Talk about Service! Metro area

**gazhekwe** · September-10-12, 09:44 AM

I called Southfield Public Works this morning about a downed stop sign on the corner. Less than an hour later, they are out there fixing the stop sign! My tax dollars at work.

**Gannon** · September-10-12, 10:03 AM

braggart! LOL...

**gazhekwe** · September-10-12, 10:32 AM

Thing is, it shows this is possible with good resources.

Is there such a thing as benchmarking any more? Is there something to be learned from how other communities manage infrastructure?

Could Detroit be divided into maintenance districts to make it easier to manage?

**Wesley Mouch** · September-10-12, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

Thing is, it shows this is possible with good resources.

Is there such a thing as benchmarking any more? Is there something to be learned from how other communities manage infrastructure?

Could Detroit be divided into maintenance districts to make it easier to manage?

Yippee! More districts = more employees! Say Union Yes!

The size of the district is irrelevant. In fact, larger service areas allow increased efficiency. That's why Unions fight against mergers and privatization. With small districts, you have multiple dispatchers, administrators, accountants, etc. And each small district has to have each specialty trade. If you consolidate, you can reduce administrative overhead.

Detroit's problems with maintenance stem from lack of concern about actual service and increased concern and regulation about how/who/what. Oh, and then there's that lack of money because we overpay for what we use, build new buildings.... oh you get the idea by now.

**Honky Tonk** · September-10-12, 12:20 PM

"I called Southfield Public Works this morning about a downed stop sign on the corner. Less than an hour later, they are out there fixing the stop sign!"

Big Deal. There was a stop sign down in MY neighborhood, and in less than a HALF HOUR, the scrappers had it!

**poobert** · September-10-12, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

"I called Southfield Public Works this morning about a downed stop sign on the corner. Less than an hour later, they are out there fixing the stop sign!"

Big Deal. There was a stop sign down in MY neighborhood, and in less than a HALF HOUR, the scrappers had it!

I can beat that. I kid you not: once I put out a metal cabinet on bulk trash day. Before I could walk from the curb to my front door, a couple of guys who appeared to be Sanford and Son picked it up. Bulk trash pickup in Detroit is second to none [[as long as its metal).

**Wesley Mouch** · September-10-12, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

I can beat that. I kid you not: once I put out a metal cabinet on bulk trash day. Before I could walk from the curb to my front door, a couple of guys who appeared to be Sanford and Son picked it up. Bulk trash pickup in Detroit is second to none [[as long as its metal).

I had in-yard pickup! No need to drag metal to the curb!

**Gannon** · September-10-12, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

I can beat that. I kid you not: once I put out a metal cabinet on bulk trash day. Before I could walk from the curb to my front door, a couple of guys who appeared to be Sanford and Son picked it up. Bulk trash pickup in Detroit is second to none [[as long as its metal).

They are that efficient in GPP, too. Like you said, they just 'appear'. The one guy has a bad muffler now in his pickemup truck, I'll give him another week before someone calls in a complaint.

As for Gaz's stop sign, apparently they treat them with greater respect way up in Southfield. For some odd reason, they value the proper handling of traffic highly enough to rustle these workers from their Eucre games at the park on 12 Mile. Hell, they probably have a StopSign Rapid Response Team.

I know we've already established that stop signs are not noticed in the city, so I'm sure if it were called in you'd have to explain what it is to the operator. We shouldn't expect them to be replaced at all, let alone promptly.

Cheers!

**Hermod** · September-10-12, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

I had in-yard pickup! No need to drag metal to the curb!

If you aren't there, you might even get in-house pickup.

**RO_Resident** · September-10-12, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

Thing is, it shows this is possible with good resources.

Is there such a thing as benchmarking any more? Is there something to be learned from how other communities manage infrastructure?

Could Detroit be divided into maintenance districts to make it easier to manage?

Sign maintenance is already broken into 10 districts in Detroit.

**Gannon** · September-10-12, 03:48 PM

Sign maintenance is already broken in Detroit.

There, fixed it for ya. Sign o' the times.

**gazhekwe** · September-10-12, 03:52 PM

Oh, well, if things can work in some places, why not in others? Too bad.

