Annual street sweeping program underway

Some early spring flurries arrived this week, but preparing our streets for summer still requires a human touch.

Residential street sweeping starts Monday, April 13, and will continue every weekday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the next eight to 12 weeks, weather permitting. Sweeping near school sites is happening this week during Easter break.

Signs will be visible starting Monday to alert motorists of soon-to-be-swept areas. Street sweepers pass through each neighbourhood to clean up debris that has settled since last year.

“We are looking forward to our annual spring street sweeping program as it promotes a sense of cleanliness and pride in the community, reduces dust and debris, and collects sand from winter ice control to be recycled and reused for next winter,” says Juliane Ruck, Transportation Operations Manager.

Parking Restrictions and Enforcement 

‘No parking’ signs will be set up in neighbourhoods approximately 24 hours before street sweeping begins. Vehicles parked on any street where signs are present may be ticketed.

“When vehicles are parked on the street, we can’t sweep those spots and our sweepers will not come back to those areas,” says Ruck. “Please be a good neighbour and move your vehicle before the sweepers show up to help ensure your entire street is done properly.” 

To avoid being ticketed, residents are reminded to move their vehicles off the street before 7:30 a.m. during street sweeping days. Parking can resume after 4 p.m. daily, but vehicles must be moved again the next morning if signs are still present. Once the area is complete, signs will be removed and on-street parking can fully resume. 

Sign up for Street Sweeping notifications

To get automatic and timely street sweeping reminders for your address 24 hours before sweeping starts on your street, use one of these options:

• Download the free Lethbridge Loop smartphone app. With the app, you will also receive notifications for snow routes, planned power outages and you will have the option to set up waste cart collection reminders.
• Type in your address on this page to see your sweeping day on the calendar and/or sign up to be notified by email, phone, or add to your calendar. Schedule may be delayed due to weather, so please confirm closer to your sweeping date.

Live Tracker

Streets are scheduled for sweeping, but rain and high winds can cause delays. Residents can find out where the sweepers are and what zones have been completed with the Live Street Sweeping Map. 

Night Sweeping/Industrial Sweeping 

To support sweeping the entire city while minimizing traffic impacts, night sweeping is in effect for arterial roads, downtown and the industrial area. Night sweeping starts Sunday, April 12, and continues Sundays to Thursdays from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the next six to eight weeks. 

Why do we sweep? 

Each spring, street sweeping crews clean thousands of tonnes of sand, dirt and other debris from roads in Lethbridge. Sweeping helps to prevent that material from being washed into the Oldman River via our storm sewer system. It also reduces dust and improves conditions for cycling, walking and driving. 

Collected sand from winter ice control is reconditioned and reused in the following year’s sanding operations. Residual waste material is disposed of in the landfill. For more information, visit lethbridge.ca/StreetSweeping. 

For Public Inquiries: 
Call or chat with 311 | Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.