Despite a recent dumping of snow, the city’s annual street sweeping program is getting underway Monday.
While there were concerns the snowfall would delay the start of cleanup work, warmer weekend temperatures mean most streets will be clear enough to sweep, a city official told CBC News.
“In order for us to be able to sweep, we do need the road to be more or less free of snow and ice,” said Chris Hewitt, the city’s manager of mobility maintenance. “A little bit wet is great. In fact, it can keep down the dust.”
Street sweeping will continue weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through June 2026, depending on the weather. The city expects to sweep more than 17,000 lane-kilometres of roadway, with major roads typically swept overnight. Sweeping will not occur on statutory holidays.
On average, the program collects about 50,000 tons of gravel, Hewitt said, which is either recycled for future winters or diverted to landfills.
(CBC)
Hewitt said the program also keeps that material from ending up in the city’s stormwater system.
“We want to keep the roads safe for users. We want a nice, attractive city,” he said.
Hewitt said Calgarians should watch their neighbourhoods for “No Parking” signs, which will be in place two to three days ahead of when crews will be sweeping in the area.
“The biggest thing with this program is it doesn’t work if we don’t work with everyone, you know, getting those cars off the street so we can do our work,” he said.
Vehicles found violating the parking rules will receive an $80-$120 ticket from Calgary Parking.
Hewitt says residents should watch for “No Parking” signs, similar to this one from 2025, along their street. Signs will be in place two to three days ahead of when crews arrive. (Dan McGarvey/CBC)
Hewitt said for the most part compliance with the parking bans is “excellent” and gets better every year.
In higher density areas, such as downtown, Calgary Parking may tow vehicles violating the ban, but Hewitt said often it will leave them and city crews will return to sweep the area once it’s clear.
The city is also asking residents to ensure other obstructions like non-standard driveway ramps, basketball hoops and bins are off the road during street sweeping hours.
Those planning to park their vehicles in alleyways on street sweeping days should also make sure they’re parked at least five metres away from the alley entrance to avoid a ticket.
Calgarians can also use the city’s online address search tool to see their area’s scheduled street sweeping date.