The message from the D.C. government is simple: $30 is the price to pay for parking in the way of cleanliness.
The city’s street-sweeping program restarted this week after its regular winter break. Vehicle owners will be given a week of warnings before ticketing starts Monday, and if the line of cars Wednesday on M Street Northwest was any indication, people need to be alerted.
Violating street-sweeping rules is a costly choice and a virtually guaranteed ticket. The Department of Public Works writes roughly 800 notices a day during the sweeping season at $30 a pop, parking control manager George Carr said.
As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, cars were to be removed from the eastbound side of M Street between 13th and 12th streets for two hours to make way for the street sweeper. Instead, every parking spot was taken.
“They’ll be excited to move because they want the streets to be even cleaner,” said Mayor Adrian Fenty, who rode in a sweeper as it made its way down M Street.
Street sweeping is the “official end of winter” in Washington, the mayor said. The cleanup effort is citywide, except in Wards 3 and 8, but the focus is on high-traffic areas such as Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Logan Circle and Capitol Hill.
In 2006, about 3,000 tons of trash, litter and debris were lifted from some 4,000 lane miles of roadway.
