Street sweeping begins Monday, Edmonton issues parking ban reminder
Edmonton is set to begin spring street sweeping on April 8 to clear away gravel and other debris left over from winter.
The city will begin with major roadways, business improvement areas, active pathways and bike lanes. Residential street cleaning will begin on April 15.
"Spring sweep diverts unwanted materials from flowing into storm drains and into our water sources and it also keeps materials from disrupting our air quality," said Mark Beare, the director of infrastructure operations with the city.
"It removes debris so there's less damage to vehicles and generally makes our roadways and our active pathways safer for everybody to use."
Street cleaning will run Monday to Friday, 24 hours a day. Crews are expected to finish by June 1.
Crews will work on arterial roads and boulevards between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., while residential roads will be worked on between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, parking bans will be in effect for neighbourhoods where cleaning crews are scheduled to be.
"Vehicles will not be towed, but owners will receive a fine of $250 per vehicle," said the city in a news release.
"A parking ban is necessary for residential neighbourhoods as it allows crews to safely clean all debris from curb to curb," added Val Dacyk, General Supervisor of Infrastructure Field Operations.
Parking ban signs will be put in neighbourhoods 48 hours before work begins so residents have enough warning. The city has twice as many signs to place this year, according to Dacyk.
This is the first year for parking ban enforcement during the spring street sweep, according to Keith Scott, the director for complaints investigations with the city.
"We want to get a behavior change when it comes to moving vehicles during parking bans," said Scott. "There's nothing worse than trying to drive around vehicles, damaging vehicles."
A map showing which streets have been cleared is available on the city's website and will be updated daily. There is also a link to sign up for parking ban notifications, it is the same one used for snow and ice removal notifications.
People are also encouraged to remove driveway ramps when crews are in the area for street cleaning to avoid damage to ramps.
"This is the one and only time of the year where we encourage residents to sweep off their driveways and adjacent sidewalks into the roadway before spring sweep happens in order to be able to clean up that debris," Dacyk said.
The spring snow Friday is actually expected to help the cleaning crews, rather than delay them.
"It does actually help us a little bit because it prevents us from having to pre-wet the area," Dacyk said. "So as long as we don't get really cold, and I'm talking below -5 C, we should be able to continue as planned."
The city has over 12,000 kilometres of roadways and 500 kilometres of pathways to maintain.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.