# Street Sweeping: Why So Thorough? \[incl link to Cecil's SD-Chi column\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665 "2010-07-14T15:24:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wheat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wheat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheat)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/1 "2010-07-14T15:24:58Z")
So I’m relatively new to living in Chicago, and something that has struck me is that while all other city services seem to be lacking a bit, the street cleaning is still very thorough. Although it’s only halfway through the summer, my local street has already been swept three times. This is much more street sweeping than other cities I’ve lived in. So is there something about Chicago streets that requires that they be swept regularly? Or is regular street sweeping just an attempt to get more fines out of inattentive car owners? (I’ve noticed that the signs go up at most two days before the sweeping begins.) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/2 "2010-07-14T15:32:24Z")
> [@Wheat](#): > > This is much more street sweeping than other cities I’ve lived in. Here in Boston we get street sweeping twice a month. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/3 "2010-07-15T04:17:38Z")
Can’t really speak for Chicago, but everything that doesn’t get swept of the streets can quite easily get carried by storm water into the storm sewer system, and thence into (in Chicago’s case) the lake. Er, that’s where Chicago gets its drinking water from, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/4 "2010-07-15T04:45:46Z")
> [@Civil\_Guy](#): > > Can’t really speak for Chicago, but everything that doesn’t get swept of the streets can quite easily get carried by storm water into the storm sewer system, and thence into (in Chicago’s case) the lake. Er, that’s where Chicago gets its drinking water from, is it? Chicago’s sewers don’t drain into the lake, except during times of unusually heavy rainfall. There’s an elaborate system of tunnels and canals that eventually empties into a tributary of the Mississippi. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/5 "2010-07-15T08:55:12Z")
My street in San Francisco is swept twice a _week_, each side. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/6 "2010-07-15T12:41:48Z")
In Chicago the sanitation crews scatter rose petals on the sidewalks twice a day. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/7 "2010-07-15T16:14:26Z")
I don’t have a problem with the sweeping frequency. But I’d prefer that it wasn’t quite so _random_. When I used to park on the street, going out of town for a week meant taking your chances on getting a ticket, because you never knew when they were going to decide to sweep. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/8 "2010-07-15T18:28:53Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > In Chicago the sanitation crews scatter rose petals on the sidewalks twice a day. Then start over a half hour later to sweep them up. ---
**Author:** ![RayMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e495f1/32.png) [@RayMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RayMan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/9 "2010-07-15T20:03:53Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I don’t have a problem with the sweeping frequency. But I’d prefer that it wasn’t quite so _random_. When I used to park on the street, going out of town for a week meant taking your chances on getting a ticket, because you never knew when they were going to decide to sweep. Street cleaning in Chicago is not at all random. Each ward has a schedule for street sweeping. You can find the schedule [here](http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/streets/provdrs/san/svcs/street_sweeping.html?cq_ck=1273763777005). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/10 "2010-07-16T01:40:18Z")
That’s a handy link, **RayMan**. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Wheat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wheat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheat)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/11 "2010-07-16T02:33:58Z")
But I guess my question is still: is street sweeping this frequently actually necessary, or is it just an attempt to raise revenue from drivers who don’t pay attention? For that matter, does the city make a profit on sweeping at all? ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/12 "2010-07-16T03:05:30Z")
It’s more about employing a street-sweeper operator for each ward than the parking fines. The mayor’s proposal earlier this summer to divide the city into 30 logical street-sweeping zones was met with a sneer by alderman, who want to keep the street-sweeping done by gerrymandered ward. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/13 "2010-07-16T07:24:01Z")
> [@Wheat](#): > > But I guess my question is still: is street sweeping this frequently actually necessary, or is it just an attempt to raise revenue from drivers who don’t pay attention? For that matter, does the city make a profit on sweeping at all? Hey, it’s Chicago. \*Everything \*is about making illicit profits for the local pols. That’s what makes the world (or at least the City) go round…TRM (who is not complaining; Chicago “works” in it’s own weird and wonderful way) ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/14 "2010-07-16T13:30:57Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > It’s more about employing a street-sweeper operator for each ward than the parking fines. The mayor’s proposal earlier this summer to divide the city into 30 logical street-sweeping zones was met with a sneer by alderman, who want to keep the street-sweeping done by gerrymandered ward. Cecil may want to write about this someday. A lot of city services - forestry, for example - are centrally dispatched. Even so, each aldermanic service office has access to the database and can check on the status of service requests - the aldermen field a lot of citizen complaints. It’s interesting that they wanted to retain control of street sweeping - my guess is they want to be able to do extra sweeping for local business districts. We’ll have to go over to the ward office and inquire. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/15 "2010-07-19T06:38:12Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > In Chicago the sanitation crews scatter rose petals on the sidewalks twice a day. Huh. Everybody in SF does that. Cleaning up the damn rose petals is why we have so much street sweeping. ---
**Author:** ![DivineComedienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c67d28/32.png) [@DivineComedienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DivineComedienne)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/16 "2010-07-19T18:13:26Z")
> [@Wheat](#): > > But I guess my question is still: is street sweeping this frequently actually necessary, or is it just an attempt to raise revenue from drivers who don’t pay attention? For that matter, does the city make a profit on sweeping at all? The point of street-sweeping is that you want to get all the dirt, debris, etc. off the street BEFORE it gets washed into the underground drainage system/pipes and clogs things up. It’s a lot cheaper to clean the streets and remove the debris on the surface than it is to have to dig up the underground infrastructure or send “roto-rooters” down to try to fix the problem. It’s “an ounce of prevention”. ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/17 "2010-07-19T18:26:24Z")
Good contract negotiations… I’m guessing the guy who made the deal for the city is now a “consultant” for the company that got the contract. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/18 "2010-07-19T21:23:42Z")
It also depends on the neighborhood. If you’re in an area that brings more out-of-towners and tourists, it will be swept more often. Appearances and all. Wrigleyville even has its own specially painted Cubs sweepers, subsidized by the ball park. Wrigley spends a lot of money not to piss off the locals, because sports fans are pigs and it’s bad enough to have suburban frat boys pissing in your bushes at 2am, having to put up with the trash they leave behind would not be tolerated in the neighborhood. So tourist areas, downtown, sports parks and theater areas all get street sweeping and cleaning done more often. I was recently looking in a different neighborhood for an apartment and thought the mess in the streets, curbs, sidewalks was remarkable compared to Lakeview where I was moving from. I chose the Loyola area instead. Much cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/19 "2010-07-28T17:53:19Z")
I guess I always thought street sweeping in Chicago was a boondoggle to keep the snow-plow operators on payroll throughout the year, but I believe winter plows are centrally dispatched and not under aldermanic control–anyone know for sure? ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665/20 "2010-07-29T01:01:42Z")
You’re thinking of the garbage trucks - these are equipped with plows during the winter months. Same drivers as far as I know, dispatched by Streets and San. The street sweeping machines have no alternative use that I’m aware of, and I don’t know what if anything the drivers do during the winter. I should ask Marty, former street sweeper operator and (still) precinct captain, who’s now the ward superintendent in the 47th Ward. Whatever he was doing in the off season, he must have done a pretty good job of it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/street-sweeping-why-so-thorough-incl-link-to-cecils-sd-chi-column/546665.md?page=2)