Writing apps for phones is not actually easy—and it is a lot harder with a billionaire breathing down your neck. That's what some city tech developers learned, at least, after Mayor Bloomberg reportedly tried to use the city's NYC 311 iOS app last February—and was so put off by the experience that, according to the Daily News's Juan Gonzalez, he lost it on his staff. more ›

Neighbors sick and tired of the protestors down at Occupy Wall Street now have a number to call that isn't 311. At the urging of City Councilwoman Margaret Chin, whose district includes Zuccotti Park, the month-old protest has created a dedicated, 24-hour hotline where residents can voice their concerns. There is also an e-mail address and a number for small businesses. How long until these numbers get abused? more ›

When somebody emails saying they have a great video of a car alarm going off, there's a tendency not to believe this person. How entertaining could something so maddening possibly be? Well, this one's actually pretty good. An area man who insists on being referred to by his stage name davidjr.com tells us this "SUPER loud" car alarm in his neighborhood was blaring all night long. He and his neighbors tried to cope with it in various ways, and here is their story: more ›

Ever wondered who's on the other end of the line when you call 311 to complain about the Nickelback being too loud across the street? Content farm ManifestoNYC recently spoke with Tamesha, a New York City native who works the phones at 311 headquarters. Beyond the usual concerns about municipal services, she fields questions like, "Should I kick my husband out?" and "What do I do with expired milk?" more ›

In the past 12 months, the Department of Transportation filled a record high 400K potholes. But Upper West Side Councilwoman Gale Brewer didn't exactly feel the love: a study commissioned by her office revealed that while 77 percent of the potholes reported to 311 were filled, the calls only represented 50 percent of the total number of potholes in her district, which runs from West 54th to 96th street. A few potholes were even repaired and then deteriorated to their original condition. "It needs to be more carefully monitored, because obviously that's a waste of money," Brewer tells DNAinfo. Better get back to work, Warmy! more ›

Russian billionaires and bleak buildings aren't the only things the Atlantic Yards project is bringing to Brooklyn: the construction is reportedly stirring up a large rat colony, some of which are "the size of cats." At a recent meeting to address the issue, two Downtown Brooklyn residents said that the rats got into their cars' engine blocks, "leaving behind chicken bones and aluminum foil, all the while chewing on the wires." One neighbor tells City Room, "We don't have a normal rat problem, we have a rat tsunami." more ›

Of all of the initiatives Mayor Bloomberg has rolled out in his two-plus terms in office, 311 is arguably the most successful. We use it all the time and from the stats and service map it looks like so do other people. But sometimes you don't want to, y'know, talk to a 311 operator (they can be rude!). Luckily, you don't have to anymore. To quote the 311 Twitter feed: "Got a Q about govt services? Y W8? Now U can #text311NYC @ 311-692. Available 24/7. Pretty GR8, huh?" more ›

The city has beefed up security in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, and Governor Cuomo has repeatedly told New Yorkers that the "if you see something, say something" plan applies now more than ever. And New Yorkers are listening! ABC reports that in the past three days there has been a spike in suspicious package reports, with over 60 on Monday alone. However, all of those were false alarms. more ›

Yesterday, DEP workers became heroes for Queena Feng after they retrieved her iPhone from a sewer. Feng said the phone slipped out of her pocket and down the drain after leaving her boyfriend's car, but after calling 311 and leaving her number, the DEP scheduled a retrieval date and got her phone back. Because according to the Daily News, the DEP "has a squad of city workers on call, ready to fish dropped valuables out of Gotham's catch basins for free." But what about our tax dollars, etc! more ›

According to city data, Washington Heights residents have called 311 the most since the program started in 2005, complaining of things like heating, noise and construction. (And we're guessing dog poop.) Some complaints seem normal; mother Reina Martin has called 15 times to complain about lack of heat and water in her building. However, other complaints have the city's younsters coming off as incredibly unhip. Older residents say all the newcomers do is complain about people blasting salsa music and loud trucks rolling down the streets. Well yeah, they need to do their yoga in peace! more ›

Fire hydrants are an important part of the urban environment. After all, without them how are fire fighters supposed to fight fires? So you'd think keeping New York's 109,217 fire hydrants in good working order would be a top priority for the DEP (which is in charge of them). And yet a new audit from the comptroller's office would prove you wrong. more ›

Have you been having trouble getting a taxi from Manhattan to Brooklyn recently? The Post has, and if the Post has a problem, them everyone must be having a problem. They set their crack team of hack scientists to canvass lower Manhattan, and found that nearly half the cabbies refused to take them over the bridge, which is currently undergoing infuriatingly extensive renovations. We're not that surprised, but hell, we have trouble getting cabbies to take us to the right destinations in Brooklyn anytime; once, we hailed a cab in Williamsburg to take us to the south end of Brooklyn Heights, and were dropped off in Prospect Heights. more ›

