Calgary street sweeping to start sooner, thanks to warm weather

CALGARY – The City of Calgary was able to get a jump start on street sweeping this year, thanks to the dry, warm weather.

The city’s spring cleaning program is set to officially kick off on April 3 (weather permitting) but officials say they were able to get an early start by pre-sweeping in some Calgary communities.

This year, crews will be sweeping seven days a week instead of four, as they did in the past.

“The accelerated sweeping schedule will reduce the amount of material that can get washed into our storm sewer system,” road maintenance manager Bill Biensch said in a news release.

In total, city crews have to clear sanding materials and debris from over 15,000 kilometres of roadway.

Because of the early start, street sweeping is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of June – nearly a full month ahead of last year’s program.

“An early finish for spring cleanup also allows crews to focus on other summer activities such as pothole repair and boulevard maintenance,” Biensch said.

Move your car – or get a ticket

This year, vehicles left on the street during sweeping will be subject to ticketing during the dates and times specified on community signs.

If a “No Parking” sign is present, vehicles will be towed and the owner of the vehicle fined.

In addition, new parking ticket prices of $120 that were introduced last year will be in effect for all vehicles left on the street during Spring Cleanup.

To find out when sweeping is scheduled, residents are asked to watch for community signs and visit Calgary.ca/sweep.