Keeping streets clean is a goal that every city must make a top priority. Messy, unkempt streets can cause damage to vehicles and lead to injuries and possibly even deaths. Substances such as gas, antifreeze, oil and detergent used to wash cars can all damage streets if they are not kept clean.
Street Sweeping in Every State

Street sweeping vehicles have been deployed in many cities in order to ensure cleanliness. This includes Fresno, Torrance, Portland, St. Louis and New York City. Each city brings its own unique approach to street sweeping. In St. Louis the street cleaner vehicles were adorned with Rams logo stickers until the team left the city. City officials insisted that they began using the stickers on the street sweepers because some drivers were confusing them with the many other service vehicles on the streets. Now the city’s street sweeping vehicles show an image of the sky line.

In major cities such as Washington DC, each road is cleaned anywhere from every other week to every eight weeks. Cleanings are scheduled in advance and residents are often required to move their car from one side of the street to the other to accommodate the size of the street sweepers used.

Residents of Washington DC often have two set days per week when street sweeping is performed. To get the city to begin its street sweeping 80% of drivers had to pledge that they would cooperate by moving their car when it became necessary to do so. In 2015 Washington DC street sweepers were able to clear 28% more debris off the road than they had been able to in previous years. This amounted to roughly 26,000 miles of streets to be swept, including residential streets in the summer, fall and spring as well as commercial streets all year long. For six months of the year close to every street in DC was visited by a sweeper. All major roads were cleared early in the morning before most residents began their commutes to work.

Conclusion

When city officials work together with residents to ensure that street sweeping does benefit everyone they take the necessary steps to make the system more successful. This has already less to much success in Washington DC and other cities. Most drivers seem to be willing to cooperate with the street sweeping programs. In some cities, such as Alexandria, Virginia, street sweepers are also helping to clear fallen leaves from roads.