Mayor Responds to Reports of Streetlight Outages

Mayor Muriel Bowser swiftly reacted to reports of streetlight outages last month. “We are eager to make our streets safer by making them brighter, so the focus this week is on identifying and reporting outages,” Bowser said in a statement. “To help us identify them faster, I am asking the community to report broken lights to DC311.

“With the launch of Text to DC311, residents now have five ways to report city service issues and make requests to DC311. Residents can text DC311 (3-2-3-1-1), visit 311.dc.gov, use the DC311 mobile app (available from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store), send a tweet to @311dcgov or call a live agent at the 311 call center. Our goal is to make reporting issues as convenient as possible for D.C. residents.

“In the past, I know there have been some questions and concerns about what happens after an issue is reported to DC311. We have heard these concerns, and we are working to address them. At the end of October, we will do a full launch of an updated DC311 website with streamlined request types and more accurate and clearer communication about repair time and status,” she said.

The issue was first brought to light (pun intended) Sept. 16, when Terry Lynch, executive director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations, and Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Bill Starrels walked around town to count how many streetlights were dim or not working at all and called the lack of light a safety issue. Lynch has surveyed other D.C. neighborhoods as well.