Like Most New Yorkers, Avella Ignored by 311

Queens, NY – On September 20^th, State Senator Tony Avella noticed a branch had fallen from a tree in his District. Over two weeks later, the fallen branch is still in the same place on 38^th Avenue.

When Senator Avella noticed the branch in the road he did as all New Yorkers are told to do, he called 311. The Queens Senator went through the 311 process of reporting the issue and received a confirmation number that he could use to track the status of his report. However, 16 days later the tree branch has yet to be addressed and his confirmation number does not yield a status when entered into the database.

Senator Avella is not the first person to be disregarded by 311 and he more than likely will not be the last.

“When New Yorkers have an issue on their block they are encouraged by the Mayor to call 311 and report it; but often times contacting 311 leaves constituents with more questions than answers. The fact that a fallen tree branch is allowed to sit on the street for over two weeks since being reported highlights the inefficiencies of 311. In many cases, like a fallen tree branch, 311’s reporting process doesn’t even have the ability to handle your request. I find it disgraceful that communities are forced to live with dangerous conditions because of the City’s inefficient and sometimes incapable 311 system,” said Senator Avella.