After a two-year hiatus, the City of Pittsburgh will resume parking limitations when street sweeping begins next month. Parking enforcement had been on hold during the pandemic as many people worked from home.
But now that more workers have returned to the office and more people are out and about, public works crews have not been able to sweep the streets as well as they could with fewer cars on the road.
“As a result of increased parked vehicles, crews were less able to effectively clean the streets,” said Chris Hornstein, acting Director of the Department of Public Works. “Consequently, we saw a rise in litter in streets as well as debris and waste entering our stormwater system.”
Street sweeping season runs from April 1 through Nov. 30. Parking enforcement will begin April 1. During the warmer months last year, the city had a street sweeping season but did not ticket parked cars.
Street sweepers operate on weekdays. Neighborhoods typically have an assigned street sweeping day Monday through Thursday, and crews focus on main corridors and business districts on Fridays. Posted signs indicate when an area’s assigned street sweeping day takes place.
Neighborhood and residential street sweeping begins after 8 a.m. and ends at about 2:30 p.m.
Municipalities use street sweeping to clean debris and litter from the roads, but it can also reduce pollutants from flowing into storm drains and eventually local waterways.
“Not only does this have positive impacts for our stormwater system, but it also leaves Pittsburgh streets cleaner for residents,” Hornstein said.
The Department of Public Works will coordinate with the Pittsburgh Parking Authority to issue tickets for vehicles parked in prohibited areas.
