Street Cleaning Begins Bostonwide on April 1st

Street sweeping in Boston is back Bostonwide starting as of April 1st.

This year, many Boston neighborhoods will see a different daily schedule to better align with trash and recycling days, a pilot program that started in the South End last year. Street sweeping in the South End officially began on March 1st, although winter weather kept the program from starting until the end of the month. 

“Keeping Boston’s neighborhoods clean is a top priority of mine, as well as our residents,” Mayor Menino said. “These schedule changes will allow us to clean streets in a way that improves our operations and maximizes the benefits of sweeping. I look forward to seeing our neighborhoods shine once again this spring.”

The neighborhoods most affected by the new street sweeping schedule will be Jamaica Plain and most of Dorchester and Mission Hill.  The city says aligning street sweeping with trash days will will provide cleaner streets and a reduction in rodent food sources. There are 6,500 new signs posted in those neighborhoods. 

The program runs until November 30, except in the neighborhoods with an extended schedule, such as Beacon Hill, the North End and the South End, where street sweeping will continue into December. A street sweeping violation will get you towed, and a $40 ticket. If you're worried about getting your car towed, you can sign up for the city's No Tow program which will email you the night before your neighborhood's streets are swept. 

 Neighborhood streets throughout the city will be swept clean on a rotating schedule 

Additional tips for residents from the city:

• Signs for both day and night sweeping are posted in your neighborhood, a minimum of one per block, and indicate the days and hours that parking is not allowed. Residential streets are typically swept during the day program. Main arterials and the downtown areas are swept in the night program.
• Public Works has changed the 2013 posted days/hours for many residential streets to provide more effective street sweeping. It is important to note the posted signs in your immediate neighborhood since they may have changed since last season.
•  The night posted restrictions in all neighborhoods are in effect year round with the exceptions of weather-related cancellations.
• The Daytime Neighborhood Street Cleaning Program runs from April 1 through November 30, except in Beacon Hill, North End and South End which have been extended into December and March by neighborhood request. 
• Both the night and day sweeping programs will be enforced, which includes fines for illegal parking as well as towing.
•  Comprehensive street sweeping information can be found at www.cityofboston.gov/publicworks/sweeping. You can also register for posted street sweeping electronic reminders and cancellations by accessing the NO-TOW link at that web site. Inquiries can also be directed to the Mayor’s 24-Hour Service at 61-635-4500.

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