Q. I’m seeing signs around town that temporarily prohibit parking for street sweeping. How often does Ann Arbor sweep its streets?
A. Street sweeping has many benefits: besides making the streets look better, it lowers pollutant levels in stormwater, controls dust, and reduces the need to clean storm drains and the catch basins where runoff collects.
The EPA calls for at least annual sweeping, while the State of Michigan sets the minimum at once in the spring and once in the fall. That’s what Ann Arbor does.
Some cities sweep more often. Grand Rapids sweeps local streets at least three times a year and major roads at least five times. Ypsilanti sweeps its streets four times each year.
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