Photo courtesy dpw.dc.govThe District Department of Public Works has announced the date when residential streets will begin being serviced again by mechanical street sweepers: Monday, March 23.
That date marks when alternate-side street sweeping-related parking restrictions go back into effect after the winter season, though the city gives us a week to get used to it again before issuing $30 tickets: those won’t start until March 30.
The resumption of street sweeping comes with the promise of more tickets this year, however. DPW introduced its “Sweepercam” license plate recognition technology at the end of last summer, and recently reminded residents that it will begin testing it again starting today through Friday, March 27. The next three weeks will be a dry run for the street sweeper cameras, to make sure they are in sync before re-deployment, during which time no parking tickets will be issued. But come March 30, if you’re not back in the habit of moving your car from one side of the street to the other once a week, expect the “Sweepercam” to make catching you parked on the wrong side that much easier. The department currently has seven sweepers outfitted with the cameras, with five more expected to be installed by May.
