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?"
We just tested the service by texting (in proper english) a question regarding how to properly dispose of a dead rat in our friend's backyard. Within minutes we got a response, complete with a link for more info and a warning that we were responsible for the message and data charges, about what to do. So, got a dead rat in your yard? "You may place a dead animal in a heavy-duty black plastic bag or a double plastic bag and put it out on the day of garbage collection with a note taped to the bag stating 'dead dog' or 'dead cat' for example. Animals that may have been rabid should not be put in the trash."
We could get used to this service!
