Streetlight Outages

[Anonymous.]

The App on my phone hasn't worked in a long time. Everything I do anything in the app, it says 'whoops, you have no connection'. This is on iOS and with AT&T. Not sure if it just me or what.

[ypsiexplorer]

It is good, but it'd be even better if you could enter *any* streetlight outage in it instead of having to call/email OG&E, it'd be one-stop-problem-reporting.

But that's not gonna happen, I spoke with Ed Shadid's right-hand-man yesterday and he said that since the city has never repaired streetlights that are out, they don't have that capability in the Action Center to do that at all. It's always been done by OG&E or another power company that covers areas that OG&E doesn't (didn't know there were any except the Edmond one, but he listed a few). He wasn't aware of the streetlight-on-a-signal-pole caveat, though, so I guess those have to be reported to the city, and I'm guessing if you call/email OG&E about those, you'll get a reply that they're not OG&E's responsibility and you'll have to report it to the city. Oh well, it was worth a try...

I'm not asking for the city to fix all street light outages themselves. I'm asking for them to receive all of the various reports and complaints in one centralized location and route them to the responsible parties.

[TheTravellers]

I'm not asking for the city to fix all street light outages themselves. I'm asking for them to receive all of the various reports and complaints in one centralized location and route them to the responsible parties.

I know, that's what I (and others) wanted too, but I was told that they're not set up for notifying OG&E (or the other power companies) since they've never had the responsibility of fixing streetlights, so the capability isn't there in the Action Center to do that. Although it's there for other city departments that they route items to, so I'm not sure why they can't just modify whatever software they're using to shoot an email to OG&E when a streetlight outage is reported via the Action Center.

[Ross MacLochness]

I know, that's what I (and others) wanted too, but I was told that they're not set up for notifying OG&E (or the other power companies) since they've never had the responsibility of fixing streetlights, so the capability isn't there in the Action Center to do that. Although it's there for other city departments that they route items to, so I'm not sure why they can't just modify whatever software they're using to shoot an email to OG&E when a streetlight outage is reported via the Action Center.

Or just write down addresses and call them in themselves...

[shawnw]

Incidentally when I asked DOKC about this they said they do report downtown outages within the BID.

[Urbanized]

The App on my phone hasn't worked in a long time. Everything I do anything in the app, it says 'whoops, you have no connection'. This is on iOS and with AT&T. Not sure if it just me or what.

That’s because they changed apps. I had the same thing happen to me when trying to use it, before I remembered they had released a new app and abandoned the old one (they did put out a lot of communication about this at the time). I had left the old one (an adaptation of See Click Fix) on my phone. After remembering, I deleted the old one and started using OKC Connect (the new one). Works like a champ.

[Martin]

so... have any of these light outages have been fixed yet?

[TheTravellers]

so... have any of these light outages have been fixed yet?

Good question, dunno, but I'd hope so - OG&E apparently has an SLA to get lights fixed within a certain amount of days after a report, so I'd imagine some have been fixed by now. Lackmeyer said in his chat that he'll have a column about it on Tuesday, so it's getting way more visibility (ha).

[David]

It's good to see a little more light shed on this issue.

[Bullbear]

The ones on May from NW 23rd to 16th have not been fixed. and I logged that ticket a good while ago

[TheTravellers]

The ones on May from NW 23rd to 16th have not been fixed. and I logged that ticket a good while ago

Bust 'em on it, assuming you have a work order # to reference. baralheia said it's a 10-day SLA earlier in the thread.

[stile99]

'tis better to light a match than curse the darkness.

[ypsiexplorer]

I just got an email back from Meg Salyer, my city councilwoman. She was very responsive and helpful and assured me that she is embarrassed by the situation and concerned as well. She has met with the City Manager and says that the city and OG&E are working on repairs. They have also agreed coordinate and to cross-report outages so that citizens don't need to know which lights belong to the city or OG&E. She said that public works has assigned an employee to do regularly scheduled checks of downtown lights to make sure they're working properly.

Sounds like progress is being made!

[SouthSide]

So does the rest of the city get employees assigned to regularly scheduled check of lights to make sure they're working properly?

[ypsiexplorer]

So does the rest of the city get employees assigned to regularly scheduled check of lights to make sure they're working properly?

I believe it's just the downtown business district right now, since that's the largest area where the city, not OG&E, is responsible for all of the streetlights. I would recommend contacting your city council person and suggesting that!

[CloudDeckMedia]

I drove a very dark stretch of Broadway this morning before sunrise. It reminded me of the 1980s.

[Patchy Proot]

When the hell are the lights on I-40 Crosstown going to be working? This BS has been going on for at least two years now. Are they still looking for the stolen copper wiring? This is nothing but an embarrassment for the city and a safety hazard for all travelers. Good grief!

[Urbanized]

I-40 is an ODOT responsibility, and they don’t hold themselves accountable to the City, to people who try to engage on social media. Best advice on that one is to call their main number and register your complaint. Best advice is to call their maintenance division during the business week and report the outage (which of course they know about). (405) 521-2557

Besides that, maybe contacting your state representative..?

ODOT has stated publicly that they don’t plan to bring lighting on the Boulevard (back) online until the Boulevard’s completion, which by the time they are done will probably work out to abou a ten year cop-out for the existing stretch. Not sure if they are lumping I-40 in with the Boulevard, but wouldn’t surprise me.

