March 14, 2007
Sweeping to Begin Citywide on March 26
If we could honestly see any down side to the sudden rise of spring in Washington (and really, I sat outside last night in a friend's backyard -- is there anything better than that?), we suppose the sudden return of parking tickets for three hour intervals on alternate sides of the street would be it.
And obviously, regarding the accompanying photo, it's not that kind of sweeping. But it's tough not to have a cheery disposition with weather like this, and this gent just seemed so much friendlier than an image of a hulking, exhaust-spewing street cleaning vehicle. From DC.gov:
Daylight saving time is coming and so is mechanical street sweeping in the District’s most heavily trafficked neighborhoods, starting Monday, March 26, 2007. Also, alternate-side parking restrictions in these areas will return. Parking tickets, which carry a $30 fine, will be issued, beginning April 2, to vehicles parked during street sweeping hours in areas posted with “No Parking/Street Cleaning” signs. Additionally, parked cars may be towed to allow the sweepers access to the curbside. Generally, parking is prohibited for two hours while sweeping is underway.
Weekly street cleaning routes can be found across the city in high-density neighborhoods, especially areas with significant foot traffic, such as Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and parts of Capitol Hill.
So, booo! to more parking tickets. Or, yay! to cleaner streets -- though we've taken note of the pervasive skepticism among our readers as how regularly city streets are actually cleaned. Either way you look at it, it's probably best to start obeying all parking regulations again now, so as not to forget after March 26 when enforcement begins again.
Also, since our post reminding you to shovel your snow was so popular, we can't help but point out the final note in the city's release: "District law requires property owners to sweep or keep the area in front of their homes or businesses clean 18 inches from the curb line into the street." Did you know that?
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The suction hoses with the rotating brushes on those little streetcleaning machines look like the ultimate sex toy
I'm convinced tickets for parking in street cleaning zones is just another form of revenue generation for the District. On my stretch of 15th St. I've seen the same piles of trash and debris along my curb for weeks (if not months), and have never actually seen a streetcleaning machine on that stretch, even when I happen to be around during the appointed hours. That doesn't stop them from giving me tickets when I forget to move my car, though.
You mean I was moving my car 2-3 times a week this winter for no reason?
awww ezra that hurts.. no one told you??
And we have until April 2nd before actual tickets start right?
Ezra - I was right there with you - I just found out they were resuming ticketing March 26th about two weeks ago. Stupid Wed/Thurs street cleaning in my area!
Gotta love that dc posts when it resumes but not when it is suspended...I searched in December for any notification regarding suspension of street cleaning and didn't find anything.
yeah, this is going to be an interesting experiment to see if they actually sweep things up weekly in my neighborhood. i'm thinking about dumping a small pile of garbage in the gutter after i move my car each week, just to make sure it gets cleaned up. if not, i'm going to bitch to the DPW, just to be an ass.
Adam & Ezra,
The topic of suspending street sweeping was discussed right here on DCist at the end of January.
www.dcist.com/archives/2007/01/30/photoenforced_a.php
Aren't chimney sweeps usually skinny?
I have seen the street sweepers on my street during street sweeper season. But I would also note that once a week isn't enough to pick everything up. And, half the time, people are too lazy to move their cars those preventing the sweeper from coming through. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter to me, though, because instead of expecting the city to do it for me (or my neighbors, for that matter), I go ahead and pick up the garbage in front of my building myself. It just seems like the right thing to do.
We have a mcdonalds on our residential block (1600) Corcoran). The Mcdonalds is a rat paradise and their is food and mcdoanlds trash is all over the street. As such our neighboorhod group follows the street cleaning issue.
Over the past few years the period ("moratorium") with no street cleanging has gone from four weeks to over six month.
In fact you are incorrect about enfourcement starting march 26. I saw the street cleaner this morning try to turn onto our block and back out and leave this morning due to cars parked on both sides. I called DPWA and was told ticketing would not start for ten days more.
90% of the buildings on our block have private parking in the back for which we pay ever increasing taxes (my outdoor peice of concreate costs a fortune) yet we get no street cleaining for most of the year despite a depserate need due to the mcdondalds.
The DPW is unhelpful because any given evening two or three DPW vehicles (parking enforcement vehicles which I subsidize with taxes on my private parking space!) are parked illegally with the workers eating at the Macdonald's.
Moreover did you know that the OFFICIAL DPW line is that the 2 hour limit on no residential permit parking is also "suspended" on alternate sides during this ever lengthening moratorium? We were trying to figure out why we are getting so many Virginia and maryland commuters until told of this crazy and pointless loophole.