A day to report hazards and make a difference

Cities across the US use a 311 “non-emergency” system that allows residents to report everything from potholes to illegal dumpsites. 

Locally, BikePGH has been encouraging the use of this service since it launched to help crowdsource safety improvements for biking and walking. This mostly results in obvious reports, such as potholes or broken bike lane bollards, but also includes reporting such things as dangerous driving, bike parking needs, illegal parking, and close calls. 

These reports not only help ensure people walking and biking stay safe, they also help cities prioritize their limited resources.

Spread the word about 311

Pittsburgh safe streets advocate, Armin Samii, decided that we could use a National 311 Day, and has put in place the steps to realize this vision. Armin, also the CEO of the Dashcam for your Bike app, hopes the event will encourage neighbors to show how easy it is to report hazards and things they’d like to improve. Anyone can report a 311 using the City’s MyBurgh app, 311 webform, the Dashcam for Your Bike app, @311pgh Twitter account, or by calling 311 on the phone. 

Participate in National 311 Day

National 311 Day is a movement to teach residents how to communicate with their city and show you how to make 311 reports for the hazards you encounter. The idea is that in cities across the country, there will be local events such as community walks or bike rides, where people can get together and report hazards. 

To make National 311 Day work, we need residents to host an event! An event doesn’t even have to include other people, and can even be a solo person on their own fitness run for instance. Feel free to be creative!

Information about hosting an event, joining an event and other FAQs can be found at 311day.org.

Ideas on how you can use 311 to improve biking and walking in Pittsburgh

• Potholes
• Stretch of road in need of repaving
• Dangerous intersections
• Cars parked in bike lanes
• Cars parked on sidewalks
• Location in need of a bike rack
• You experienced a “close call” with a motor vehicle
• Traffic Calming
• Request “No turn on red”
• Broken or missing sidewalks
• City steps in need of repair