Road-Hawk Hot-lines
Andrew Warby of Toronto writes:
A few months back you
gave out the number for Toronto Road Info and asked if anyone has
feedback. Well, the folks manning the 416-599-9090 (extension 164) number
are as useless as an ashtray on a motorbike. During the instruction
message, they advertise that you can press pound (#) to bypass the
message. This does not work. It takes you straight back to the start. In
contrast, the people who look after the highways at 416-392-5555 are gods.
I called in about two "speed bumps" southbound on the DVP, and within 24
hours they were signed and now the road surface has been fixed. Kudos to
them.
Keener. As a fellow
road-hawk, I have called in burnt out red-lights, potholes and dangerous
crap lying on the Gardiner. And like you, I lost faith in the automated
Road Info line at 416-599-9090 as a way to do my civic duty and report
problems on Toronto roads. In an ideal world, you want to make it
painfully easy for citizens -- or customers -- to call you with feedback.
A smart government or company covets any free information that can make
its products or services better, instead of shelling out for surveys or
focus groups.
I used to repeatedly
plug the Road Info line in this space, urging readers to leave a recorded
message about potholes that needed filling or other traffic glitches. When
the service was turned over to a different private contractor, the city
stopped returning my calls to report that the chuck-hole was dealt with or
the missing sign was found. Strangely, the company administering the phone
line called me on both occasions to find out how I liked the service. I
told them I was disappointed.
However, consider
giving them another chance. Tom Kalogiannis of the City of Toronto’s
Traffic Management Centre appreciates your extra effort. As for the phone
glitch, he reports, “In this case, the contractor was aware of the problem
and took the steps needed to correct it (in August 2003).” Thankfully, he
can offer more than an apology. The Road Info number has been redesigned,
and you can now get information without using special codes or extensions.
There are details about road work on city streets and expressways, as well
as provincial highways.
Leaving messages for
city transportation staff is now more precise. On the pothole reporting
line, you can leave messages in separate mailboxes for different parts of
the city.
Mr. Kalogiannis
unveils another improvement: “During business hours (Monday to Friday,
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) callers also have the additional option of
speaking to a Customer Service Agent to report the problem in person.” But
what if the problem is more urgent, and you are making an effort to call
in a serious hazard and perhaps save other motorists a lot of grief? This
is where all the governments in the GTA fall apart. There are just too
many numbers to remember.
At Toronto’s emergency
roads dispatch number, 416-392-5555, the gods can get very busy. The city
actually removed the number from the phone book Blue Pages because people
were calling in to report relatively minor issues. On the city’s website,
at www.toronto.ca/transportation, there are a whole mess of numbers to
call, depending on the part of town you are in. Some are staffed 24 hours,
some not. Why put citizens and do-gooders through so many hoops?
My tentative counsel?
Call 416-397-TRAF (8723)
if you spot a potentially dangerous motoring hazard within Toronto city
limits. For a road or signal problem that may inconvenience but not
endanger fellow road users, try 416-338-9999. If it can wait, do your duty
by leaving a message on the Public Comment and Pothole Reporting lines at
416-599-9090. For anywhere in the GTA including Toronto, you can also call
your local works depot -- just go to your Blue Pages. Kudos to you.
“Keener. As a fellow
road-hawk, I have called in burnt out red-lights, potholes and dangerous
crap lying on the Gradiner. And like you, I lost faith in the automated
Road Info line at 416-599-9090 as a way to do my civic duty and report
problems on Toronto roads.”