!

Cevero Gonzalez — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:12:52 -0800

As Sam's Public Advocate for transportation, the year 2007 continued to provide me with abundant opportunities to assist citizens with their questions and concerns regarding City services and projects. Specifically, the insightful and passionate inquiries we received challenged me, along with other bureaus throughout the City, to "think outside the box" and in turn to provide action-oriented responses to citizens seeking results.

Generally speaking, over 1,130 requests for assistance were received in our office this year [see table below]. In addition, but not included in the table below, we also received and responded to over 1,000 constituent inquiries relating to the proposed renaming of N. Interstate Avenue, as well as over 300 e-mails, letters and phone calls from citizens concerned about improving cyclist safety on Portland City streets. All tolled, we had a very busy but exciting year - addressing and resolving issues to the best of our ability. A brief listing of the types of concerns we addressed includes - but is not limited to:

• Parking enforcement, including suggestions regarding ways to improve parking access;
• General assistance and referral - to internal bureaus within the City, and other external partners throughout the city and county such as local non-profits and housing agencies;
• Motorist and pedestrian safety improvements;
• Paving and other street maintenance concerns;
• Street signage and street lighting issues;A break-down of the 1340 or so annual constituent contacts and requests, by month

* Requests for assistance through December 16, 2007.

Of course, every request for assistance or direction is unique. That being said, however, an in an effort to better highlight the types of concerns and issues addressed this year, following are a few brief examples of inquiries for assistance received in 2007.

OVERVIEW

Abandoned Autos: Priscilla in Northwest called the Public Advocate to request assistance with an abandoned auto that she indicated had remained parked on her residential street despite several attempts to contact the City's Abandoned Autos Program to have the vehicle removed. Not only was the vehicle an eyesore, Priscilla offered, but there was a potential that the debris surrounding the vehicle presented a safety and public health risk. Working on Priscilla's behalf, I contacted the Abandoned Autos Program and investigated the matter further. As a result, the vehicle in question was "tagged" for tow within four hours of Priscilla's call, and shortly after removed from her street altogether. Priscilla called back, once the vehicle had been removed, to thank me for working so diligently and speedily to address and resolve her concern.

Crosswalk Request: Tony in Northeast contacted Commissioner Adams to request his help with the installation of a crosswalk near his neighborhood. The challenge, as Tony indicated, was that the Office of Transportation (PDOT) continued to refuse his request for assistance specifically indicating that no safety improvement was warranted - however, Tony and others in his neighborhood believed otherwise. Working with PDOT engineers and managers, the original request for a crosswalk installation was reinvestigated and surprisingly a final determination was made to rethink the original decision. A crosswalk was eventually installed in the neighborhood. In acknowledgement of our efforts, Tony and others in the vicinity contacted our office to offer their thanks for all the work initiated on their behalf.

Garbage Pickup: Ken in Southwest called to ask for assistance in dealing with garbage collection services in his neighborhood, specifically indicating that his attempts to address and resolve the issue on his own had proven unsuccessful. On Ken's behalf, I contacted several departments within and outside of City bureaus and eventually identified the neighborhood's garbage hauler. Then, after consultation with Ken and his building's management staff, I contacted the garbage hauler and informed them that they might not be in compliance with City guidelines regarding refuse pickup times and other policies. Ken called back after two months time and informed me that the call on his behalf had "done the trick," since he had not experienced any further disruptions since my initial call.

Parking Control - Construction: Dan in Northeast called to request assistance with parking and construction issues in his neighborhood. Specifically, Dan indicated that PDOT had blocked off access to the street in front of his business resulting in a significant loss of parking and easy access to sidewalks. Further, Dan indicated that PDOT had not provided advance notice to affected businesses, in turn causing unneeded disruption to business operations. I spoke with PDOT staff about Dan's concerns and indicated that communication regarding any parking or construction disruptions was paramount to ensuring that alternative plans by affected parties could be considered. Additionally, I asked PDOT to reopen sections of the street - and more pointedly to restore parking - in areas not currently needing to be restricted. Dan called back, once the corrections had been made, and thanked me for working so quickly and thoroughly to resolve his complaint.

Parking Control - General: Michael M., a business owner from the Lloyd District, contacted me to request assistance with parking challenges his patrons were experiencing as a result of an abutting property owner removing parking without property City authorization. Working with PDOT staffers we were able to quickly identify the potentially offending parking removal and return it to its original state. Michael M. called me back once the correction had been made and thanked me for working so quickly - and thoroughly - to resolve his complaint.

