Neighborhood Watch Goes Beyond Crime: Reporting Everyday Infrastructure Problems

At a meeting today with fellow city volunteers and a former City Councilor, I learned something important: Lake Oswego relies on residents to report many of the everyday problems we see in our neighborhoods. That includes graffiti, potholes, damaged signs, clogged storm drains, flooding, streetlights that are out, and other infrastructure concerns.

Public Works depends on neighbors to be their eyes and ears.

According to the City: "The Lake Oswego Public Works Department is responsible for maintaining infrastructure systems throughout the city to ensure they are working correctly, efficiently, and that the life of our assets is maximized."

What should you report?

Here are some common issues residents should report:

• Potholes

• Graffiti

• Damaged or missing street signs

• Flooding or drainage issues

• Clogged storm drains

• Streetlights that are out or flickering

• Dangerous intersections or visibility concerns

• Missing sidewalks, crosswalks, or traffic calming needs

• Speeding concerns

• Overgrown vegetation blocking signs

How to report a concern

For general traffic and safety concerns, Lake Oswego has an online Safety Concern Form https://apps.lakeoswego.city/Forms/SafetyConcern

This form can be used for:

• Pedestrian, bicycle, or driver safety concerns

• Vehicle speeding

• Requests for infrastructure improvements

• Street lighting concerns

• Visibility issues at intersections

What you can report on the online form

Street Safety Specific Issues

Do you feel people are driving faster on a nearby street?

Our Police Department has two Speed Reading trailers that can be deployed to give feedback to drivers passing by. Not only do these trailers slow traffic for a period of time, they report back to the Police what travel speeds are most observed. For information regarding the Police Department’s Speed Reader trailer program, including the request form, please visit the webpage here: http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/police/speed-reader.

Do you feel that more cars are using your street?  The City says they collect traffic volumes on many streets throughout Lake Oswego every year with many Arterials and Major Collectors being surveyed annually. These volumes are usually collected over multiple days during typical conditions (fair weather, school in session, hopefully no nearby construction). To see this data, please visit the page for our Traffic Counts program here: http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/engineering/traffic-and-bikepedestrian-counts-program.

Do you feel your local or neighborhood street is becoming more stressful? The City has a Neighborhood Traffic Management Program for the installation of traffic calming, such as speed humps. Since traffic calming is not for everywhere, staff follows the procedures established in Article 32.14 of the Municipal Code. For information regarding traffic calming, please visit the City webpage for the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program here: https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/engineering/neighborhood-traffic.

Need to report something specific?

Public Works Maintenance 503-635-0280 (Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)

Call them for:

• Potholes

• Sign damage

• Dead animals in the roadway

• Streetlight outages

• Vegetation blocking signage

For after-hours emergencies involving water, sewer, streets, or storm drainage: Emergency Dispatch: 503-635-0238

Streetlights out?

If reporting a streetlight issue, try to note:

• Street address

• Pole number

• Map ID number (usually on a silver tag on the pole)

That helps crews locate the problem faster.

Traffic signals not working?

Call Clackamas County Transportation Maintenance:503-557-6391 (Monday–Thursday, 7 a.m.–5:30 p.m.)

After hours, contact Lake Oswego Police non-emergency: 503-635-0238

What happens after you report?

Typically:

• Your concern is logged

• It is routed to the right department

• Staff may inspect it

• Routine issues are scheduled for repair

• Urgent safety issues are prioritized

When you report, it’s smart to ask for:

• A service request number

• The staff contact handling it

• An estimated timeline

Why this matters

When neighbors report problems early, repairs happen faster, hazards are reduced, and our community stays safer and more livable.

Good neighborhoods don’t maintain themselves. They stay strong because residents pay attention—and speak up.

The City Leaders for Public Works are:

• Public Works Director/City Engineer: Erica Rooney

• Deputy Public Works Director: Joel Kuhnke