Jef NickersonProJo’s 7to7 News Blog reports on the city’s new QAlert system. A press release from the Mayor’s Office describes the QAlert system:
PROVIDENCE – Mayor David N. Cicilline today launched a new web-based technology in the Office of Neighborhood Services (ONS) designed to accurately track constituent requests throughout City departments and keep residents informed of the progress of those requests. QAlert tracks everything from calls about trash pick up and potholes to complaints about abandoned property and broken traffic lights.
“This is about using state-of-the-art technology to hold ourselves accountable while keeping residents informed, every step of the way, as we work to improve the delivery of City services,” said Mayor Cicilline. “QAlert also provides us with a clearer understanding of constituents’ needs so that we can make smarter decisions about deploying resources.”
Each time a constituent contacts ONS or another City department for service, the request is immediately entered into the QAlert system, where it is automatically assigned a tracking number and routed to the appropriate department. The system allows residents to be notified via email when an action is taken on the request and constituents receive final notification when the matter has been resolved.
In addition to establishing a centralized Constituent Request Management system (CRM), QAlert also complements ProvStat, a management tool designed to improve the delivery of City services by collecting and analyzing data about City operations. Through QAlert, supervisors are automatically notified when a request lingers for a prolonged period of time with no action taken, providing an increased level of accountability.
So let’s test it shall we? At Waterman and Benefit Street there are loose bricks in the crosswalk. Cars skid out on them trying to pull away when the light turns green and they are serious trip hazard for pedestrians. So I’m going to report this through the Office of Neighborhood Services webpage.
I’m reporting a problem; I’m choosing potholes since crosswalks is not an option; oh wait, I’ll put crosswalk in the Other: space; my comment is: At the intersection of Waterman and Benefit the crosswalk at the southeast corner of the intersection has loose bricks creating a trip hazard for pedestrians and causing cars to spin out when trying to pull through the intersection; and I’m filling out the contact section, giving my email.
OK, I’ve submitted my request, let’s see what happens.
Oh, check this out, you can see the start of the bricks going loose on Google Street View:
Will this system be better than the former system or will they still ignore certain neighborhoods? I’ve reported crosswalk signals and traffic lights when I lived in Elmhurst and they were fixed within a week. I’ve reported crosswalk signals here on Federal Hill and the reports have gone ignored (such as the one at the intersection of Dean and Atwells). I should try reporting with QAlert and see what happens.