In the wake of a robbery-murder on a dark Dupont Circle-area street, new attention is being paid to a problem many living in the city have just considered tiny in comparison to the District’s greater municipal maladies: broken street lights.

Many in Dupont Circle blame broken street lights on R Street as a major contributor to the Aug. 23 robbery-murder of a popular waiter who was walking home from work. Area residents have said they have complained about broken street lights for months, and say DDOT — the agency that oversees street light repairs — has been unresponsive. An advisory neighborhood commissioner, Robert Halligan, told the Post that a street light in front of his Riggs Place residence went unrepaired for six months, despite complaints to DDOT.

Two muggings occurred while the light was out, he said. “I ended up saying, ‘Just drop the light bulbs off, I’ll climb the pole and do it myself,'” Halligan said. He never had to, though — he said the light was fixed only after he sent a tersely worded e-mail to top transportation officials.

The Current, which covered this issue last week, quoted Halligan, who said that DDOT is partially to blame for the murder of Adrien Alstad, for providing an environment for criminals to lurk and prey on unsuspecting victims. “They are completely dysfunctional public service-wise.” (The Post reports that DDOT says it has 97-98 percent of District street lights operating normally.)