Missed patches of gravel irk some Calgarians as street sweepers dodge illegally parked vehicles

As city crews continue to work at full tilt sweeping Calgary streets, officials say they simply won't be able to return and clean up patches missed because of vehicles left in the way.

'When you see the sign, you know it's time to move your vehicle'

CBC News ·
Some Calgary residents have expressed frustration about areas missed by street sweepers due to vehicles being left on the street. (Dave Gilson/CBC)

Some Calgarians aren't happy about the prospect of cleaning up road debris missed by street sweepers because of people who didn't obey parking bans.

But the Calgary Parking Authority doesn't have the capacity to tow all illegally parked vehicles.

That means crews sometimes just have to work around them, says Calgary Roads spokesperson Chris McGeachy.

"Our goal is everyone complies and everyone moves their vehicles. You know it's a challenge," he said.

Street cleaning in Calgary will take longer this year because more gravel than usual was put down on city streets over the winter, the city says. (CBC)

"There's all sorts of obstacles that can prevent that, but our message is always when you see the sign, you know it's time to move your vehicle."

Daun Whitnack says she thinks crews forgot to place a no parking sign on her road in Hidden Valley. She called 311 to see if the city could clear the leftover gravel.

"It is frustrating that it didn't happen and that the city's not taking action on it when you can easily see there's a ton of debris there," she said.

The city says it will consider returning to some streets to clear patches but it adds residents may have to clean others themselves. (Dave Gilson/CBC)

The city says it will consider returning to some streets to clear patches, but some residents may have to clean other spots themselves.

Earlier this week, officials said the Calgary Parking Authority has given out about twice as many tickets for vehicles in violation of street-sweeping parking bans this year compared with 2017.

    With files from Dave Gilson