On February 20 some of you may have seen a report about a pothole in Queens that the residents filled in themselves because the Dept. of Transportation (DOT) wouldn't. (Some reports are available online; my recommendations are the WCBS-TV report and the Times-Ledger papers). In response, the DOT claims that they take, on average, less than three days to fill in a pothole once it's reported.

They also have a bridge for sale.

So I am creating a grass roots "Pothole Patrol," and inviting everyone to take part. It's simple, really. When you see a pothole, jot down where it is (in front of what address), and about how big it is. Then call 311 to report it. At the end of your report, they'll give you a complaint number -- write it down. Finally, e-mail me at dan --at-- danjacoby.com and let me know all the details, including the complaint number.

What's next? More after the fold.

There's a pothole on my block.

Okay, that's not news. There are potholes all over the city, and the Department of Transportation (DOT) isn't doing much to fix them. What makes this one special is that tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb. 20) at 1:00 pm we're going to have a press conference about this particular pothole.

Some local residents, who were sick of being awakened in the middle of the night when a truck would hit the pothole and make a racket, and who complained over and over with no result, decided to take matters into their own hands. They bought some cement and filled in the pothole by themselves. The job wasn't exactly professional, but everyone was able to sleep at night. Meanwhile, potholes all over the city are causing noise and damaging cars and trucks, costing a LOT of money.

Council Member Darlene Mealy has a bill (Intro 614) that would require the DOT to fill every pothole within three days of being informed that it exists. Currently, over 1/3 of potholes aren't fixed in a month. Anyone interested in attending the press conference should e-mail me; I'd love to have a big crowd.