Everything You Need to Know About Spring Street Cleaning in Calgary

With the snow melting and the roads covered in small rocks, it’s that time of year again: spring street cleaning. The city will soon start sweeping the roads to keep as many windshields crack-free as possible. Calgary is a big city, so it takes a bit of collaboration between street sweepers and residents to get all 16,000 kilometres rock free. Here’s how you can help the process run more smoothly:

• Check the schedule for when your neighbourhood is being swept.
• Remove your cars from the street on the days they have scheduled for your neighbourhood
• Keep your black, blue and green bins on the curb on garbage pickup day.

If you see anything left behind after the street cleaning, be a good neighbour and sweep it up yourself; just keep in mind to use garbage bags to dispose of any excess gravel and rocks.

If you are unable to check the street cleaning schedule or perhaps your address doesn’t work in the search bar, watch for the parking ban signs that will be placed 12 hours in advance. Not removing your car from the street can result in ticketing or even towing if you ignore the signs. If your car does get towed from the street, one of two things can happen:

1. The city will pay for your car to be towed to a nearby spot that isn’t under a parking ban, or
2. You will have to pay for the tow, the ticket and the impound fee if it has to be taken to the impound lot.

To make everyone’s lives easier, all residential street sweeping will be done during the week from six in the morning to six in the evening. All major roads will be swept in the evenings and overnight to reduce any traffic backups that the sweepers create. If you live in a new subdivision that isn’t complete yet, you most likely won’t see city street sweepers come through. The community developers are responsible for those roadways until they receive a Final Acceptance Certificate from the city.

Other than saving your windshields from flying rocks, the spring clean-up helps in a few other ways:

• Reduces water pollution by preventing runoff, like sanding materials and debris, from entering our water system.
• Helps to keep cyclists, motorists and pedestrians safe.

Even though the street cleaning schedule is set, it is always subject to change; a late snowstorm in the city will halt all street sweeping while they start to snow and ice control. Once the roads are dry, they will begin sweeping again.

Street sweeping isn’t the most convenient thing for everyone, but it makes the city safer and a nicer place to live. Please help keep our city streets clean and rock-free by moving your car according to the cleaning schedule, Calgary!