Parking Control - Handicapped Access: Helen and her husband John, residents of the Hollywood District, called to request assistance with the installation of handicapped parking near their residence - indicating that they contacted me because they had received a denial of their request by PDOT. As senior citizens with disabilities, they offered, it was difficult to find available parking near their residence. I contacted PDOT staffers on Helen and John's behalf and challenged them to rethink their original assessment. Thankfully, and after much negotiation, PDOT reconsidered their initial decision and agreed to install handicapped parking near Helen and John's residence. Once the installation was completed, Helen sent a thank you letter - with pictures attached - acknowledging our offices efforts on her behalf.

Parking Enforcement: Robert called to voice his concerns about inappropriate treatment he believed he experienced at the hands of a Parking Enforcement Officer. Specifically, Robert indicated that while he did not dispute the validity of the parking citation he had received he did not believe that the citing officer needed to act in a matter unbecoming of a City employee. I investigated the matter further by contacting the Manager of the Parking Enforcement Office and we spoke at length about Robert's concerns, identifying strategies that might be used in the future to improve customer service for all. Once my investigation was completed I contacted Robert again and updated him on the status and result of my inquiry. Robert acknowledged his appreciation of my efforts on his behalf, again acknowledging that he did not dispute the issuance of the parking citation.

Paving: Paul from Southwest called to request that certain street and paving improvements be made on W. Burnside, leading from Tichner to the Multnomah County line. Further, Paul offered that previous attempts to get this matter addressed by City staff had proven fruitless. As a result, I called and e-mailed several staff within the City to find out the status of Paul's request. Surprisingly, I discovered that the street improvement Paul had identified was scheduled to be implemented later in the year. That being said, no one within the City had responded to Paul about his request. I informed Paul of the impending improvement and too, offered my apologies for the lack of response he had received from various City bureaus he had contacted, including PDOT. Paul thanked me for providing the requested information and indicated that it was nice to simply receive a response to his inquiry.

Permitting - Construction: John in Northwest contacted the Public Advocate to voice a concern he had about impending construction in his neighborhood. Specifically, John indicated he was concerned that a developer in the area would not fulfill his obligation to complete repairs to an unimproved street. Further, John indicated that attempts to secure a response from PDOT regarding this matter fell on deaf ears. On John's behalf I met with PDOT staffers to determine the status of the request. We determined, after reviewing contracts and permits, that the developer would be required to make the agreed upon improvements and to guarantee that such improvements were made the City had required that the developer sign a performance bond. John was grateful for my efforts on his behalf and the matter was closed with no further action.

Permitting- Sidewalk Vendors: Jeff in Southwest called to share a concern he was having with the City regarding his street vendor cart and the location of said cart on the City street as a result of downtown construction. Of note, Jeff indicated that attempts to secure a response from the City had not been successful. First, I met with PDOT staff to identify the lack of response Jeff was receiving regarding his original request. Second, I worked with staff to secure a proper location for the vending cart. The matter was resolved within four hours of receiving the complaint. Jeff contacted me to offer his thanks and praise for working so quickly on his behalf.

Pothole Repair - Commercial: Roy in Southeast called Sam to complain about the lack of response he had received from PDOT regarding his original request for a pothole improvement near his business. After investigating the matter further, I was able to send out a PDOT crew to make the requested improvement; all within 48 hours of Roy's direct request to Sam's office. Roy called back once the pothole had been repaired and thanked me for such a prompt reply.

Pothole Repair - Residential: John in Southwest called to request the repair of three potholes in his neighborhood. Too, John indicated that he had received no response from PDOT regarding his original request. That being said, John's request was investigated by me immediately and crews were sent out to the identified area within 24 hours. Days later I received a return call from John thanking me for working so quickly to resolve his citizen's complaint.

Referral - ODOT: Tina from Southeast called to request assistance with a few traffic calming concerns for her neighborhood, specifically at a street that intersected with Powell Blvd - a state owned highway. I contacted ODOT on Tina's behalf and shared her concerns with ODOT staff. ODOT in turn contacted Tina and to this day they continue to work with Tina on possible and future solutions to the traffic calming issue she brought to our collective attention. Tina e-mailed recently to thank me for working so diligently on her behalf to address her concerns, and further for helping to steer her in the right direction.

