Calgarians rack up nearly 10K tickets in just 1 week for blocking street sweepers

Parking enforcement officers have handed out nearly 10,000 tickets in Calgary's first week of street sweeping, alone.

That's close to the total number of tickets the Calgary Parking Authority issuedduring the entire, three-month sweeping season last year.

New data shows a total of 9,827 tickets were issued from April 1 to 7 to drivers who left their cars on the street despite signs telling them to keep the road clear so sweepers could come through.

"This year we're using photo enforcement more so than in past years," said Joan Hay, the parking authority's manager of enforcement.

She said the authority's mobile enforcement vehicles, covered with cameras pointing in multiple directions, will typically move throughan area due to be swept before the sweepers come by.

Offending vehicles' licence plates are photographed and the tickets are then issued to the registered owners through the mail.

That means the violators may not even learn of their violations until after the sweepers have gone through an area, but Hay says the idea is that they will remember come street-sweeping season next year.

"Spring cleaning is an annual program in Calgary," she said. "So, more efficient enforcement during street-sweeping bans will help promote we're hoping the goal of increasing compliance in the long term."

In some cases, vehicles are also moved to make way for the sweepers right away.

Of the vehicles ticketed so far this year, 261 were were towed.

"We try to be as efficient as possible," Hay said of the towing practices. "So the vehicles that you see being towed are likely being short-towed, so they're somewhere close in the neighbourhood."

Watch for signs in your neighbourhood

The parking authority advises everyone to keep an eye out for temporary signs in their communities that are put in place before an area is swept.

"Vehicles are subject to be ticketed and towed if the small, three-feet high 'No Parking' signs are placed along the road," it says on its website.

"They will be placed at least 12 hours prior to street sweeping."

The parking authority will pay for towing if the vehicle can be moved to a nearby space where it won't disrupt the sweepers.

But the vehicle owner is responsible for the tow and impound fee, if no such space is available and the vehicle is taken to the impoundlot.

They are also responsible for the ticket, which carries a fine of $80 if paid in 10 days, $90 if paid within 30 days, and $120 after that.

Last year, between April 1 and July 1, a total of 12,119 vehicles were ticketed for ignoring street-sweeping signs and 2,102 were towed.

You can see which streets have been swept already and which are due for sweeping on the city'sinteractive online map.