The city's annual street sweeping could land you a $120 fine
May 1 2020 update: This article has been amended to include the correct hours of the 2020 street sweeping (8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday) as well as additional info on how to avoid the fine.
The sun is shining and the snow has melted, which can only mean one thing here in Calgary…
… You’re in danger of getting a $120 parking fine.
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Now that all the winter weather is finally in the rearview (knock on wood), the city’s street sweepers have gotten to work clearing all the sand and debris to make our city look sparkly clean as we head into the summer.
The one downside to the street sweeping is that your car will likely be in the way of these fine city workers plying their trade.
Not to worry, as the City of Calgary is putting up new street sweeping signs that will indicate when and where residential streets will be swept, meaning that when you see the sign, you’ll need to get your car out of there before they start (from 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday).
If you happen to forget, you could get stuck with a $120 fine that will be issued after the end of the Street Sweeping program, as Calgary Parking Authority will be using ParkPlus camera technology to identify non-compliant vehicles.
However, if you pay it within 10 days, it comes down to only $80, or $90 if within 30 days.
Even cheaper than that is not getting dinged at all, and the city has a few ways to help you make sure you’re ticket-free.
Calgarians can head over to the city’s website to see when and where the sweeping will occur, search their address to determine when their street will be cleaned, and even sign up for a text alert to make absolutely sure they’re not $120 poorer by the end of the cleaning.
Alternatively, Calgarians can leave their vehicle where it is and simply sweep up leftover materials, bag it, and put it in their black bin.
Any roads that are deemed clear will not be issued parking ban tickets as a result.
The sweeping started on April 20 and will continue into June.
A live map of the sweeping is also available here, and the release states that it is important to check daily, as the schedule will likely be updated on the go.
If your vehicle is towed, the city’s website states that you may be on the hook for the towing and impound fees.
This year will also see an increase in photo enforcement to encourage people to move their cars from soon-to-be-swept roads, and crews are expecting to sweep over 16,000 km of road over the next month.
In 2019 a total of 881 cars were towed while 36,453 were tagged, resulting in nearly $3 million in fines.
So yeah, you should probably save yourself the trouble by keeping an eye out for the street sweeping signs, or looking up when your street will be cleared online.
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