Revenue Bureau: Greg from downtown Portland called to request assistance from the Public Advocate with a situation he continued to experience with the Revenue Bureau. Specifically, Greg indicated that he continued to receive billing statements from the City for a business that he had no association with. I contacted the Revenue Bureau directly to discuss the matter further and after considerable review it was determined that the billing statements were being sent in error. As a result, the Revenue Bureau indicated that they would make the correction immediately and cease sending inaccurate billing statements to Greg. For his part, Greg called to thank me for working so quickly to address and resolve his issue - which he indicated had been going on for several months.

Sidewalk Access: Nick in SE contacted Commissioner Adams to request assistance with a business in the neighborhood that was blocking proper access to the public right of way. Additionally, Nick indicated that he had, in the past, contacted City staff on several occasions in hopes of addressing his concern but had been told "nothing could be done." On Nick's behalf, I worked quickly to find a reasonable solution to his complaint. City crews were called upon to notify the offending business of the need to ensure proper access to sidewalks and within days the business was in compliance. Nick called later to offer his appreciation for the quick results.

Street Cleaning: Emily in Southwest contacted me to voice her concern about street sweeping procedures in place within the City whereby businesses are often left with little, if any, parking access as a result of the sweeps. Working with PDOT crews I was able to get the street sweeping crew to better manage their efforts so that minimal parking was impacted. Emily called me back after the sweeping had occurred to thank me for making her issue a top priority.

Street Signs - Directional: John in Southeast called to request improved street signage on a couple of streets in the Hollywood District. His intention in making this request was to help motorists navigate and manage parking while shopping in the area. John also indicated that his original request to PDOT had been denied. I consulted with PDOT about John's request and after some additional conversations regarding the need to make any improvements PDOT reevaluated their original decision and improved street signage per John's request.

Street Signs - Safety: Jerry in Southwest contacted Sam to request assistance with a safety problem he believed existed on his residential street. Further, Jerry indicated that attempts to resolve this safety issue through PDOT channels had proven unsuccessful - specifically because PDOT did not consider the requested improvements were warranted. After considerable debate with PDOT staff and a plea to have them "think outside the box," Jerry's suggested improvements were finally made. Jerry contacted me once the improvements were implemented to thank me for continuing to work so diligently on his behalf.

Street Striping: Tom in Old Town e-mailed Commissioner Adams to request his help with much needed upgrading to street striping in the area. Specifically, Tom indicated that he and other businesses in the area were concerned that the striping in front of the Portland Police Precinct station needed to be improved and better identified so that motorists would be able to accurately determine available parking and not risk being towed. At my request, this matter was investigated immediately by PDOT staff and striping completed. I e-mailed Tom later to verify that he was satisfied with the work performed by the City. Tom indicated that "yes," the City had acted quickly. He also expressed his thanks to Sam for taking this concern so seriously.

Traffic Calming: Mary K. from Southeast called to request assistance with an issue she confronts on a daily basis as a commuter. Specifically, Mary indicated that when exiting from the Morrison Bridge and onto 3rd Avenue the streets are not clearly marked and because of this motorists experience confusion regarding appropriate travel lanes. According to Mary K., her efforts to address this issue in the past have proven unsuccessful. Working with PDOT staff the area was investigated immediately and PDOT eventually determined that lane improvements should be clarified. Mary K. called me after the improvements had been implemented to offer her thanks to me and Sam for working so quickly to resolve her traffic safety concern.

Traffic Signaling: Jill in Southwest called to complain about traffic lights not synching properly during her morning commute in Southwest. Working with the Street Systems group within PDOT we were able to address the synching concern immediately. I contacted Jill to let her know the final outcome of her request and she in turn contacted me to let me know that her morning commute had improved significantly.

SUMMARY

The role of Public Advocate continues to provide me with many rewards and opportunities for assisting and connecting with the public. Mind you, while not every issue can be resolved to the satisfaction of the citizen, I will continue to make it my goal to work on behalf of the public. I look forward to the challenges and blessings of 2008.

Cevero Gonzalez, Public Advocate for the Office of Commissioner Sam Adams

Cevero Gonzalez's blog

1,130 Transportation-Related Citizen/Biz Requests Handled in 2007: Whew!