New York City is filled with unique little scents, like 'em or not, and each turn of the corner can bring a new top note to your olfactory collection. Some say smell is the most nostalgic of all senses, so maybe one day down the road you'll get a whiff of hot fishy garbage and it'll take you back to all those sweltering summer days you spent in Chinatown. But for now, these smells are just a nuisance to some—and according to the Wall Street Journal, 311 gets 1000 odor complaints per year, pertaining to restaurants alone. Each one is then investigated by the Department of Environment Protection, and only a small fraction get violations in the end. more ›

Though he may have been MIA during this weekend's ferry crash, Mayor Bloomberg was ready and willing to serve his city's information line during a milestone call today. The 311 line, created by Bloomberg in 2003, continued growing in popularity this year, receiving over 18.7 million calls. That boosted the line's overall number to 100 million, and Bloomberg decided to celebrate by easing one operator's burden and answering a call. more ›

A 311 administrator was struck and killed outside of her Staten Island home yesterday morning by a man driving with a suspended license. Roxane Murano, 59, was hit by a 2009 BMW driven by Oliger Hysenagoll. The force was apparently enough to knock Murano out of her shoes, and she died of her injuries hours later at Richmond University Medical Center. Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement, "Every one of her co-workers I’ve heard from tonight has said that she was a truly dedicated City employee. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones in this terribly difficult time." more ›

R&B singer Roberta Flack lived out every New Yorker's nightmare when she left her suitcase in the back of a cab. The suitcase contained CDs with over a years worth of her work, including new tracks for a Beatles cover project. According to City Room, she immediately called 311, who apparently weren't very helpful at all! "I called 311 and got really no decent response,” said Flack. “They connected to me to some people who hung up on me. I said, I’m going down to the Taxi and Limousine Commission before they close." more ›

New Yorkers came in 2nd in a nationwide study tracking complaints filed to 311. In 2009, the city's 311 center "received 224 calls for each 100 residents, compared with 446 in San Francisco, 185 in Charlotte, N.C., 152 in Baltimore, 151 in Chicago, 110 in Miami and 101 in Houston." And here we thought SF was so mellow. So what are we complaining about? CityRoom says our top concerns were noise, alternate-side-of-the-street parking regulations, lack of heat or hot water, bus or subway service, and lost property in taxis. And over on the west coast, they're worrying about street cleaning, graffiti removal, public housing services, and abandoned vehicles. Hey Midtown, speak up a little more and maybe we can be #1 next year. more ›

While silence is nearly extinct in the world, we never really had much hope of being surrounded by it in New York City anyway. But would you believe that the most quiet place you're going to find in Manhattan is in Midtown? At least if you go by the amount of residential noise complaints—which can consist of loud music, talking, television noise, and we're guessing strangers having sex. more ›

After increasing the cost of pooper scooper fines from $100 to $250, city inspectors issued far fewer tickets to dog owners who didn't pick up after their pooches last year. The number of pooper scooper violations plummeted from 903 in the fiscal year of 2008 to just 580 in 2009—but experts say the decline in tickets has nothing to do with the higher cost of the violations. more ›

Last night was the second debate for what might be the sleeper race in the city-wide elections this fall, the four-way contest for public advocate. While the first debate wound up being a Mark Green pile on, this one saw mud being slung in every which direction after the recent momentum and attention gained by the biggest fund raiser and endorsement-getter, Bill de Blasio. The candidates showed they were hungry for the second highest elected position in the city, a job Councilman Simcha Fielder recently suggested should be done away with. more ›

A day after a Bronx teenager drowned after getting caught in a Rockaway riptide, the Parks Department is suspending a lifeguard who was photographed wearing his iPod headphones while working at a nearby beach. Mayor Bloomberg was quick to lash out at the unnamed city employee, telling reporters, "He certainly wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing." The mayor also urged anyone on the beaches who spots something similar to call 311. Beachgoers in Rockaway told the Post headphones on the lifeguards who start out making $13.50 an hour are just the tip of the iceberg—one resident said, "Half the time, they're chatting with people. They're listening to music. They're on their cellphones. They're texting with people." The lifeguard in the photo could be fired if he has been on the job for less than a year; it'll at least be a consideration after a hearing if he's been around longer. A Parks Department spokesman said, "This is an unacceptable violation of our regulations, which is not representative of the dedication and diligence displayed by the vast majority of our over 1,300 lifeguards." more ›