**Wheels** · September-10-12, 04:07 PM

I have been told that a Stop Sign in Detroit is only a suggestion.

**MidTownMs** · September-10-12, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by Wheels

I have been told that a Stop Sign in Detroit is only a suggestion.

Or an afterthought...

**wolverine** · September-10-12, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

I called Southfield Public Works this morning about a downed stop sign on the corner. Less than an hour later, they are out there fixing the stop sign! My tax dollars at work.

The way it should be right? Soon you'll be seeing more communities adopt "Fix This" apps for yor phone. Simply point at the broken thing with your camera [[description optional) and the city will dispatch a vehicle to location based on your automatically provided GPS coordinates. You later receive a message in the app as to when the maintenance vehicle will arrive and one more when the scheduled work has been completed.

**SWMAP** · September-10-12, 07:43 PM

In Southfield, are the Stop signs all covered with graffiti and bad words like they are in Detroit? Are they little "artist" canvases, as Detroitnerd would find?

**gazhekwe** · September-10-12, 08:01 PM

No, but they do have those numbers on the back for the UN Troops.

**Jimaz** · September-10-12, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

I called Southfield Public Works this morning about a downed stop sign on the corner. Less than an hour later, they are out there fixing the stop sign! My tax dollars at work.

That's great. I'm thinking that replacing a downed stop sign should be a high priority wherever it happens, because ...

Consider the locals [[who have grown to expect that traffic to stop) confronting tourists who mistakenly think they have the right of way though that intersection. Yikes! Accidents waiting to happen!

The backs of stop signs should be painted dayglo green to reassure those with the right of way that the other side is indeed being warned to stop.

If the green isn't visible, the stop sign might not be there!

All this will become moot when all traffic signals/signs/[[billboard ads?

) are projected in real time onto the heads-up, GPS-located, VR display on the windshields of all vehicles.

It's just information. Why construct all the expensive physical signage just to convey otherwise WiFiable information? Imagine the physical signage cost savings the auto industry could offer municipalities/DOTs the world over. Wow!

No more knocked-down physical stop signs. Eh, unless a hacker does it.

**Goose** · September-10-12, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

"I called Southfield Public Works this morning about a downed stop sign on the corner. Less than an hour later, they are out there fixing the stop sign!"

Big Deal. There was a stop sign down in MY neighborhood, and in less than a HALF HOUR, the scrappers had it!

double big deal... the scrappers in my neighborhood don't wait for the stop sign to go down... they just pull it out........

**wolverine** · September-12-12, 02:11 AM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

That's great. I'm thinking that replacing a downed stop sign should be a high priority wherever it happens, because ...

Consider the locals [[who have grown to expect that traffic to stop) confronting tourists who mistakenly think they have the right of way though that intersection. Yikes! Accidents waiting to happen!

The backs of stop signs should be painted dayglo green to reassure those with the right of way that the other side is indeed being warned to stop.

If the green isn't visible, the stop sign might not be there!

All this will become moot when all traffic signals/signs/[[billboard ads?

) are projected in real time onto the heads-up, GPS-located, VR display on the windshields of all vehicles.

It's just information. Why construct all the expensive physical signage just to convey otherwise WiFiable information? Imagine the physical signage cost savings the auto industry could offer municipalities/DOTs the world over. Wow!

No more knocked-down physical stop signs. Eh, unless a hacker does it.

Not going to happen anytime soon. The redundancy is required by law. Dashboard signage is an added convenience and assisted safety device, similar to the speed limit signs that display on a GPS interface. The physical signage is proof by whatever municipality placed it there is in fact traffic control signage at the location and most of the time cannot be disputed. The physical signage is also required for non-vehicles that must obey traffic control signs under state or local law and may not have the energy capacity for a visual interface [[like a bicycle)

Vandalism is all accounted for in the costs of installing and maintaining signage. If you are dealing with persistent damaged signs in your community it is because:
1. No one has called to report the damaged sign
2. Your community is so broke, they've just completely given up on maintenance.

**jtf1972** · September-16-12, 12:56 AM

Only an hour? Ha! A stop sign near me was hit a couple weeks ago and is still there on the ground. That's 2 weeks! 14 days! 8064 hours!

Your precious city can't even keep a stop sign down!

WE WIN AGAIN!