311 - Bklyner

Bensonhurst Residents Say Streets are Still Scummy, Despite Funding

BENSONHURST —Trash sticks to Southern Brooklyn’s streets like gum on a shoe. Every year, residents call 311 about dirty streets, averaging a steady 57.5 complaints a month over the past three years in Bensonhurst, according to NYC Open Data. While Bensonhurst is not the dirtiest area in the

clinton hill

As Temperature Drops, Heat Complaints Already Rising

Fall weather and turning leaves also means heating season for Brooklyn residents (Donny Levit / BKLYNER)It’s officially cold in Brooklyn! The high temperature is expected to top out at barely 50° today and many residents will be relying on their heaters to stay warm. But what is your landlord’

Bed Stuy

Which Neighborhoods Aren’t Chill About Ice Cream Trucks?

Photo by Mary Bakija/City Kid CornerSummer is supposedly winding down, but the 90-degree and higher heat doesn’t make it feel that way. You know what else gets New Yorkers hot under the collar? The incessant jingle from the ice-cream truck, apparently… While the tune may still elicit a

Central Brooklyn

Letter To The Editor: Parking And Abandoned Cars

To the editor: Thank you for your recent article on abandoned and illegally parked cars on Hinckley Place off Coney Island Avenue (Whose Parking Lot Is Hinckley Place? [/whos-parking-lot-hinckley-place/] by Liena Zagare – April 21, 2017). It is good to know that I am not the only one that has noticed.

Bensonhurst

71st Street Mystery: Bombed Out Car Rots On Quiet Bensonhurst Block [Updated]

Car exploded on 71st Street.[Update below] A burned out car has been languishing on a quiet residential 71st Street block for over a week, but police say little information is available yet about the car’s owner or the cause for the explosion. We were able to confirm with

311

Neighbors Horrified By Fish Drying On Bensonhurst Roof

Submitted by Cynthia Christo One resourceful Bensonhurst family is using solar power to preserve their fish, and neighbors are not pleased. Cynthia Christo, who lives across the street from the offenders, sent us a photo of the filets, which she spotted hanging out to dry on the roof of a

311

Reports Provides New Homelessness Data In Park Slope Neighborhood

Photo: nicolaitan [https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolaitan/61444999/] / Flickr An interactive map on Gothamist [http://gothamist.com/2015/09/10/homeless_complaint_map.php] shows which New York neighborhoods have seen the greatest spike in vagrancy complaints. The map was created by freelance data journalist Steven Melendez [https://twitter.

311

Where To Find Cooling Centers, Check On Your Neighbors & Other Tips To Beat The Heat

Photo via Bonnie Natko [https://www.flickr.com/photos/bondidwhat/206871891]With temperatures hitting the highest they’ve been this summer, the New York City Office of Emergency Management [http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/home/home.shtml] (OEM) has opened cooling centers throughout the five boroughs — including in

311

What To Do If Snow And Ice Still Covers Your Sidewalks

Photo courtesy of Jenelle Blevins [https://twitter.com/jenelle/status/563055281970872320/photo/1].It’s been a week since the last heavy snowfall and snow and ice still sits, slippery as ever, on many corners and sidewalks. What to do? Reader Jenelle Blevins asked that question, too, pointing out that

311

Greenwood Heights: Brooklyn’s Smelliest Neighborhood?

Living in the city brings its own set of odor challenges – particularly in the summer. Who amongst us hasn’t gotten that lovely whiff of a urine-trash combo while trying to enjoy the outside world these last summer days? And unfortunately, in Greenwood Heights, we do that far more times

311

Are Local Bike Racks Simply Becoming A Dumping Ground?

