In two community victories on and around Reservoir Oval in 2004, there is a disturbing lesson to be learned: It takes a very long time to get small things done.

Our neighbor and Norwood News contributor Janet Norquist was noted in more than one press report when she was able, after months of letter writing and calls to elected officials, to get an incorrect street sign changed on her block.

And many Norwood residents were relieved when a speed bump was installed on the West side of the Oval. Community groups met with and requested the changes from two successive Bronx Transportation commissioners over the course of about two years.

Both of these improvements were welcome and their champions are to be congratulated. But we wonder why getting simple improvements to our communities is so hard.

The fact that city officials make us jump through so many hoops just to get small things accomplished and require so much effort from our fellow citizens means that there is less time and energy to get the really big important things done.

We need to set our sights higher and have greater expectations as a community. We should expect the street signs to be right, and the streets around our parks to be safe for children. But we should also expect significant improvements to our long-neglected subway stations. We should expect a useful redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory and the Loew’s Paradise Theatre.

As we press for solutions to small problems, we also need to consistently project the big picture on the city’s, and our neighbors’, radar screens. When we work with city officials on small but important issues, we should not miss the opportunity to tell them that we expect and deserve much more effort on the even more important big-ticket items.

Let’s exhibit more of that big-city attitude Bronxites are famous for.