[pw405]

I-40 is an ODOT responsibility, and they don’t hold themselves accountable to the City, to people who try to engage on social media. Best advice on that one is to call their main number and register your complaint. Best advice is to call their maintenance division during the business week and report the outage (which of course they know about). (405) 521-2557

Besides that, maybe contacting your state representative..?

ODOT has stated publicly that they don’t plan to bring lighting on the Boulevard (back) online until the Boulevard’s completion, which by the time they are done will probably work out to abou a ten year cop-out for the existing stretch. Not sure if they are lumping I-40 in with the Boulevard, but wouldn’t surprise me.

Sheesh, we should organize a group of 20+ people to call every week until the lights are fixed!

[Anonymous.]

Since I-235 has been closed for the bridge transporting - I have used Lincoln Blvd. And I would say less than 20% of the lights along Lincoln work. Yes, the ones north and south of the capitol.

[David]

I missed the start of it, but streetlight outages are being discussed in the City Council stream at the moment.

[Pete]

ODOT has stated publicly that they don’t plan to bring lighting on the Boulevard (back) online until the Boulevard’s completion, which by the time they are done will probably work out to abou a ten year cop-out for the existing stretch. Not sure if they are lumping I-40 in with the Boulevard, but wouldn’t surprise me.

You would think the legal liability alone would be huge.

Exiting from I-40 eastbound onto that long, curved looped section is very dangerous in the dark. I know that stretch well and it still surprises me sometimes; just so darn hard to see.

Never mind that people could actually get really hurt.

[CloudDeckMedia]

http://newsok.com/shedding-some-ligh...rticle/5581395
Another piece in the Oklahoman this morning. It helps categorize who is responsible for which lights, including some private property owners. Here's an excerpt:

In general, if the light is part of the new ones installed as part of Project 180, they are the responsibility of the city. But other lights are the responsibility of OG&E.

As of this week, OG&E is reporting they have fixed all the lights they control. The city, meanwhile, is continuing to work on lights they can fix that aren't due to be replaced soon as part of ongoing Project 180 improvements.

By all accounts, City Hall is taking this matter seriously and it has the attention of City Manager Jim Couch. OG&E also has a person dedicated to the response, which will include streamlining reporting for residents and an education campaign on how to report dark streetlights.

The downtown mix, however, includes even more players. Lights along the west segment of the Oklahoma City Boulevard between Interstate 40 and Western Avenue have been out for the past two years.

Unlike the other outages generally due to lack of upkeep, this stretch is due to the ongoing theft of copper wiring by thieves who then are believed to be selling the wiring to area scrap metal recycling operations.

“The biggest complaints we're getting are on the west end of the boulevard,” Public Works director Eric Wenger said Monday. “The lights have been out for two years. When ODOT (Oklahoma Department of Transportation) originally constructed it, the lights were turned on. But it wasn't too long after the copper was stolen again.”

The final segments of the boulevard are set to be built this spring, and the state Transportation Department is set to fix the lights on the boulevard one last time before the street is turned over to the city. This time, Wenger said, additional safeguards are being included to complicate efforts to steal the wiring.

These responses, however, will not fix every streetlight.

In the area surveyed by Lusnia, 130 of the lights were deemed by OG&E to be privately owned. Many of the lights had the bulb removed when the property owners either chose to discontinue service and left bills unpaid.

But who are these property owners. Is there a map of the exact lights? Not really. We have general locations. They include NW 4 between Robinson and Harvey avenues, Main Street between Robinson Avenue and E.K. Gaylord, Sheridan Avenue between Hudson and Robinson Avenues, NW 3 and E.K. Gaylord, NW 7 and Hudson Avenue and lights between N Broadway, E.K. Gaylord, Main and NW 2.

The general consensus from City Hall and OG&E is that only two types of lights will remain out of service once the current response is complete. The first category is easy to spot; it consists of streets torn up as part of Project 180 or the “globe” lights placed as part of the 1970s makeover of downtown streets.

I was given no clear answer as to how to address the dark privately owned lights. It is entirely possible that with so many properties having been bought and sold the past decade that current owners don't realize they own adjoining lights that can easily be re-lit by simply agreeing to pay for the electric and contacting OG&E to have bulbs restored.

Maybe, just maybe, Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership can help get a discussion started among these property owners.

[stile99]

I'm not sure the "technically, YOU own the lights, so it's YOUR problem" defense is really the right one to go with here. At least, not if the goal is to restore the lights. Unless there's a law requiring a private property owner to light the public street (which would be a huge can of worms best left unopened), they really have little incentive to do it. I mean, if we're being honest with ourselves, most of us would make the same decision. We all enjoy streetlights, be they on a major roadway or on our home streets, but if the pole were in our own yard and we were told we had to foot the bill, I imagine a large number of us would not be eager to do so. This is the exact reason why the lights go in public rights of way.

[Pete]

I also strongly suspect that any streetlights technically owned by private property owners are on the public right of way and thus the City has more leverage than they would like to indicate.

Also note that some of the private property ownership areas that were listed in that article were to get the P180 treatment and have new lights installed and incorporated into City ownership and yet they were struck from the plans due to huge budget overruns.