When we think about an increased number of local bike racks [/?s=bike+racks], we appreciate the idea of more parking for neighbors who choose alternatives to driving or mass transit. Neighbor Patrick, though, has us considering another side of them. “These new bike stations placed all around the city

311

Interactive Map Uses Cute Pictures To Plot 311 Complaints

311 complaints rarely seem very funny when we’re making them (or dealing with the frustration that comes when they’re not efficiently responded to), but there’s something about maps with pictures or sound [/blog/history/new-map-pinpoints-nyc-noise-complaints-from-the-20s-and-30s] that just makes stuff like garbage, rats, and potholes [/blog/transportation/protect-your-tires-report-neighborhood-potholes]

311

City To Remove Thousands Of Dangerous Trees Damaged By Hurricane Sandy

The NYC Parks Department [http://www.nycgovparks.org] is gearing up to remove a huge amount of Brooklyn trees damaged by Hurricane Sandy [/blog/tag/hurricane-sandy], says the Brooklyn Daily [http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2013/35/all_waronzombtrees_2013_08_30_bk.html] . Parks Department spokeswoman Megan Lalor tells

311

The Sinkholes Of Westminster Road

If you’ve travelled down Westminster Road between Cortelyou and Dorchester recently, you may have asked yourself if the whole stretch of street is about to sink. That’s what we’ve been wondering anyway, as there are three growing cave-ins along that one block. Each one is located next

14th Street

Street Depressions Spotted At 8th Ave And 14th Street

In addition to scheduled manhole work [http://a841-dotweb01.nyc.gov/permit/permit/web_permits/returnSortedPermits.asp?sort=permit_number] on 8th Avenue and 14th Street, it looks like the intersection is in need of a little sinkhole repair. We spotted the above crosswalk depressions this morning as we were walking

311

Crosswalk Sign Out at Cortelyou and Westminster

That didn’t take long. One of the crosswalk signals at the new traffic light [/blog/news/traffic-lights-coming-to-westminster-cortelyou-today] on Cortelyou at Westminster, installed just two months ago, is already out. If you see a pedestrian crossing signal that’s not working, call 311 to report it — for whatever reason, they

311

11226 Is the Third Noisiest Zip Code in Brooklyn

Ditmas Park’s 11226 zip code filed 1,352 noise complaints with 311 in 2012, reported Gothamist [http://gothamist.com/2012/12/14/williamsburg_was_nycs_noisiest_neig.php]and BK Magazine [http://www.bkmag.com/BrooklynAbridged/archives/2012/12/20/the-5-noisiest-brooklyn-neighborhoods?showFullText=true] . That makes it the third noisiest

311

When the Sounds of Summer Drive You Nuts

How late is too late to hear the song of the ice cream man? That’s what neighbor Kathy was wondering last night when, just before 11pm, the familiar Mister Softee jingle continued to sound after over an hour near her apartment at Cortelyou and Westminster. “Who is this guy

311

Op-Ed: Where Are Our Elected Officials When We Need Them?

Huh? Right. Just another screwy DOT sign...THE COMMUTE [/tag/the-commute/]: I received an interesting e-mail the other day stating that my service request from 311(C1-1-721913901 Street Sign – Damaged [http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/threeoneone/template.PAGE/menuitem.dfb4f4b32cf05387fd8a9010acd2f9a0/?javax.portlet.tpst=b45c17d69d16468520cb3010e0c789a0&javax.portlet.prp_b45c17d69d16468520cb3010e0c789a0_viewID=

311

Photo: Fallen Tree Left On Power Lines Creates Dangerous Situation

Source: Katie McNishA large tree tumbled from the Brighton line subway abutment into an adjacent empty lot, leaving part of the tree hanging from a power line and putting considerable stress on it. We’re not sure when this happened, but we spotted it today. We last passed this lot

311

Predatory Towing Service Charges Shoppers Illegal Fees

Photo by Ned BerkeA predatory towing company is stalking Sheepshead Bay’s parking lots and charging residents illegal fees – sometimes as much as five times the legally allowed amount. Williamsburg-based Fast Way Towing & Recovery (31 Grand Avenue) manages several local parking lots, including the CVS at 1402 Sheepshead Bay Road,