The city will begin the annual spring cleanup operation of streets, sidewalks and back lanes on Sunday, April 12, 2015. It will take around five weeks to complete.
To assist in efficient street cleaning operations, temporary “no parking” signs will be placed on some streets to restrict on-street parking during scheduled cleaning times. When these signs are in place, motorists are encouraged to find alternate parking during the posted times to avoid being ticketed or towed.
Citizens are reminded not to rake yard waste material (e.g. grass clippings, leaves) or other debris onto streets as this can plug drains and cause ponding problems as well as increase your risk of basement flooding.
Focus will begin on the downtown area, regional streets, bridges and overpasses. Sidewalks on main routes, bus routes and collector streets will be targeted first.
On April 19, crews will also be busy conducting spring cleanup and litter collection in parks and on boulevards. Boulevard cleanup will focus first on boulevards and centre medians along major routes. Cleanup of boulevards in residential areas is limited to areas where there is excessive accumulation of sand (two full wheelbarrows or more).
“Each year City crews clean up more than 45,000 tonnes of debris that accumulated over the winter months,” said Jim Berezowsky, Manager of the Streets Maintenance. “We appreciate citizens’ cooperation during this major operation.”
The $4.5 million spring cleanup operation involves over 200 pieces of equipment and approximately 500 staff. Motorists are reminded to use extreme caution around heavy equipment operating throughout the city over the coming weeks.
